Beth-zur, Shoco, and Adullam belong to the list of cities that Rehoboam strengthened and fortified for the defense of his kingdom. These fortified places were built up as military safeguards after the rending of the kingdom, when Judah stood alone against pressures from without. Yet those walls and defenses were not the true ground of Judah's prosperity and strength. Judah prospered while its people acknowledged God as their ruler and sought Him, for national well-being rested on obedience and divine favor rather than on fortified cities.
Beth-zur, Shoco, and Adullam belong to the list of cities that Rehoboam strengthened and fortified for the defense of his kingdom. These fortified places were built up as military safeguards after the rending of the kingdom, when Judah stood alone against pressures from without. Yet those walls and defenses were not the true ground of Judah's prosperity and strength. Judah prospered while its people acknowledged God as their ruler and sought Him, for national well-being rested on obedience and divine favor rather than on fortified cities.