1Kings 12

Rehoboam

12Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king.H7346H3212H7927H3478H935H7927H44272Jeroboam had been in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death he had come back.H3379H1121H5028H4714H8085H1272H6440H4428H8010H3379H3427H47143Rehoboam assembled Jeroboam and all the people. They said to Rehoboam,H7971H7121H3379H6951H3478H935H1696H7346H5594"Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we'll willingly serve you."H1H7185H5923H7185H7186H5656H1H3515H5923H5414H7043H56475"Give me three days to think it over, then come back," Rehoboam said.H559H3212H7969H3117H7725H5971H32126King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"H4428H7346H3289H2205H5975H6440H8010H1H2416H559H3289H7725H1697H59717They said, "If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you."H1696H559H5650H5971H3117H5647H6030H1696H2896H1697H5650H31178But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor,H5800H6098H2205H3289H3289H3206H1431H5975H64409"What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, 'Give us a break from your father's harsh ways—lighten up on us'?" 'H559H3289H7725H1697H5971H1696H559H7043H5923H1H5414H704310The young turks he'd grown up with said, "These people who complain, 'Your father was too hard on us; lighten up'—well, tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.H3206H1431H1696H559H559H5971H1696H559H1H3513H5923H3513H7043H1696H6995H5666H1H497511If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!'"H1H6006H3515H5923H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H613712Three days later Jeroboam and the people showed up, just as Rehoboam had directed when he said, "Give me three days to think it over, then come back."H3379H5971H935H7346H7992H3117H4428H1696H559H7725H7992H311713The king's answer was harsh and rude. He spurned the counsel of the eldersH4428H6030H5971H7186H5800H2205H6098H328914and went with the advice of the younger set, "If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!"H1696H6098H3206H559H1H3513H5923H3513H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H613715Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. GOD was behind all this, confirming the message that he had given to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah of Shiloh.H4428H8085H5971H5438H3068H6965H1697H3068H1696H3027H281H7888H3379H1121H502816When all Israel realized that the king hadn't listened to a word they'd said, they stood up to him and said, Get lost, David! We've had it with you, son of Jesse! Let's get out of here, Israel, and fast! From now on, David, mind your own business. And with that, they left.H7725H3478H7200H4428H8085H5971H1697H4428H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H168H3478H7200H1004H1732H3478H3212H16817But Rehoboam continued to rule those who lived in the towns of Judah.H1121H3478H3427H5892H3063H7346H442718When King Rehoboam next sent out Adoniram, head of the workforce, the Israelites ganged up on him, pelted him with stones, and killed him. King Rehoboam jumped in his chariot and fled to Jerusalem as fast as he could.H4428H7346H7971H151H4522H3478H7275H68H4191H4428H7346H553H5927H4818H5127H338919Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic regime ever since.H3478H6586H1004H1732H3117

Jeroboam of Israel

20When the word was out that Jeroboam was back and available, the assembled people invited him and inaugurated him king over all Israel. The only tribe left to the Davidic dynasty was Judah.H3478H8085H3379H7725H7971H7121H5712H4427H3478H310H1004H1732H2108H7626H306321When Rehoboam got back to Jerusalem, he called up the men of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of their best soldiers, to go to war against Israel and recover the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.H7346H935H3389H6950H1004H3063H7626H1144H3967H8084H505H977H6213H4421H3898H1004H3478H7725H4410H7725H7346H1121H801022At this time the word of God came to Shemaiah, a man of God:H1697H430H8098H376H430H55923"Tell this to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, along with everyone in Judah and Benjamin and anyone else who is around:H559H7346H1121H8010H4428H3063H1004H3063H1144H3499H5971H55924This is GOD's word: Don't march out; don't fight against your brothers the Israelites; go back home, every last one of you; I'm in charge here." And they did it; they did what GOD said and went home.H559H3068H5927H3898H251H1121H3478H7725H376H1004H1697H1961H8085H1697H3068H7725H3212H1697H306825Jeroboam made a fort at Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and made that his headquarters. He also built a fort at Penuel.H3379H1129H7927H2022H669H3427H3318H1129H643926But then Jeroboam thought, "It won't be long before the kingdom is reunited under David.H3379H559H3820H4467H7725H1004H173227As soon as these people resume worship at The Temple of GOD in Jerusalem, they'll start thinking of Rehoboam king of Judah as their ruler. They'll then kill me and go back to King Rehoboam."H5971H5927H6213H2077H1004H3068H3389H3820H5971H7725H113H7346H4428H3063H2026H7725H7346H4428H306328So the king came up with a plan: He made two golden calves. Then he announced, "It's too much trouble for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Look at these—the gods who brought you out of Egypt!"H4428H3289H6213H8147H5695H2091H559H7227H5927H3389H430H3478H5927H776H471429He put one calf in Bethel; the other he placed in Dan.H7760H259H1008H259H5414H183530This was blatant sin. Think of it—people traveling all the way to Dan to worship a calf!H1697H2403H5971H3212H6440H259H183531And that wasn't the end of it. Jeroboam built forbidden shrines all over the place and recruited priests from wherever he could find them, regardless of whether they were fit for the job or not.H6213H1004H1116H6213H3548H7098H5971H1121H387832To top it off, he created a holy New Year festival to be held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month to replace the one in Judah, complete with worship offered on the Altar at Bethel and sacrificing before the calves he had set up there. He staffed Bethel with priests from the local shrines he had made.H3379H6213H2282H8066H2320H2568H6240H3117H2320H2282H3063H5927H4196H6213H1008H2076H5695H6213H5975H1008H3548H1116H621333This was strictly his own idea to compete with the feast in Judah; and he carried it off with flair, a festival exclusively for Israel, Jeroboam himself leading the worship at the Altar.H5927H4196H6213H1008H2568H6240H3117H8066H2320H2320H908H3820H6213H2282H1121H3478H5927H4196H6999