Biblical Blog: The Split kingdoms happened early in Rehoboam’s reign
re-told by Debbie Dunn
Blog highlights:
* How Israel became a split kingdom early in Rehoboam's reign
* Rehoboam was son of Solomon and grandson of David.
* Rehoboam chose to increase hardships for his subjects rather than lighten their burdens
Preface: I wrote this blog in role-play form because I believe it will make the complicated story of the kings of the divided kingdom of Israel more understandable for serious Bible study patrons. In any case, it is helping make this more crystal-clear in my own mind. That way, when I find those parts of the Bible that would make ideal stories for the two youth groups I work with, I will be more certain that I am giving them more accurate renditions.
Narrator #1: Picture this. One year before Solomon became the king
over all of Israel, his wife, Naamah, the Ammonite, gave birth to a baby boy.
They named him Rehoboam.
Narrator #2: Perhaps he was the first-born son. The Bible does not
make that clear. In any case, once Solomon was crowned king, Rehoboam was the ‘heir
apparent.’ His name/title was now Royal Prince
Rehoboam, as he would succeed his father as king.
Narrator #2: The other piece of good news was that Royal Prince Rehoboam’s father, King Solomon, had the reputation of being the wisest man in the world, until he messed up.
Father
God had this to say about his paternal grandfather, King David:
Father God: I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.
[1 Samuel 13:14, Acts
13:22]
Narrator
#1: Father God had said those words in reference to King Saul, the
first king of Israel, after he messed up.
Narrator #2: Flashback to that time period. From 1
Samuel 10:1, Samuel took a flask of olive oil and
poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said:
SAMUEL: I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be
the ruler over Israel, his special possession.
Narrator #1: Then,
Saul, at age 30, became the king over all of Israel for 42 years.
Narrator #2: Acts
13:21 tells it a little differently. It states: Then the people begged
for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin,
who reigned for forty years.
Narrator #1: Our
Discipleship pastor from our church states that the Bible never contradicts
itself. When you Google the disparity, a copyist error is suggested. That makes
sense to me. Even though the Bible is ‘God-breathed,' the scribes who
made multiple handwritten copies of the scrolls could easily have made mistakes
here and there as they copied and translated words from one language to
another.
[2 Timothy 3:16]
Narrator #2: So,
whether King Saul’s reign was 42 years or 40 years, in any case, he messed up
and broke a Mosaic law. What law did he break?
Narrator #1: During the time of Moses, Father God gave this prohibition to Moses’ older brother, Aaron, who served as the Israelites’ high priest. God said:
Father God: You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the LORD’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.
[Numbers 18:1-7]
Narrator #2: From
reading that, you can likely guess what law King Saul broke: he was from the
Tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the 12 tribes.
Narrator #1: Except
Melchizedek and Jesus, no other man could serve in both roles of
king and of priest.
[Genesis 14:18, Hebrews 4:14]
Narrator #2:
In 1 Samuel 13, King Saul was at war with the Philistines. Prophet
Samuel had instructed him to wait for him in Gilgal so he could perform the
priestly rituals.
Narrator #1: When
Samuel wasn’t as prompt as King Saul would like, he broke that Mosaic Law and
did this himself. Then, the following things happened:
Narrator #2: Just as
King Saul had finished with the burnt offering, Samuel finally arrived and
demanded:
SAMUEL: What is this you
have done?
Narrator #1: King
Saul made a bunch of excuses. So, Samuel, the spokesperson for God,
said the following:
SAMUEL: How foolish! You
have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD
would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
SAMUEL: But now, your
kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart. The
LORD has already anointed him to be the leader of His people, because you have
not kept the LORD’s command.
Narrator #2: 1
Samuel 16:1-13 describes Father God sending Samuel to
the house of Jesse in Bethlehem. He was taken by surprise that David, the
youngest of Jesse’s seven or eight sons, the shepherd, was the one selected to
be Israel’s next king. As soon as David entered the room, Father God said
to Samuel:
Father God: This is the one; anoint him.
Narrator #1: 1
Samuel 16:13 concludes this story by describing that Samuel took his
flask of olive oil and anointed David with the oil. “And the Spirit of
the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.”
Narrator #2:David’s
anointing as future king was kept secret as King Saul was still king for many
more years. David’s role in King Saul’s life went from beloved to feared or
hated when paranoid mental illness set in.
Narrator #1:The
Bible states, in 1 Samuel 16:14, “Now the Spirit of
the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a
tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Narrator
#2: David was sent, as a skilled singer and harpist, to play for
him. Those were the times when King Saul loved David.
