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| << 1 King 11 | |
For New King James text and comment, click here.
I Kings 12-14
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Breaking up is hard to do (I Kings 12:1-15)
The parallel passage to this chapter is II Chronicles 10
I Kings 12 |
II Chronicles 10 |
| 1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 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. 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. |
1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king. 2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, 4 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. 5 And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed. 6 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? 7 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 for ever. 8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him. 9 And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us? 10 And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. 11 For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day. 13 And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, 14 And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 15 So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. |
The Boam boys, Rehoboam (Solomon's son) and Jeroboam (Solomon's chief superintendent of forced labor), are front and center after Solomon's death. The prophet Ahijah, back in I Kings 11:29-39 (see notes), had already spoken on behalf of God that Jeroboam would be King over 10 tribes. That being the case, these complications at Shechem are just a formality. The representatives of the northern tribes speak up after Solomon's death and say to King Rehoboam, "We're overtaxed and oppressed." Rehoboam's senior advisers who had previously served Solomon give their counsel to Rehoboam by saying, "They're overtaxed and oppressed." Rehoboam's childhood buddies (now advisors), however, prevail with their advice causing Rehoboam to reply to the 10 tribes, "You think you're oppressed now, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
Rehoboam makes a very bad decision, but in reality, it had already been prophesied by the prophet Ahijah that Israel would split ; this is the action by Rehoboam that gets credit for the division of the Kingdom of Israel into a Northern Kingdom and a Southern Kingdom. Keep in mind though, this isn't the real reason for the split. The real reason is found in I Kings 11:11 (see notes), "Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant." That's right, God even speaks to Solomon and tells him that after his reign, his kingdom will be split - and all because of Solomon's tolerance for paganism.
A Summary of King #1 over Judah from 931 to 913 B.C.: Rehoboam |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
I Kings 14:21-31 |
Nothing specified | II Chronicles 12:1 And 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. II Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. |
Two kingdoms and a math problem (I Kings 12:16-24)
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.
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.
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.
The inevitable happens; Israel splits. Since Simeon has been absorbed into Judah (see details and map), and Benjamin joins Judah here, doesn't that just leave 9 tribes for the Northern Kingdom of Israel? That is a fuzzy area in Jewish history. Many scholars believe that the largest portion of Benjamin sided with the Northern Kingdom while a few in Benjamin, in closer proximity to Judah, sided with the Southern Kingdom. In fact, Jerusalem was the capital of the Southern Kingdom and was located within the borders of the originally-prescribed Tribe of Benjamin. So it appears that Judah's border was expanded to include a portion of Southern Benjamin after the split - taking in Jerusalem itself. Some of Benjamin's fighting men joined with Judah in verse 21. We also see Judah's army in II Chronicles 14:8 (see notes) including 280,000 Benjamites. The only logical explanation is that part of Benjamin must have left the Northern Kingdom and joined with Judah as part of Judah itself. Property settlements after a divorce are almost always messy. Verse 20 says, "...there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only."
So let's recap: The prophet Ahijah in I Kings 11:29-39 (see notes) divided Jeroboam's garment into 12 pieces, but then immediately prophesied that the pieces represent the Tribes of Israel. He then proclaimed that 10 tribes will follow Jeroboam and only one tribe will follow Rehoboam. Hey Ahijah! What about that piece of garment still lying there in the middle? While it's not explained in that passage, that must be the Tribe of Simeon; they never received their own distinct boundary lines in the distribution of property after the Canaan entry back in Joshua 19 (see notes). Instead, they received certain cities within the boundaries of Judah itself. Incidentally, this dividing out of the ten tribes is also seen in II Samuel 19:43 (see notes) in that dispute between Judah and the other "ten" tribes. It seems certain that Simeon here must be included with Judah.
Rehoboam can't seem to accept what has really happened here; he sends Adoram, his chief tax collector, to the Northern Tribes. Hey! Tax collectors aren't popular under the best of circumstances! The people of the Northern Tribes stone him to death. Surely war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam is the only solution here. But God says "NO" through the prophet Shemaiah, Rehoboam calls off the attack, and the two kingdoms remain intact. More about the war plans are found in II Chronicles 11:1-12 (see notes).
A new kingdom and a new religion (I Kings 12:25-33)
The parallel passage is II Chronicles 11:13-17
I Kings 12 |
II Chronicles 11 |
| 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. |
13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD: 15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. 16 And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. 17 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. |
Jeroboam establishes Shechem as his capital city, but he perceives a little worship problem here. He can't have the folks going back to Jerusalem to sacrifice in the Temple; they might defect back to the old kingdom. So, Jeroboam establishes a new pagan religion for the Northern Kingdom, complete with the return of not one, but two golden calves, non-Levite priests, a special Feast Day one month after the Feast of Tabernacles along with special altars. As I said, we have a new religion for the Northern Kingdom. He placed the two golden calves in Israel for convenience. I Kings 12:29 says of these golden calves, "And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan." Well, so much for Ahijah's conditional promise from God to Jeroboam if he would serve the one true God back in I Kings 11:29-39 (see notes). Jeroboam never served God - not even from the very beginning.
