Unity Broken
Notes
Transcript
In chapter 11 we saw Solomon turn away from God and worshipping false gods and idols - the reason… his wives who were from foreign countries and brought their false beliefs into the marriages.
God told Solomon that he would lose the kingdom - technically his son would lose most of the kingdom.
Because of David two tribes would remain with Rehoboam but the other 10 would be given to Jeroboam.
1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it, he stayed in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence. Jeroboam stayed in Egypt. 3 But they summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: 4 “Your father made our yoke harsh. You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people left.
Shechem is located in the northern part of Israel and the tribe of Ephraim and is a pivotal location for Israel because it is the place the Lord first appeared to Abraham and promised him the land as an inheritance.
Rehoboam went there in anticipation of being crowned as king after his father’s passing.
Jeroboam, who the Lord anointed as the new king over the majority of Israel had gone to Egypt to avoid Solomon and he stayed there when he heard about the assembly in Shechem.
Something changed because the assembly sent of Jeroboam so he headed that way.
With Jeroboam in tow the entire assembly came before Rehoboam to lodge a complaint - Solomon had conscripted the people to help build southern projects and they wanted the potential new king to ease off the labor requirements.
Rehoboam asks for 3 days to consider the people’s request - so the people left.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?” 7 They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to this people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’ ”
Rehoboam consults 2 sets of advisors - this is an indication that the gift of wisdom his father had was not given to Rehoboam.
Solomon used advisors too but his wisdom become evident because of who he chose to listen to - the inverse is true here. Rehoboam used his father’s advisors and some advisors that are about his same age - Rehoboam did not have the wisdom to understand which group to listen to.
This doesn’t mean that young people do not have good ideas but there is something about the understanding one gets by living life.
The older advisors recommend lightening the load on the people and if he would they would then be loyal to him - this should have been enough to encourage Rehoboam to make the right decision.
Instead, Rehoboam chooses to listen to the advice of the younger advisors and lead by intimidation instead of servanthood.
I wonder if God has something to do with Rehoboam’s lack of wisdom, especially in this situation?
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had ordered: “Return to me on the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.” 15 The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the Lord to carry out his word, which the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
So Rehoboam told the people that he would not lighten their load but would in fact make it worse on them.
The author answers my question here - Rehoboam’s lack of judgment and the people’s reaction or as the author says it “this turn of events” was because of the Lord.
Rehoboam’s decision was his own so the tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility that pervades all of Scripture.
16 When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered him: What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Israel, return to your tents; David, now look after your own house! So Israel went to their tents, 17 but Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to get into the chariot and flee to Jerusalem. 19 Israel is still in rebellion against the house of David today. 20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.
One incredibly poor decision tears down in a few days what David and Solomon labored eighty years to build.
Possibly this passages most important lesson is how much easier to break up what belongs together than it is to restore what is broken.
Jeroboam is now king of Israel except for the tribe of Judah who remained with Rehoboam.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized one hundred eighty thousand fit young soldiers from the entire house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went back according to the word of the Lord. 25 Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.
Rehoboam does not accept the idea he is not king of Israel so he gathers an army to invade the northern kingdom but God sends a messenger to Rehoboam - the message, go home, God did this.
So they went home and Jeroboam settled in Shechem.
The kingdom is now split between 10 northern tribes and 2 sounthern tribes.
26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David. 27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” 28 So the king sought advice. Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 He set up one in Bethel, and put the other in Dan. 30 This led to sin; the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan. 31 Jeroboam also made shrines on the high places and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites. 32 Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah. He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had made. 33 He offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own. He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.
Jeroboam was given the same word from the Lord as the previous kings of Israel, “Follow Me and obey My commands and statues and you will be successful”.
Here he has solidified his position of power and finances - the one area he is concerned about is spiritual. The Lord’s throne was still in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was in the land that Rehoboam ruled over.
Jeroboam feared the people would turn away from him demonstrating a severe lack of faith in the God who gave him the kingdom and promised to make a dynasty of him too.
To combat the possibility of losing his throne he set up two golden calves - in fairness, it seems his intent was for them to merely represent the God of Israel although his theology is off “here are your gods…” - there is only ONE God who brought the people out of Egypt.
Whatever his original intentions may have been, he sinned, he created idols, graven images that are strictly forbidden by God…
Not only does he make this idols he also established local “worship site” or “high places” further diluting worship - it didn’t stop there because Jeroboam appointed non-Levite priests to lead the worship activities… all of which are in direct opposition of God’s commands - he even set a new time for the Feast of Tabernacles.
All of this led to a mixing of Judaism and Baalism - we now have a completely separated nation of Israel with 2 capitals, 2 governments, 2 kings and 2 religions.
This is not going to end well….
3 Takeaways
Be careful, the counsel you keep can determine the course you take.
Be careful, the counsel you keep can determine the course you take.
Rehoboam’s issue wasn’t that he lacked advice.
He failed because he chose the wrong voices to listen to.
Instead of listening to experienced, Godly counsel, he followed prideful immature advice.
Who you listen to can shape you direction so surround yourself with Godly, wise counsel - people who will speak truth, not just tell you what you want to hear.
The right voices and lead to the right choices.
God’s word always stands - even when it’s hard.
God’s word always stands - even when it’s hard.
Though painful and not ideal for the kings - the split of the kingdom fulfilled God;s prophetic word to Solomon.
God’s purposes are never thwarted (no matter what we do)
We can trust God’s word even is the outcome seems difficult. His faithfulness and justice go hand in hand.
Remember whatever life throws at you - God’s plan is never off course.
Fear can lead to compromise and the illusion of control.
Fear can lead to compromise and the illusion of control.
Jeroboam was afraid of losing his power and influence so instead of trusting God’s promise he took matters into his own hands.
This led to false worship and eventually the loss of what he sought to control.
We may find ourselves tempted to adjust our beliefs, values, or decisions to hold on to relationships, influence, or security.
Compromise driven by fear never ends well - God desire faith over fear.
When you’re tempted to make it easier for people (or yourself) ask: Am I trying to control the outcome, or trust the God Who already made the way.
You can’t cling to control and walk by faith.
