But, How? - 1 Kings 12:1-24

Introduction

We know what’s going to happen, but we don’t know how. That’s what it means to live a life of faith. That’s what it means to trust Jesus. We know that Jesus is saving people from every nation, but we don’t know all the ways He’s working to bring them to salvation. We know that He’s going to use all things for good, but we don’t know how trauma and abuse and ALS will be made good. We know that Jesus is going to sustain every one of his children through their doubts and their sins and their failures and their weaknesses, but we don’t how He’s going to go about doing that. We don’t know the means He will use, the people He will use, the circumstances He will use to bring about his will for our marriages, careers, or children. We know He will. He’s told us that. But, we don’t know how. That’s the nature of faith.

And, there’s an age old tension embedded within that tension, isn’t there? First of all, if God has planned out how we’re going to make it to the end, then what difference does it make what I do? How could my actions possibly matter if God is orchestrating it all. But then, if we swing back the other way to say that we must be free, we’re left to wonder if I’m totally free to do whatever I want to do, then how can God possibly know how this is all going to end? How can we possibly be sure this will all turn out okay? So, which is it? Is it that what I do doesn’t matter, or is it that God doesn’t know what’s going to happen and is only reacting to what He we do?

God’s Word

In fact, this tension is at the heart of our passage today. This is one of those passages that may not jump out at you if you’re just reading your Bible, but it’s actually vital if you’re going to understand the rest of the OT. This is where the Kingdom of Israel is split in two, a reality that dominates the rest of the Bible. In fact, we knew this was coming. In chapter 11, God told Solomon that b/c of his idolatry, He was going to “tear” the kingdom from his son, Rehoboam. Then, we see the prophet Ahijah (and prophets are going to be much more prominent going forward) tell one of Solomon’s most able servants, Jeroboam, that he was going to receive ten of the twelve tribes of Israel once Solomon dies. So, we know what’s going to happen, but we don’t know how. Rehoboam becomes the king, and we know it isn’t going to go well. But, we don’t know what’s going to go wrong. And, we behind that big question of “how” we see Four Tense Relationships: (headline) that can help clarify what this might look like for us, too. Let’s jump in the deep end this summer!

Tense Relationship 1: Two new “rivals.”

1 Kings 12:12-14 “So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “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 scorpions.””

The first question we really need to figure out is: How does Rehoboam lose the ten tribes? He’s in Shechem, which is an interesting choice over Jerusalem any way, to be coronated, and he’s being coronated as the king of all Israel. God doesn’t just strip Rehoboam of the other tribes; he loses them through his inspiring leadership. That’s important to note. Jeroboam (I know these names are confusing) shows back up once Solomon is gone, and a new rivalry begins. Israel, which is a name representing the other tribes outside Judah, which is David/Solomon/Rehoboam’s tribe, has big questions for the new king, and the select Jeroboam to represent them. It makes sense b/c Jeroboam had been a labor director under Solomon, and that’s their concern. Solomon had been a great builder, but that building had come at a great cost. He had burdened his people and worn them down. So, they tell their new king, “We’ll follow you. We’ll support you. But, we need you to lessen the load. We can’t keep going.”

Wisely, Rehoboam tells them to give him a few days to seek counsel. He talks to the old sages of Israel, the wise men from Solomon’s court, and they advise him: “Serve the people today, and they will serve you forever. Be good to them, and they will be good to you.” Then, Solomon goes to what the ESV translates as “young men”. The actual word here is a negative word. It more accurately means “children” or even “babies.” These are his classmates. It says these were the same men that Rehoboam had grown up with. They instruct him to wield his authority. “How dare they issue you — the king — an ultimatum. Crush this rebellion with an iron fist.”

Rehoboam’s decision, and I emphasize that it is Rehoboam’s decision here, will determine his ability to lead as king. Will he respond with humility, or will he respond with hubris? Will he serve his people as a shepherd-king, or will he dominate his people as a tyrant? The decision facing him is whether he will be led by the Lord or by his ego: For the Lord says in Proverbs 16:18-19, verses that Rehoboam certainly would have known, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.” And, that decision would determine the shape of his kingdom.

