The Kingdom is Divided - 1 KINGS 12-16

For Starters...

Ever made a decision that seemed like such a good thing to do at the time, but which turned out to be an utter disaster later? Today lesson involves two such decisions, and they could provide us with an opportunity to analyze why they turned out to be such disasters for our own decisions.

What's the Story?

Rehoboam was new king now, and everyone wanted to know what kind of king he would be. His father, because of the many building projects, had heavily taxed his people; would Rehoboam give them tax relief, now that the kingdom was established and powerful?

Rehoboam looked to his fathers ministers for counsel, and they favored listening to the people, in order to win them over. Then Rehoboam asked some of his contemporaries; but they counseled harshness and sternness, presumably in order to show them whos boss from the outset.

This didnt set well with the northern tribes at all and with Jereboam at their head, an exile from Solomons kingdom on the basis of suspicion treason, they broke away in rebellion. Originally, Rehoboam wanted to take military action and force them into line, but a warning from one of Gods prophets (1 Kings 12:24) restrained him. All this happened, not because of the foolish decision of Rehoboam, but because of Solomons sin (1 Kings 11:3135)

Jereboam began his new kingdoms government in Shechem and immediately decided to make some important changes. Because he was afraid of what might happen if the men of his new nation should return to Jerusalem on the feast days (desire to return to be ruled by the house of David, Rehoboam), he ordered:

1. Make two golden calves and set them up in Dan and Bethel (north and south Israel)
2. Set up >high places< as alternative places of worship, too
3. Appointed priests from tribes other than Levi
4. Changed feast dates

It is important to make note here that Jereboam didnt change the object of worship; it was still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nevertheless, the Lord was very displeased with Jereboams alterations. and sent a prophet (a man of God) to him in Bethel with a message of condemnation and a sign (the splitting open of the altar) to confirm the prophecy. In this prophecy a king of Judah by the name of Josiah would burn the bones of Jereboams false priests. In 2 Kings 23:15,16, we read of the fulfillment of the prophecy. The changing of the worship of God became known throughout the rest of the Bible as >the sin of Jereboam<ãwhat a thing to be attached to ones name and reputation!

The man of God, after he had delivered the message to Jereboam, had been commanded by God to come directly back to Judah by another way without eating or drinking anything. However, after word of his message made it to a local >sell-out< prophet, the sell-out intercepted the first prophet and lied to him that God had given him a new instruction ã that the >man of God< should return to the >sell-outs< house and eat with him. The >man of God< was fooled and on the way home, he was attacked by a lion and killed.

In Judah things didnt go so well either. Only five years after Rehoboam took the throne of Solomon, Shishak, the pharaoh of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem and carried off most of the treasures that Solomon had gathered for the temple. This was due in part, because Rehoboam had tolerated the rise of Canaanite, pagan worship. The kingdom of Rehoboam was only a shadow of Solomons former material and military glory.

Rehoboam was followed by Abijam, who ruled poorly for three years, and then by Asa, who, in contrast, ruled wisely and well. Asa restored the true and faithful worship of God, which Abijam had corrupted, and even dethroned his own idol-worshipping mother.

In Israel, Jereboams son Nadab ruled only two years after Jereboams death and then was assassinated by Baasha, fulfilling the prophecies that had been made against Jereboam, because of his sin. Baasha ruled for a few years,died, and left the throne to his son, Elah, who only ruled two more years. Elah was himself the victim of assassination at the hands of a man named Zimri who was just about >king for a day<. Very soon after the assassination a commander of Elahs army, Omri, attacked Zimri who died in a suicide fire in the kings palace. Omri now became king and ruled about seven years and was succeeded by his son, Ahab, who married a woman by the name of Jezebel.

Just the Facts...

* The kingdom was divided into Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south)
* Israel quickly became idolatrous after the division
* The kings of Judah continued to be the grandsons of David and Solomon
* The kingdom of Israel was riddled with assassinations and changes in the ruling family
* The main reason for all these tragedies was Solomons disobedience

So What?

Since we know that the kingdom was divided because of Solomons disobedience, what does this tell us about the long term effects of our own disobedience to Gods will on the lives of others for generations? Do you think that Solomon ever thought about the consequences of his disobedience in this way? What justifications can you imagine that Solomon could have used to rationalize his building of pagan temples in Jerusalem?

What do you think would have happened if Rehoboam had taken the advice of his fathers counselors? Would the outcome have been different? Why or why not?

What lessons can we learn for modern Christianity from the story of Jereboam and his change in Israels worship of the Lord? What were the real reasons for the changes? What reasons did Jereboam give the people? What insight does this provide into the real reasons for some doctrinal deviations or church splits over history including even today?

What do you think is the major lesson to be learned from the tragic story of >the man of God< (the prophet who told Jereboam of the wrong of his changes) who was fooled into disobeying God? What could/should he have thought, realized, or done to avoid being fooled? What should we learn here?

In looking at the political history of Israel/Judah, what can we know about power and politics? Does this still apply today? Why or why not?

Would you have had the courage of King Asa, who dethroned his own mother for worshiping idols? What does this tell any of us who lead (family, church, wherever) about the difficulty of keeping followers faithful and what must sometimes be done?