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Good Monday to you “Walking with Jesus” friends, as we begin a new month together.
Today in our journey through God’s “Grand Narrative” let’s look at one of the most important events in all human history, especially Israel’s history. The fantastic glory years of King Solomon’s 40-year reign in Jerusalem, including the construction and dedication of the magnificent Temple of God, were drawing to a troublesome close. Israel’s dominant influence over the entire middle east part of the world, came to a tragic end as recorded in 1 Kings 12. As Solomon’s father King David had warned, God withdrew His hand of blessing from Israel because… Solomon had turned his back on God as we saw yesterday in 1 Kings 11:1-13.
The remainder of 1 Kings 11 describes how Almighty, Holy God, for a second time, sent word through a prophet to a king of Israel that God Himself was about to shake things up. The first time God did that was with King Saul, Israel’s first king, as Saul’s disobedience disqualified him so God sent Samuel to announce that God would raise up young David to be the future king of Israel. (1 Samuel 13:13,14; 15:26)
This time with King Solomon’s willful disobedience in marrying many foreign women and embracing the worship of their false gods, God spoke directly to Solomon saying, “I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates…” (1 Kings 11:11)
Then God sent a prophet to one of King Solomon’s trusted officials, Jeroboam, with this shocking message: “I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes…I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshipped wicked false gods, and have not walked in obedience to Me, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My decree and My laws...” (1 Kings 11:31-33) Pause and reflect.
As a courtroom judge slams down his gavel with very clear pronouncement of judgment, so God was pronouncing His justice judgment on both King Solomon and the people of Israel who had followed Solomon in his rejection of God and embrace of false gods.
Do you see God was very clear… guilty on all counts! This horrific action God was about to take against His people was because of their four crimes of rebellion against God. Did you see it? God said:
* The people of Israel “have forsaken Me and worshipped wicked false gods…”
* They “have not walked in obedience to Me”
* They have “not done what is right in My eyes”
* They have not “kept My decrees and My laws.”
Evidently King Solomon heard of this message from God to Jeroboam, so Jeroboam resigned his official position and fled to Egypt, since Solomon was trying to kill him. As Solomon was preparing to die, Solomon named his son Prince Rehoboam to be his successor on the throne of Israel.
Word reached Jeroboam in Egypt, and he returned to Israel to the delight of the people, for he had been a very popular leader in Solomon’s administration. On behalf of the people, Jeroboam visited newly crowned King Rehoboam with one simple question: ‘will you lighten the heavy load of taxation and labor which your father placed on us’?
New King Rehoboam sought counsel from two groups of advisors. First those who had been advisors to his father Solomon, but also, he sought advice from several younger men of his generation with whom he’d grown up. Foolishly, selfishly, pridefully, Rehoboam rejected the advice of the wise, mature men who had advised his father and embraced the harsh advice of his younger friends to actually increase the burden on the people!
That choice cost Rehoboam his kingship and ignited civil war in Israel! King Rehoboam said to Jeroboam and the people: “My father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” (1 Kings 12:11) Immediately their reaction was rebellion! 10 of the tribes of Israel rallied around Jeroboam and announced they would become a separate nation severing all ties to Rehoboam and Jerusalem! Amazingly the Biblical record makes this shocking statement: “…this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam…” (1 Kings 12:15)
What? Would God actually INITIATE a civil war among His people? Oh, my friends we must never imagine God to be soft on crime, indifferent about sin, frivolous in His Holy justice. God had made it very clear, generation after generation: God’s protection, provision and blessing would always follow the obedience and God honoring living of His people.
But God’s discipline and eventual judgement would follow if His people turned away from God, embraced wicked idol worship, disregarded His commands and lived God mocking lives! (Deuteronomy 28; Joshua 24) The sad division of the nation of Israel in 1 Kings 12 was well deserved judgment of God upon His people.
King Rehoboam, of course, immediately rallied every able-bodied man to prepare for war. Against whom? Against their fellow Israelites who were declaring their independence from King Rehoboam! But God intervened again and sent this very strong message to Rehoboam and this hastily rallied army: “This is what the LORD says, Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is MY doing!” (1 Kings 12:24) And therefore the nation of Israel broke in two without war, but as an act of God! The two tribes of Judah & neighboring Benjamim remained faithful to King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, with Jerusalem as their capital city. But the other 10 tribes looked to Jeroboam as their new leader and eventually set up Samaria as their capital city!
Very sadly we must look at one other, very significant event in this Israel ‘civil war’. Despite the fact God had selected honorable Jeroboam to lead the 10 tribes turning away from wicked Rehoboam, Jeroboam’s heart quickly turned prideful and wicked as the people rallied around him. 1 Kings 12 describes Jeroboam setting up golden calf idols & altars for worship in the northern city of Dan and southern city of Bethel and urging all Israel to DIVERT their worship away from Jerusalem and the temple of God, and instead begin worshiping man fabricated idols in either Dan or Bethel!!
This horrific action set the 10 tribes of Israel on a path toward flagrant, nation-wide idolatry which eventually caused the final judgment of God in 722bc when Israel was invaded and conquered by Assyria! (2 Kings 17)
Today my friends, I urge you to read 1 Kings 11,12,13,14 God’s description of the breakup of the nation of Israel, the people of God. Very sadly, from that day to this, the nation of Israel has never again been restored to being one, unified people, under God, occupying all the land area over which King Solomon reigned!
We have important notes for further reflection at the “Grand Narrative” link below. I’ve selected a worship song, based on Psalm 68, recorded at the tower of David in Jerusalem. Oh, if only they had been singing such songs in the days of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, how different things may have turned out! Tomorrow we’ll look to see what God did next in that very significant season of Israel’s history.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 11-14.
Choose below to read or listen.
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1 Kings 12
1 Kings 13
1 Kings 14
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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