It’s the same decision that we face time and again, isn’t it? Will we choose humility or hubris? Will we be guided by our egos or by the wisdom of God? Do we date that person b/c it makes us feel better about ourselves or because they honor the Lord? Do we take that job b/c it moves us closer to a lake house or b/c it moves us closer to the Lord? Do we pursue that graduate degree b/c it makes us more impressive or b/c it enables us to most glorify God? What reality holds the decision-making power in our lives — humility or hubris, Jesus’ name or our ego? Because the decisions you make flow from the values you have, and the decisions you make affect the future you know.

That’s certainly the case for Rehoboam. He chooses hubris. He comes down upon his people, and he cements his rival, Jeroboam, as a “man of the people” instead. So, he loses the ten tribes because of his foolishness and his rejection of God’s wisdom.

Tense Relationship 2: Two old “enemies.”

What’s interesting here is that these two new rivals actually represent two old enemies, an enemy that keeps coming up for Israel. And, this is fascinating to me. One of the ways that the biblical authors wink at us so that we can see that this isn’t a stand alone story, this isn’t an isolated incident, but this is part of ‘The Big Story’, is by using language to help us make connections. They know we’re simple-minded; so, they help us. That’s happening here. The author wants us to know that this is just the latest iteration of an old tension facing Israel — and facing us. Notice a couple of things in our passage and see if they ring a bell:

There’s a king who is oppressing Israel through forced labor. The king feels threatened by the people. So, how does he respond? “I will make your yoke heavier. I will work you harder. I will be you with whips harder.” A representative comes before the king to speak on behalf of God’s people. Wise elders of Israel speak the word of God to the king. But, how does the king respond? He does not “listen.” He hardens his heart. Does that sound like anybody we’ve heard about before? I don’t know, pharaoh maybe? The book of Exodus, maybe?

Exodus 1:11 “Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.”

Exodus 9:12 “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.”

1 Kings 12:14-15 “he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “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 scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”

It keeps going. Where does it say Jeroboam came from to represent the people? Egypt! (verse 2) Who was Jeroboam living with in Egypt? Pharaoh (11:40). Now, where did Moses come from? Egypt! With whom was Moses living in Egypt? Pharaoh! Do y’all really think this stuff is just happening? Do y’all really think this is all by accident? I mean, come on!

1 Kings 12:2 “And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.”

Here’s the point I think the author is making with this little wink: Rehoboam is making his decisions. Jeroboam is making his decisions. And, it feels like God’s people are just hanging in the balance. It feels like their future is all just hinged upon the decisions of these flaky dudes. But, here’s God saying, “They’re making decisions, but I’m in control. Just like I took care of you in Egypt, I’ll take care of you here.” When you peel back the layer of this new rivalry, what you get is an old struggle with a familiar solution. And, man, that’s good news for us. It feels like our lives hang in the balance as other people make all the decisions. And, certainly, their decisions impact us in the here and now. But, God is in control, and God is at work, and God is going to deliver his people.

You see, this is not just a look backward but a look forward, too. With pharaoh, there was a hard-hearted enemy from the outside who demanded the God’s people do more and more to please him. God used Moses to deliver them, but the freedom Moses brought didn’t last. Now, with Rehoboam, there is a hard-hearted enemy that raises up from within Israel, demanding that God’s people do more and more to please him. God will use Jeroboam to deliver them, but that won’t last either. Israel keeps battling enemies from without and from within. They keep finding themselves in bondage. They keep finding the yoke too heavy to carry, the Law to hard to fulfill. But, even though Moses’ freedom didn’t last and even though Jeroboam’s deliverance wasn’t permanent, God was pointing them forward to one day when One greater than Moses and Jeroboam would come. See if Jesus’ words in Matthew 11 ring a bell here:

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

God is determined to relieve the burden of his people. He’s determined to set you free. He’s determined that you would be delivered from hard-heartedness. He’s determined that you would rest from performing for other kings and from pure law-keeping. There’s a wink here that reminds us that our burden has been lifted through Christ. Our lives do not hang in the balance. We are secure and at rest. We don’t have to please a tyrant. Our king is ‘gentle and lowly in heart.’ So, how did this happen? God willed it to happen just like He did in Egypt. He willed it and He arranged it.

Tense Relationship 3: Two big “brothers.”

