The Bully and The Backslider

1 Kings 12:1-33

Matthew 22:34-40. Love God with everything you have, love others as you?d care for yourself. That?s how Jesus summed up the Law and prophets. It?s interesting because in 1 Kings 12 we see, by contrast, how two leaders in Israel did the exact opposite. Jeroboam, God?s replacement for Solomon?s son over the northern 10 tribes, loves others, but not God, and Rehoboam, Solomon?s son, shows his disdain for others (and for God too, for that matter).

Here in chapter 12 we have two men?neither of them is following God, one is a political nutcase and the other politically astute. Remember Solomon?s love of foreign women who introduced him to demon-idol worship? One of the foreign women he loved was Naamah, an Ammonite. Solomon worshiped Milcom (Molech) of the Ammonites?and passed this on to his son, Rehoboam.

God told Solomon that 10 of the tribes would be stripped from him in chapter 11. God said it would happen in the days of his son. I wonder if Rehoboam knew this. He was 41 years old when the events of this chapter unfold.

Then we have Jeroboam?the man who has the opportunity to set up a kingdom that worships God but without the politically distasteful taxes and forced labor. He succeeds on the latter, but fails miserably on the former because he would rather hold on to a kingdom than hold on the King, the Lord God.

1

Apparently Rehoboam already knew there was trouble. Why didn?t the people come to Jerusalem to crown him? Instead he was summoned to Shechem in the north. This might have been smart, actually. Shechem was centrally located and an important spiritual city?it was where Joshua had confirmed the covenant with Israel in Joshua 24, and both Abraham and Jacob had been there. It was also the place of Joseph?s tomb.

2

Jeroboam had fled to Egypt when Solomon tried to have him killed after Ahijah the prophet told him he was to inherit most of the tribes of Israel. It seems very orchestrated, though, as if Jeroboam was being hidden until the time was right for revolt. He knows just the right button to push to get Rehoboam to do just what he wants.

3 ? 5

We?d seen hints of the people?s displeasure with the taxes and forced labor which was used to build the temple and Solomon?s palace and improvements to Jerusalem. Now it comes to a head. Rehoboam buys some time to figure out what to do.

6 ? 7

These men were probably with Solomon during the tough latter days of his kingdom. They can see the political handwriting on the wall. It doesn?t say this was godly counsel, but it sure feels like it. The projects were done, there was no need to keep burdening the people like this, but power, once given, is given back hesitantly.

Now Rehoboam makes his supreme error.

8 ? 15

It says over the over that these were the young men who had grown up with him. May I just say that it is an error in the youth of every generation to trust in the voices only heard in their own circles. I grew up in the 60s and 70s?we invented the idea of not trusting anyone over 30. We created the worship of youth in America. But as I myself got older, I realized that those who are older have one thing I didn?t have?experience. Experience is a masterful teacher because it tends to punish mistakes and reward good decisions.

I?m not sure what Rehoboam hoped to gain. He must have known the precarious situation he was in. But reputation (among his peers and what others thought of him) seemed more important than actual service. Notice what he fails to do?ask God for wisdom. By the way, the advice of the elders was very Scriptural. Jesus said ?the greatest among you shall be your servant.? (Matthew 23:11).

16 ? 20

This has an almost rehearsed quality to it, as if the people expected this outcome. The words also remind us of what Sheba in 2Samuel 20 when he led a rebellion against David. The underlying feud between Judah/Benjamin and the rest of Israel now breaks out into the open once again?and this time for good.

Rehoboam tests this new resolve by sending his chief of the forced labor to enforce the law. He is stoned and the king barely escapes with his life. Odd, as Jeroboam did this same job for the tribe of Joseph earlier for Solomon.

21 ? 24

What?s Rehoboam?s answer to a stupid decision he?s made ? go to war! When you can?t win with words, win with the sword?that?s often the answer from a weak person in authority, and it?s always the wrong answer.

Shemaiah was a prophet (?man of God? was used in that way throughout this book ? see chapter 13 vs 1). I guess Rehoboam knew when he was beaten. He could have gone against God?s word here, but perhaps he figured that since God?s word had already come about with Jeroboam that he risked more than just the life of an official, perhaps the entire tribe of Judah, if he attacked. Don?t mistake this for Rehoboam?s obedience to God.

In chapter 14 we learn that Rehoboam did more evil than all the kings before him?building high places and Asherim and creating homosexual prostitution.

Not that Jeroboam followed Yahweh either, as we find out next.

25 ? 30

Jeroboam acts quickly and sets up a new capital in Shechem?using his talents as a leader to set up a new government, likely without the taxation and forced labor. But Jeroboam was a smart guy. He knew the deep roots that Israel had for Yahweh, and figures that if they return to Jerusalem in Judah for the yearly feasts, they will miss the Lord and the way things were under David and want to heal the breach.

It is imperative for someone who wants to maintain a breach to reduce contact with those of the ?other side.? That?s one of the ways cults today succeed, draw away, then isolate.

It says Jeroboam ?took counsel.? I wonder who he was listening to? Whoever it was, they basically encouraged him to create a completely new religion. Jeroboam wants to make religion more convenient for the people. Our relationship with God should cost us?not that we can earn God?s favor, but making it totally comfortable means we make no investment in our own walk.

1 Timothy 2:12 says for us to ?work out your own salvation in fear and trembling.? It?s the word ?fashion? which has to do with performing it. We don?t earn but that doesn?t preclude effort.

So what does he do? He makes golden calves and says these are the gods who brought you up out of Egypt. Does that ring any bells? Try Aaron in Exodus 32:4. That incident happened when Moses was up on the mountain with God and the people had an absence of a godly leader. I wonder if there wasn?t something in that that Jeroboam was saying ? you don?t have a leader anymore in Rehoboam, so you should go return to that place where Israel was at the time of Aaron.

Apparently the ?god? was actually invisible and was held up by the calves. The worship of Baal Hadad was similar to this. God was very clear about not making idols.

31 ? 33

The second thing Jeroboam did was to make his own line of priests. Why did he do that? Because the Levitical priests would have nothing to do with this new worship (or at least most of them). 2Chronicles 11:13 says that because they wouldn?t bow to these idols they were cast out and went back to Judah, along with those who wanted to worship Yahweh. By the way?this shows us that representatives of all the tribes were actually in Judah so not everyone from those ten northern tribes was lost.

Conclusions

Rehoboam refused to have a servant?s heart towards the people-and thus drove them away, but Jeroboam catered to the people so much he led them away from God.

Power once attained is given up reluctantly.

Solomon used the taxes and force labor to build a house for God. Once the project was done, they people should have been let go and the taxes removed. It is a sign of great leadership when a person can let go of power. Rehoboam couldn?t and it cost him dearly.

Philippians 2:3-7 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, ESV

Being in a position of leadership doesn?t make you powerful.

Bullying rarely works, so why do we keep doing it?

Philippians 4:5 (NIV) Let your gentleness be evident to all.

Having a calling from God doesn?t make your every move His will.

Jeroboam knew he was getting the northern ten tribes from God. Somehow he thought that made him golden and he could do anything to keep that kingdom. It always belonged to God and no matter what He gives us, if we think we can make no errors we are already mistaken.

Personal loyalty is not as important as loyalty to God.

Jeroboam wanted to keep people from going back to being one nation. In order to accomplish that he took the people away from God. If following you means people won?t serve God then let them go!

How convenient is your relationship with God?