[1 Samuel 16:14-23]
Narrator
#1: King Saul also loved David when he used his slingshot to kill
Goliath.
[1 Samuel 17]
Narrator
#2: Later, when Saul suspected that David might be God’s
chosen one to either replace him or his son as king, and when the
people overpraised David as a victorious warrior more than him, his jealousy
and mental illness caused him to wish to eliminate David from off the earth.
[Multiple examples throughout 1 Samuel]
Narrator #1: Sadly,
Saul made several attempts on David’s life. But David refused to do anything
but treat Saul with utmost respect and even tenderness.
Narrator #2:
Ultimately, King Saul was killed in battle. His son, Jonathan, who was David’s
biggest fan and best friend, was also killed. David grieved both deaths.
[1 Samuel 31 & 1 Chronicles 10]
Narrator #2: The
second king of Israel was the son of King Saul, Ish-bosheth. He only reigned
for 2 years until he was assassinated.
Narrator #1: After
the death of Saul and his heir apparent, Jonathan, Abner, the
commander of King Saul's army, went to Mahanaim with the king's only remaining
son, Ishbosheth.
Narrator #2: Abner
declared this 40-year-old man as "king over Gilead, Jezreel, Ephraim,
Benjamin, the land of the Ashurites, and all the rest of Israel."
Narrator
#1: Basically, King Ishbosheth was more of a puppet king. Abner was
the one pulling the strings.
[2 Samuel 2 and 3]
Narrator #2: FYI -
The name Mahanaim has not survived the centuries. It is currently located in
Jordan.
Narrator #1:
Eventually, through no fault of David, Abner was assassinated. This grieved
David immensely.
Narrator #2: We then learn, in 2 Samuel 4:1, "When Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed."
Narrator #1: Long story short, Saul's last remaining son was also
assassinated after only a 2-year reign. David was angered and devastated to
hear this horrible news, as well.
Narrator #2: At the
same time that Ish-bosheth served as king in the northern part of Israel,
David, the grandfather of Rehoboam, served as king of Hebron for 7 ½ years, in
the southern part of Israel. This is how that came to be.
Narrator #1: After
the death of Saul, David asked the LORD this question:
DAVID:
Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah? If so, which town should I go
to?
Father God: Yes. Go to Hebron.
[2 Samuel 2:]
Narrator #2: David
took his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and his men, and they all moved to
Judah. They settled in or near Hebron.
Narrator #1: 2
Samuel 2:4 states, "Then the men of Judah came to David and
anointed him king over the people of Judah."
Narrator #2:
Sometime soon after King Saul's son, Ish-bosheth, was killed, we learn in 2
Samuel 5:1-5 that "all the tribes of Israel went to David at
Hebron and told him:
REPRESENTATIVE FROM TRIBES
OF ISRAEL: We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our
king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told
you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.
Narrator #1:
"So, there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the LORD with
all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel."
Narrator #2:
"David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years in
all."
Narrator #1:
"He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for 7 years and 6 months, and from
Jerusalem, he reigned over all Israel and Judah for 33 years."
Narrator #2: In
summary, King David was a great king in many ways; however, he definitely was
not perfect. He made some major mistakes.
Narrator
#1: The difference seems to be that King David was able to maintain
his status of being “a man after God's own heart” due to his sincere and
contrite heart when he did err.
[I Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22]
Narrator #2: God, thankfully, is quick to forgive. As it states in Nehemiah 9:17, "But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them."
Narrator #1: Fast forward 40 years. We learn in 1 Kings 2:10 and 1
Chronicles 29:28 that King David died after reigning for 40 years.
Narrator #2: From
his deathbed, King David "gave this charge to his son Solomon."
In 1 Kings 2:2-4, he stated:
KING DAVID (from
verse 2): I am going where everyone on earth must
someday go. Take courage and be a man.
KING DAVID (from
verse 3): Observe the requirements of the Lord your God,
and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws
written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and
wherever you go.
KING
DAVID (from verse 4): If you
do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If
your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their
heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.
Narrator #1:
From 1 Kings 1:32-39 and 1 Chronicles 29:22-25, we
learn that when King David was old, he appointed Bathsheba's son, Solomon, to
be the next king.
Narrator #2: To
demonstrate the royal statute to be accorded Solomon, King David directed that
two things should happen.
Narrator #1: The
first was that Prophet Nathan was to anoint Solomon's head with oil.
