1 Kings 12:1-24

1 Kings 12:1-24

One of the darkest events in Israel’s history came on the heels of the greatest era in their history. The reigns of David and Solomon were some of the best years for Israel, but when Rehoboam took the throne, it all went downhill. Hearing that Solomon was dead and his son Rehoboam was being anointed as the next king, Jeroboam left Egypt and traveled back to Israel. He knew that God had promised that he would inherit part of the throne, for the nation was about to be divided. So in order to fulfill the word of God, Jeroboam traveled to Israel and confronted Rehoboam.


He and many of the Israelites asked for Rehoboam to lighten up on some of the strict laws Solomon had placed on them. As we saw in 1 Kings 11, Solomon turned from God near the end of his life, and everything went south at that point. Apparently, life became quite hard for the common man in Israel, and they were hoping for relief from Rehoboam. So Rehoboam wisely asked for a few days to think over what he should do. He went to the men who advised Solomon throughout his reign and asked them for advice. They told him to listen to the requests of the people, lighten their load, and they would remain obedient to him for as long as he reigned. But Rehoboam was not satisfied with their advice, so he went to his peers whom he had grown up with. They advised to him to make life harder for the people, and he listened to them.

When Rehoboam gave his report to Jeroboam and his followers, they were obviously upset. They were afraid of what life would be like if it got much worse. They rebelled against Rehoboam, killing men that were close to him and causing him to flee to the safety of Jerusalem. They then turned to Jeroboam and declared him as their king. The only people who chose to remain with Rehoboam were those who lived in Judah. Thus the kingdom had been divided. There were now 2 kings in “Israel:” Rehoboam, who ruled the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and Jeroboam, who ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Rehoboam became upset at the turn of the events and desired to reunite the kingdom. He wanted the honor of ruling over all the tribes of Israel, so he prepared for war. He gathered men from his country and prepared them for battle, but before they set out God stopped them. He commanded them to remain at home and not fight against their own brothers. He told them that this was His doing and they were not to interfere. Ultimately, this was punishment for their disobedience: for the way that Solomon had turned from God at the end of his life and the way Rehoboam had treated the Israelites. Let it be a lesson to us that God punishes sin. When we turn our backs on God, we can expect the consequences. We are called to be holy, to live for God, and to obey His commands. When we choose to turn away from Him, there will always be consequences. May this passage teach us to follow God.

Matt