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1 Kings Chapter 12
Rehoboam's Folly
This was the place where Abraham had
his first altar. Jacob's well was there as well.
- 1Kings 12:2 And it
came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in
Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king
Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
- 3 That they sent and
called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel
came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
- 4 Thy father made
our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service
of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter,
and we will serve thee.
- 5 And he said unto
them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the
people departed.
- 6 And king Rehoboam
consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father
while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer
this people?
- 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.
Good advice but too bad he didn't take
it. His choice helped bring about rebellion and actually brought the
prophecy of Ahijah to pass. This act rended the tribes from him and
he was left with only one as was prophesied previously because
Solomon had turned away from God and served false gods. In a way, he
unknowingly helped prophecy which would have been against him, come
to pass.
- 1Kings 12:8 But he
forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him,
and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him,
and which stood before him:
- 9 And he said unto
them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who
have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did
put upon us lighter?
- 10 And the young men
that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt
thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy
father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us;
thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker
than my father's loins.
- 11 And now whereas
my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your
yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.
- 12 So Jeroboam and
all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had
appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
- 13 And the king
answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel
that they gave him;
- 14 And spake to them
after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your
yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with
scorpions.
- 15 Wherefore the
king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the
LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by
Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
We live in a day also when the advice
of the older generation is not respected. It is sad in a way because
they have a lot to share. They've made the mistakes, they've seen a
lot and have aquired experience in life that the younger ones have
not yet experienced.
The Kingdom Divided
- 1Kings 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 departed
unto their tents.
- 17 But as for the
children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam
reigned over them.
- 18 Then king
Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel
stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam
made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
- 19 So Israel
rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
So we see prophecy being fulfilled but
notice that it was his own foolish words and actions that brought it
about. Too bad the tax collector was killed though, he was probably
just following orders of the king.
-
1Kings 12:20 And it came to
pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that
they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him
king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of
David, but the tribe of Judah only.
One tribe just as the Lord said.
Benjamin joined with Judah but it was considered one tribe.
- 1Kings 12:21 And
when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house
of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore
thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the
house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son
of Solomon.
- 22 But the word of
God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
- 23 Speak unto
Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the
house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people,
saying,
- 24 Thus saith the
LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the
children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this
thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the
LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the
LORD.
Many wars have been fought by those
that are not satisfied to stay in their own territory but want to
take over others. They seem to want to rule and be over people.
Control freaks are never satisfied to stay where the Lord places
them.
Jeroboam's Golden Calves
- 1Kings 12:25 Then
Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and
went out from thence, and built Penuel.
- 26 And Jeroboam said
in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of
David:
- 27 If this people go
up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then
shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even
unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go
again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
- 28 Whereupon the
king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto
them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy
gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
- 29 And he set the
one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
- 30 And this thing
became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one,
even unto Dan.
- 31 And he made an
house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the
people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
- 32 And Jeroboam
ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of
the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered
upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves
that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the
high places which he had made.
- 33 So he offered
upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of
the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his
own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and
he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
The fear of losing what he gained caused
Jeroboam to make another type of worship to false idol gods instead
of the real God. So sad. This was the beginning of the end of the
nation called Israel. The nation of Israel was later taken over by
the Assyrians which God allowed to happen because of their idolatry.
Many were scattered to other nations. Those that remained were
called Samaritans. More details about this is in 1 Kings chapter 17.
We see Jesus visiting this place in John
chapter four to reach one woman who later spread the gospel to
others. This is the wonderful story about Jesus telling her about
the living water. The Holy Spirit that is given to all that receive
Jesus into their lives. -DC
1 Kings Chapter 13
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