1. Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord (21-24)

Rehoboam came from excellent stock. His father was the wise Solomon and David, a man after God's own heart, was his grandfather. But Rehoboam didn't learn from either of them. He was foolish and rebellious. He sinned greatly against the Lord, and caused all of Judah to participate in that sin. They didn't behave like God's people. They behaved like the nations the Lord drove out before them. The idol worship and male shrine prostitutes brought the Lord to anger.

2. The consequences of Judah's sin (25-31)

The Lord punished Judah through Shishak, king of Egypt. He attacked Jerusalem, broke into the temple and took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields, made to look like the original ones, but not worth much. This is an apt metaphor of Judah. Because of Rehoboam's sin, while things may have looked ok, the nation had become worthless to God.