"Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in
the City of David his father: and Rehoboam his son
reigned in his stead." 1 Kings 11:43.
Soon after his accession to the throne, Rehoboam went
to Shechem, where he expected to receive formal recognition
from all the tribes. "To Shechem were all Israel come to
make him king." 2 Chronicles 10:1.
Among those present was Jeroboam the son of Nebat
--the same Jeroboam who during Solomon's reign had
been known as "a mighty man of valor," and to whom the
prophet Ahijah the Shilonite had delivered the startling
message, "Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand
of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee." I Kings
11:28, 31.
The Lord through His messenger had spoken plainly
to Jeroboam regarding the necessity of dividing the
kingdom. This division must take place, He had declared,
"because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god
of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of
Ammon, 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." Verse 33.
Jeroboam had been further instructed that the kingdom
was not to be divided before the close of Solomon's reign.
"I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand," the
Lord had declared; "but I will make him prince all the
days of his life for David My servant's sake, whom I chose,
because he kept My commandments and My statutes: but
I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will
give it unto thee, even ten tribes." Verses 34, 35.
Although Solomon had longed to prepare the mind of
Rehoboam, his chosen successor, to meet with wisdom the
crisis foretold by the prophet of God, he had never been
able to exert a strong molding influence for good over the
mind of his son, whose early training had been so grossly
neglected. Rehoboam had received from his mother, an
Ammonitess, the stamp of a vacillating character. At times
he endeavored to serve God and was granted a measure of
prosperity; but he was not steadfast, and at last he yielded
to the influences for evil that had surrounded him from
infancy. In the mistakes of Rehoboam's life and in his final
apostasy is revealed the fearful result of Solomon's union
with idolatrous women.
The tribes had long suffered grievous wrongs under the
oppressive measures of their former ruler. The extravagance
of Solomon's reign during his apostasy had led him
to tax the people heavily and to require of them much
menial service. Before going forward with the coronation
of a new ruler, the leading men from among the tribes
determined to ascertain whether or not it was the purpose
of Solomon's son to lessen these burdens. "So Jeroboam
and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, Thy
father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou
somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his
heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee."
Desirous of taking counsel with his advisers before outlining
his policy, Rehoboam answered, "Come again unto
me after three days. And the people departed.
"And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men
that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived,
saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this
people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind
to this people, and please them, and speak good words to
them, they will be thy servants forever." 2 Chronicles 10:3-7.
Dissatisfied, Rehoboam turned to the younger men with
whom he had associated during his youth and early manhood,
and inquired of 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?"
1 Kings 12:9. The young men suggested that he deal sternly
with the subjects of his kingdom and make plain to them
that from the very beginning he would brook no interference
with his personal wishes.
Flattered by the prospect of exercising supreme authority,
Rehoboam determined to disregard the counsel of the older
men of his realm, and to make the younger men his advisers.
Thus it came to pass that on the day appointed, when
"Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam" for a statement
concerning the policy he intended to pursue, Rehoboam
"answered the people roughly, . . . saying, May 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." Verses 12-14.
Had Rehoboam and his inexperienced counselors understood
the divine will concerning Israel, they would have
listened to the request of the people for decided reforms
in the administration of the government. But in the hour
of opportunity that came to them during the meeting in
Shechem, they failed to reason from cause to effect, and
thus forever weakened their influence over a large number
of the people. Their expressed determination to perpetuate
and add to the oppression introduced during Solomon's
reign was in direct conflict with God's plan for Israel, and
gave the people ample occasion to doubt the sincerity of
their motives. In this unwise and unfeeling attempt to
exercise power, the king and his chosen counselors revealed
the pride of position and authority.
The Lord did not allow Rehoboam to carry out the
policy he had outlined. Among the tribes were many thousands
who had become thoroughly aroused over the oppressive
measures of Solomon's reign, and these now felt that
they could not do otherwise than rebel against the house
of David. "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."
Verse 16.
The breach created by the rash speech of Rehoboam
proved irreparable. Thenceforth the twelve tribes of Israel
were divided, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin composing
the lower or southern kingdom of Judah, under the rulership
of Rehoboam; while the ten northern tribes formed
and maintained a separate government, known as the kingdom
of Israel, with Jeroboam as their ruler. Thus was fulfilled
the prediction of the prophet concerning the rending
of the kingdom. "The cause was from the Lord." Verse 15.
When Rehoboam saw the ten tribes withdrawing their
allegiance from him, he was aroused to action. Through
one of the influential men of his kingdom, "Adoram, who
was over the tribute," he made an effort to conciliate them.
But the ambassador of peace received treatment which bore
witness to the feeling against Rehoboam. "All Israel stoned
him with stones, that he died." Startled by this evidence
of the strength of revolt, "King Rehoboam made speed
to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem." Verse 18.
At 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. But the word of God came unto
Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 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, 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." Verses 21-24.
For three years Rehoboam tried to profit by his sad
experience at the beginning of his reign; and in this effort
he was prospered. He "built cities for defense in Judah,"
and "fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them,
and store of victual, and of oil and wine." He was careful
to make these fortified cities "exceeding strong." 2 Chronicles
11:5, 11, 12. But the secret of Judah's prosperity during the
first years of Rehoboam's reign lay not in these measures.
It was their recognition of God as the Supreme Ruler that
placed the tribes of Judah and Benjamin on vantage ground.