1 Kings 12:16-20 “And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.”

Over about 100 years, a feud between the two most prominent families in Clay County, KY, the Bakers and the Whites, claimed over 150 lives. What’s interesting is that over the years the line between the two families became blurrier and blurrier through intermarriage, but the feud carried on. Eventually, it was more like one family fighting among themselves than it was two families fighting one another. We see something of the Clay County War here in our passage if we’re careful to see it. You see, God made a covenant with Jeroboam in chapter 11 that’s very similar to the covenant that he made with David.

1 Kings 11:38-39 “And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’ ””

Sounds familiar, huh? In chapter 12, the threat isn’t just that “we’ll all go to our own houses”. It’s that we’ll establish a new house — a new dynasty — different than the Davidic dynasty since the House of David isn’t helping us much. But, really, this is nothing new. The two most prominent tribes among the 12 — the two big brothers — were Judah and Ephraim. Like the Clay County War, they’d been rivals for generations, and only during the times of David and Solomon are they really together. Guess what tribe Jeroboam is from? Ephraim. Guess where Shechem is located? Ephraim. They were going to establish a new Kingdom with a new dynasty and a new Temple in Shechem. In fact, it’s a split that would never be reconciled throughout the Scriptures. Going forward, there are two Kingdoms with two kings and two sets of prophets — something you have to understand if you’re to interpret the OT correctly. There’s the Southern Kingdom of Judah, where the Son of David sits upon the throne, and northern Kingdom, usually known as Israel, but often referred to, as in Jeremiah 31, “Ephraim.” But, there’s a key difference between covenant God made with David and the covenant God made with Jeroboam. It’s hinted at the end of verse 39: “I will afflict the offspring of David, but not forever.”

2 Samuel 7:11-16 “Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ””

Do you see the difference? Jeroboam’s covenant is: “If you will....” But, David’s covenant is: “I will....” That’s the difference. Once is a covenant of works and one is a covenant of grace. One is an opportunity for a man to build a house, and the other is the guarantee that the Lord will build the house. And what does Psalm 127:1 say? “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

These covenants teach us something. Jeroboam’s house wouldn’t make it past the foundation. It was built out of the sticks and hay of his own works and wisdom. But, the Son of David is, right now, waiting for the Father to send him back that He would take up that throne again. Because it’s going to endure forever — because the Lord has willed it. Only by grace does a covenant last, and only by grace will you enjoy it. That’s your hope. But, look at Rehoboam. A man born in the line of David to take up the promise of David. See his life crumbling. See his kingdom crumbling. See his people suffering. And, realize that even though God establishes you in his Kingdom by his grace, your decisions still matter. They still affect your life and your family and his people.

Tense Relationship 4: Two fast “friends.”

And, it’s here that I want to land. I’ve tried to keep you locked into tension the whole morning. We see in this conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam that on one hand, your decisions matter. Your morality matters. Your wisdom matters. Your humility matters. This kingdom is split because of Rehoboam’s hubris and foolishness. But, on the other hand, God has planned it all. He has orchestrated so that He can predict it, assure it, and build his kingdom through it. You aren’t a robot, and God isn’t reactionary.

What is free will? That’s big question here, isn’t it? We ask bold questions here, and we’re going to keep doing it. What is it? Jonathan Edwards says its the ability to always do what you most want to do. It’s to choose what you really want to choose. Why did Rehoboam lose his kingdom? The young really thought their advice was right, and Rehoboam really did choose it because he wanted to. Why Israel make Jeroboam their new king? He’d earned it, and they liked him. He’s who they wanted.

1 Kings 12:15 “So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”

But, there’s another reason given. You see, God never causes evil like Rehoboam commits, but He doesn’t have to stop it either. God didn’t have to harden Pharaoh’s heart. He only had to choose not to soften it. He didn’t have force Rehoboam to choose foolishness; He only had to allow him to do what he wanted. He didn’t have compel the people to make Jeroboam the new king, even though He’d already made the promise. He just had to arrange circumstances and causes so that people wanted it. God is so sovereign, you see, that He works through the places that we’re born and the experiences that we have and the people that we meet and the school we attend and the church we are raised in or aren’t to influence what we most want to choose, but when we choose, we really choose. This is how God fulfills his word through us and for us.

One day, Charles Spurgeon was asked if he could reconcile God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility to God. He responded: “I wouldn’t try. I never try to reconcile friends.” You see, what you do and decide matters a lot. Live and choose wisely. But, God is in control so trust and sleep soundly.