It's interesting that Jeroboam quotes Aaron after he commissions the worship of the golden calves in verse 28, "...behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." That's what Aaron said when he made his calf back in Exodus 32:4 (see notes), "And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Do those Northern Tribers not remember the rest of that story?
A Summary of King # 1 over Israel (Northern Kingdom) from 931 to 910 B.C.: Jeroboam |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
I Kings 12:25-14:20 |
None - He was evil. | He started a false religion of calf worship. I Kings 12:31 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. I Kings 13:33-34 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. |
Jeroboam gets a take on what God thinks about his new religion (I Kings 13:1-10)
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
Hint: God doesn't like Jeroboam's new religion. A unnamed man of God comes from the Southern Kingdom while Jeroboam is worshipping at his own home-built altar. He makes a prophecy of death and defilement against that altar to Jeroboam and withers Jeroboam's hand. At Jeroboam's pleading, he restores his hand, but he doesn't repair the altar that just split in two before Jeroboam's eyes. However, the prophecy isn't retracted; we'll see it fulfilled in II Kings 23:15-20 (see notes) during the reign of King Josiah of Judah 300 years or so later. At that time, Josiah does everything prophesied in verse 2 as he institutes reforms after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. Jeroboam makes an offer of hospitality toward the prophet, but he refuses; the prophet had been told not to lodge in the land, but to head straight back to Judah.
My angel trumps your angel (I Kings 13:11-34)
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:
21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
You'll recall from the first 10 verses that the bold prophet who confronted Jeroboam was not to lodge in the land. But what if another prophet claims to have a word from the Lord that supersedes your word? Despite his personal orders from God, the bold prophet agrees to lodge with a local prophet. The local prophet claims he received a contradictory word from the Lord making it acceptable to lodge with him. The events that follow are ironic. The lying prophet (the duper), while hosting the prophet (the dupee) who warned Jeroboam, then gets a prophecy condemning the action of the other prophet for heeding his own so-called "word from the Lord." You just can't trust anybody these days. He prophesies the bold prophet's death. Who's going to do the execution? How about we let a lion do it? After the bold prophet is slain by the lion, the lying prophet feels great remorse. He collects the bones of the bold prophet and has them placed in his own sepulcher. There must be a lesson here for all of us: When you are certain the Lord has given you direction, don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by others - regardless of the title they use to identify themselves.
Jeroboam just continues on, emboldened with his new false, pagan religion - appoints more rotten priests and even becomes one himself. Well, here's the sad result of Jeroboam's life in verse 34, "And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth."
It's hard to get a good prophecy when you're an evil king (I Kings 14:1-20)
1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.
2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.
3 And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.
4 And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.
5 And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.
6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,
8 And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
9 But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:
10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.
12 Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.
13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
14 Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.
15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.
16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.
17 And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;
18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.
19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
Jeroboam's son (Abijah) is sick, and he needs a little prophetic knowledge concerning him. He remembers the prophet who told him he'd be king, Ahijah, back in I Kings 11:29-39 (see notes). Jeroboam has his wife disguise herself and head out to see Ahijah. So, what does a good prophetic reading cost? About 10 loaves of bread, some cake and a jar of honey - at least that's how Jeroboam valued it. Now please...if Ahijah was a real prophet of God (and he was), wouldn't it just make sense that Jeroboam's wife's disguise was not gonna fool him? Yup, as should have been expected, though his eyesight was poor, he knew...and prophesied that, because of Jeroboam's sin, the child would die upon her return...and that's exactly what happened. But wait! There's more! He also prophesied that Jeroboam's lineage would be cut off. After 22 years of reigning on the throne in Israel, Jeroboam dies, leaving the throne to another son, Nadab, but he was killed two years later in I Kings 15:25-34 (see notes), resulting in the extinction of Jeroboam's descendants, thus marking the end of the Northern Kingdom's first dynasty.
Notice particularly I Kings 14:8 regarding David, "...and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;" With all of David's shortcomings, disobedience toward God was not one of them. That's why it is said of David that he was a man after God's own heart. For more insight on David's heart for God, click here.
Incidentally, all of the modern translations have cleaned up the language of verse 10 where males are referred to as those "that pisseth against the wall." In actuality, that is precisely what the Hebrew text says in that passage. It's a Hebrew idiom used another five times in the Old Testament as a reference to males. The editors of the KJV simply transferred the Hebrew idiom into English rather than making an attempt to culturally sanitize it for us.
Meanwhile...evil prevails in Judah under Rehoboam (I Kings 14:21-31)
The parallel passage to this chapter is II Chronicles 12
I Kings 14 |
II Chronicles 12 |
| 21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: 26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber. 29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. |
1 And 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 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, 3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. 4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. 5 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. 6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. 7 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. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 9 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. 10 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. 11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber. 12 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. 13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. 15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead. |
Solomon's son, Rehoboam, isn't doing any better with Judah. He's the son of Solomon and an Ammonite woman (a problem right from the beginning). Rehoboam is an evil King in Judah - worships pagan gods and even allows male homosexual prostitutes in the land. He has a 17-year rocky ride as King of the Southern Kingdom, Judah. Being continually at war with Jeroboam added to his losing campaign against the Egyptian king (Shishak) who comes in and takes all of Solomon's accumulated wealth from the palace and temple. As I said - a tough 17 years, and then he dies.
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