To their number were added many God-fearing men from
the northern tribes. "Out of all the tribes of Israel," the
record reads, "such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God
of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God
of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of
Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong,
three years: for three years they walked in the way of
David and Solomon." Verses 16, 17.
In continuing this course lay Rehoboam's opportunity
to redeem in large measure the mistakes of the past and
to restore confidence in his ability to rule with discretion.
But the pen of inspiration has traced the sad record of Solomon's
successor as one who failed to exert a strong influence
for loyalty to Jehovah. Naturally headstrong, confident,
self-willed, and inclined to idolatry, nevertheless, had he
placed his trust wholly in God, he would have developed
strength of character, steadfast faith, and submission to the
divine requirements. But as time passed, the king put his
trust in the power of position and in the strongholds he had
fortified. Little by little he gave way to inherited weakness,
until he threw his influence wholly on the side of
idolatry. "It came to pass, when Rehoboam had established
the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook
the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him." 2 Chronicles
12:1.
How sad, how filled with significance, the words, "And
all Israel with him"! The people whom God had chosen
to stand as a light to the surrounding nations were turning
from their Source of strength and seeking to become like
the nations about them. As with Solomon, so with Rehoboam--the
influence of wrong example led many astray.
And as with them, so to a greater or less degree is it today
with everyone who gives himself up to work evil--the
influence of wrongdoing is not confined to the doer. No
man liveth unto himself. None perish alone in their iniquity.
Every life is a light that brightens and cheers the pathway
of others, or a dark and desolating influence that tends
toward despair and ruin. We lead others either upward to
happiness and immortal life, or downward to sorrow and
eternal death. And if by our deeds we strengthen or force
into activity the evil powers of those around us, we share
their sin.
God did not allow the apostasy of Judah's ruler to
remain unpunished. "In the fifth year of King Rehoboam
Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because
they had transgressed against the Lord, with twelve hundred
chariots, and three score thousand horsemen: and the
people were without number that came with him out of
Egypt....And he took the fenced cities which pertained
to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
"Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and
to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to
Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus
saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken Me, and therefore have I
also left you in the hand of Shishak." Verses 2-5.
The people had not yet gone to such lengths in apostasy
that they despised the judgments of God. In the losses
sustained by the invasion of Shishak, they recognized the
hand of God and for a time humbled themselves. "The
Lord is righteous," they acknowledged.
"And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves,
the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They
have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them,
but I will grant them some deliverance; and My wrath shall
not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know
My service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
"So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,
and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and
the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried
away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
Instead of which King Rehoboam made shields of brass,
and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard,
that kept the entrance of the king's house.... And when
he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from
him, that He would not destroy him altogether: and also
in Judah things went well." Verses 6-12.
But as the hand of affliction was removed, and the nation
prospered once more, many forgot their fears and turned
again to idolatry. Among these was King Rehoboam himself.
Though humbled by the calamity that had befallen
him, he failed to make this experience a decisive turning
point in his life. Forgetting the lesson that God had endeavored
to teach him, he relapsed into the sins that had brought
judgments on the nation. After a few inglorious years, during
which the king "did evil, because he prepared not his
heart to seek the Lord," "Rehoboam slept with his fathers,
and was buried in the City of David: and Abijah his son
reigned in his stead." Verses 14, 16.
With the rending of the kingdom early in Rehoboam's
reign the glory of Israel began to depart, never again to be
regained in its fullness. At times during the centuries that
followed, the throne of David was occupied by men of
moral worth and far-seeing judgment, and under the rulership of
these sovereigns the blessings resting upon the men
of Judah were extended to the surrounding nations. At
times the name of Jehovah was exalted above every false
god, and His law was held in reverence. From time to time
mighty prophets arose to strengthen the hands of the rulers
and to encourage the people to continued faithfulness. But
the seeds of evil already springing up when Rehoboam
ascended the throne were never to be wholly uprooted; and
at times the once-favored people of God were to fall so low
as to become a byword among the heathen.
Yet notwithstanding the perversity of those who leaned
toward idolatrous practices, God in mercy would do everything
in His power to save the divided kingdom from utter
ruin. And as the years rolled on and His purpose concerning
Israel seemed to be utterly thwarted by the devices of
men inspired by satanic agencies, He still manifested His
beneficent designs through the captivity and restoration of
the chosen nation.
The rending of the kingdom was but the beginning of
a wonderful history, wherein are revealed the long-sufferance
and tender mercy of God. From the crucible of affliction
through which they were to pass because of hereditary and
cultivated tendencies to evil, those whom God was seeking to
purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works, were finally to acknowledge:
"There is none like unto Thee, O Lord; Thou art great,
and Thy name is great in might. Who would not fear
Thee, O King of nations? ... Among all the wise men
of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none
like unto Thee." "The Lord is the true God, He is the
living God, and an everlasting King." Jeremiah 10:6, 7, 10.
And the worshipers of idols were at last to learn the lesson
that false gods are powerless to uplift and save. "The
gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even
they shall perish from the earth, and from under these
heavens." Verse 11. Only in allegiance to the living God,
the Creator of all and the Ruler over all, can man find rest
and peace.
With one accord the chastened and penitent of Israel
and Judah were at last to renew their covenant relationship
with Jehovah of hosts, the God of their fathers; and
of Him they were to declare: