When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made. – 2 Chronicles 12:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 12, 2016): 2 Chronicles 12

Shoshenq I reigned in Egypt from c. 943-922 B.C.E. For some reason, he became very active in his foreign policy in the Middle East during the latter part of his reign. It was the first concerted military effort of Egypt outside of its borders in centuries. Maybe the sudden urge to operate the Egyptian military in the Middle East was in search of valuable objects, or it is possible that he felt he needed to secure his borders. Shoshenq I is almost universally assumed to be the Shishak of the Bible.

But there is a problem with this identification. According to the Egyptian records of the reign of Shoshenq, there is no mention of an attack on Jerusalem, which would seem to be the ultimate prize in an attack on the Middle East at the time. According to the records of that period, Shoshenq appears to have attacked both north and south of Jerusalem, but he seems to have studiously avoided attacking the heart of Judea. This discrepancy has caused some to question if Shoshenq could really be Shishak.

Of course, some have argued that the assault on Jerusalem was either lost or erased for some reason from the annals of the king. But there might be another solution. Maybe Shoshenq never did attack the city. It is possible that after the Egyptian raids on the countryside, Rehoboam simply surrendered and negotiated a deal with Shoshenq. A small raiding party could have been sent to Jerusalem to carry off its treasure while an actual “attack” was avoided. But we will probably never know.

In popular culture, the original Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark proposes that this was the moment when the Ark of the Covenant was removed from the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the movie, Shoshenq took the Ark and hid it in Tanis in the “Well of Souls.” Ultimately, we do not know exactly when the Ark was lost or who it was that took it. There are a few possibilities including the Babylonians and Assyrians, but this might have been the earliest opportunity for the Ark to have been stolen. And probably the only chance for it to have been moved into Egypt.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 14

Personal Note: Happy Birthday, Mom.