1 Kings 12:7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
This is interesting advise and I wonder how true it is for new leaders in other situations. Serve the people, speak good words to them, and they will be loyal forever. In the case of Rehoboam, he decided that he didn't want to listen to old men, and sought out the counsel of his spoiled peers, who told him to do the opposite.
Rehoboam, understandably wants the 10 tribes back, if for no other reason than pride, but it was likely that he wanted them back more for the tax revenue they had previously generated than for any other reason. (I wonder how the young men who counseled him fared after the split. Were they arrogant and he insecure enough that they gave him a hard time for blowing it? Or did they recognize what their counsel had cost both him and them? Or did they perhaps lose their lives?) Consequently, Rehob calls up 180,000 men to go fight the newly broken away kingdom of Israel but a man of God, Shemaiah, says don't bother and all the people went back home. The scripture doesn't say how Rehob took the message, or how he handled his people going home, but I bet he was pretty dejected that night.
Jeroboam, on the other hand, decides that he is in real danger of losing the heart of his people because of religion. If they keep needing to go across the border every time they feel the Spirit and want to go to the temple, he's concerned they will also start to believe that kings are divinely appointed and he'll have a schism in his own country between those who want to go back to the original kingdom of David and those who don't. So, after taking counsel, he decides to remove religion from the equation by making them some idols, ordaining some priests, and copying the religious celebrations. Sound familiar? Christianity did much the same thing when it invaded Europe. Replace pagan icons with crosses and saints, copy holidays, and build bigger temples. Combine that with some sharp swords and spears and you've essentially got religion.
1 Kings 13 has a fantastic story about Jeroboam being called out by another man of God who comes from Judah, delivers a stinging rebuke for building altars, idols, and consecrating priests. When Jeroboam tries to have him arrested, the Lord makes his hand wither. Then as proof that God is speaking through him, (the withering hand wasn't enough) the man of God says that the altar will split in half and the ashes pour out on the ground. It happens and Jeroboam is doubly afraid. Somehow he convinces the man to pray for the restoration of his hand, which he does, and it is restored. Then, he offers the man rest and refreshment but he declines, explaining that he was very specifically told not to eat or drink and to go home by a different route than he came. He bails and a local prophet chases him down and invites him home for rest and refreshment. He declines again, restating the original instruction but this time the "prophet" says, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So, after going with him, eating and drinking, the word of the Lord comes and declares that the man of God will die by the way because he didn't obey some very simple instructions. He bolts and gets attacked and killed by a lion. Oddly, there is no apparent punishment for the prophet who lied to him. I guess that another's deception is no excuse for disobeying a plain commandment. I really like that lesson.
There's loads more in this lesson, but I'm out of time.
1 Kings 12:16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel adeparted unto their tents.
Here, you can see how this was written long enough after the fact that the author feels comfortable saying that Israel departed to their tents. He expects you to be familiar and comfortable with the terminology Israel and Judah as descriptive of disparate kingdoms, despite the fact that literarily, this is the first we hear of it.
The kingdom splits, 10 northern tribes proclaim Jeroboam their ruler (it's mildly irritating to me that they have such similarly spelled names, both unfamiliar to us, making casual discussion about what happened more complicated). A little background on Jeroboam is worth covering.
Jeroboam was an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman…28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. He is the fellow who asked Rehoboam in the beginning of chapter 12 whether he would ease the tax burden his father had imposed, and when Rehoboam said no, the northern 10 tribes make him their king. If you think he should have found some loyalty, let's turn back to chapter 11 and read more about him.
He was walking along when he met the prophet, Ahijah, who was wearing a new robe. The prophet tore the robe into 12 pieces 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. So Jeroboam wasn't just being an ambitious usurper - he was given the Kingdom by God. The prophet further explains to Jeroboam that the kingdom will not be torn apart until after Solomon's death, and that it will be taken from Solomon's son. Surprisingly, the prophet says that God will rend the kingdom, not because of Solomon's wickedness, but because of the people's wickedness. Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped [other gods] and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. (Here is an example of the mercy of the lord, and an illustration of the level of repentance that David achieved. This seems to really illustrate the scripture Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.
I've used to think it was slightly odd that throughout the Old Testament, David is commonly referred to by the Lord as a man who walked uprightly before me, or whose heart was right before me. Commonly those statements are qualified by the statement, except in the matter of Uriah, the Hittite. I used to think to myself, you mean, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite AND HIS WIFE. But in recent years I have changed my mind. I think the Lord may have been showing us the depths of his mercy by saying David walked uprightly, except in the matter of Uriah, because of the thoroughness of his repentance. If it is true that the Lord will not hold our sins against us, I like the idea that when talking about us, he doesn't bring them up. It's a model the rest of us could well follow. If someone repents, asks our forgiveness, and makes it as right as they can, we shouldn't go around telling people about all the bad things they used to do when they were younger.
Rehoboam, understandably wants the 10 tribes back, if for no other reason than pride, but it was likely that he wanted them back more for the tax revenue they had previously generated than for any other reason. (I wonder how the young men who counseled him fared after the split. Were they arrogant and he insecure enough that they gave him a hard time for blowing it? Or did they recognize what their counsel had cost both him and them? Or did they perhaps lose their lives?) Consequently, Rehob calls up 180,000 men to go fight the newly broken away kingdom of Israel but a man of God, Shemaiah, says don't bother and all the people went back home. The scripture doesn't say how Rehob took the message, or how he handled his people going home, but I bet he was pretty dejected that night.
Jeroboam, on the other hand, decides that he is in real danger of losing the heart of his people because of religion. If they keep needing to go across the border every time they feel the Spirit and want to go to the temple, he's concerned they will also start to believe that kings are divinely appointed and he'll have a schism in his own country between those who want to go back to the original kingdom of David and those who don't. So, after taking counsel, he decides to remove religion from the equation by making them some idols, ordaining some priests, and copying the religious celebrations. Sound familiar? Christianity did much the same thing when it invaded Europe. Replace pagan icons with crosses and saints, copy holidays, and build bigger temples. Combine that with some sharp swords and spears and you've essentially got religion.
1 Kings 13 has a fantastic story about Jeroboam being called out by another man of God who comes from Judah, delivers a stinging rebuke for building altars, idols, and consecrating priests. When Jeroboam tries to have him arrested, the Lord makes his hand wither. Then as proof that God is speaking through him, (the withering hand wasn't enough) the man of God says that the altar will split in half and the ashes pour out on the ground. It happens and Jeroboam is doubly afraid. Somehow he convinces the man to pray for the restoration of his hand, which he does, and it is restored. Then, he offers the man rest and refreshment but he declines, explaining that he was very specifically told not to eat or drink and to go home by a different route than he came. He bails and a local prophet chases him down and invites him home for rest and refreshment. He declines again, restating the original instruction but this time the "prophet" says, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So, after going with him, eating and drinking, the word of the Lord comes and declares that the man of God will die by the way because he didn't obey some very simple instructions. He bolts and gets attacked and killed by a lion. Oddly, there is no apparent punishment for the prophet who lied to him. I guess that another's deception is no excuse for disobeying a plain commandment. I really like that lesson.
There's loads more in this lesson, but I'm out of time.