Narrator #2: The
second was that Solomon was to climb on the back of King David's special mule
and ride it in a royal procession.
Narrator #1: 1
Kings 1:38 states, "So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,
Benaiah son of Jehoida, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had
Solomon mount King David's mule, and they escorted him to Gihon."
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 1:39 continues, "Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from
the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet, and all
the people shouted."
PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (Shouted) Long
live King Solomon!
Narrator #1: 1
Kings 1:40 concludes, "And all the people went up after him,
playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the
sound."
Narrator
#2: So, about 1000 years later, when Jesus rode
into Jerusalem on a mule, the Jewish people would likely recall that King
Solomon did the same thing. In this manner, yet another prophecy or foretelling
from the Old Testament pointed to Jesus.
[Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40,
& John 12:12-19]
Caption: Jesus and King Solomon both ride a
donkey to represent they are agents of peace, not war.
Narrator #1: Prophet
Zechariah gives the following prophecy regarding Jesus. The Bible calls
it "The Coming of Zion's King."
Narrator
#2: In Zechariah 9:9, he states, "Rejoice greatly,
Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of
a donkey."
[Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40,
& John 12:12-19]
Narrator
#1: In Jeremiah 23:5-6, Prophet Jeremiah makes a
prophecy about Jesus descending from the line of King David.
In this Prophecy, Father God states:
Father God: The days are coming when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
Narrator #2: These
lines are also prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33:15-16.
Narrator
#1: Then, in Jeremiah 33:17, Jeremiah concludes the
prophecy with these words from Father God:
FATHER GOD: David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel forever.
Narrator #2: There
is a very cool Bible story called "Solomon asks for
Wisdom. " This is definitely a story I will eventually share with
the two groups of kiddos I work with each week.
Narrator #1: We
learn about this story in 1 Kings 3:3-15.
Narrator #2: The
tale begins with these delightful words. "Solomon loved the LORD and
followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too,
offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local place of worship."
Narrator #1: This
was before Solomon had a chance to build the temple.
Narrator
#2: That night, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a
dream as He said:
FATHER GOD: What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!
SOLOMON (from
verse 6): You showed great and faithful love to your
servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you.
And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by
giving him a son to sit on his throne.
SOLOMON (from
verse 7): Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king
instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his
way around.
SOLOMON (from verse 8): And
here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and
numerous they cannot be counted!
SOLOMON (from
verse 9): Give me an understanding heart so that I can
govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For
who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?
Narrator
#1: 1 Kings 3:10 continues the dream, stating that
the Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So, God replied:
FATHER GOD: Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 3:18 has King Solomon waking up from this dream. He knew it was
just a dream; however, he had high hopes it would come true.
Narrator
#1: Sure enough, King Solomon had multiple experiences where people
were absolutely amazed at his wise words and actions.
Narrator #2: This is the extremely sad but true story of how things
went terribly wrong for King Solomon and for his son, Royal Prince Rehoboam.
Narrator #1: This was also the beginning of the end of Israel
acting as a united nation.
Narrator #2: I will re-post the Royal Prince Rehoboam's family
tree. Observe the notice at the top right-hand corner of the image. That will
give you a big clue why King Solomon suddenly messed up in a major way.
Narrator #1: Picture
what the childhood of Prince Rehoboam must have been like. His grandfather was
King David. His father was King Solomon, known as the wisest man who ever
lived.
Narrator #2: But
there was a big problem. We learn from 1 Kings 11:3 that King
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
Narrator #1: Some of
those women might not have had any children. Some might have had one child each
or perhaps, if King Solomon especially favored them, two or more children.
Narrator #2: So
Royal Prince Rehoboam would have grown up playing with more than 1000
half-brothers and -sisters. Yikes!
Narrator #1: 1 Kings 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. (NLT)
Narrator #2: 1 Kings 11:2 The LORD had
clearly instructed the people of Israel:
FATHER GOD: You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.
Narrator #1: 1
Kings 11:2 states, "Yet Solomon insisted on loving them
anyway."
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 11:3 He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in
fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD.
Narrator #1: Many
kings throughout the world had married foreign wives to form peace treaties
with those other countries. But 700 wives???
Narrator #2:
So, 1 Kings 11:4 concludes with this sad statement: "In
Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being
completely faithful to the LORD his God, as his father, David, had
been."
Narrator
#1: The news, in fact, gets worse and worse. See the short list
below that highlights only four of the many abominations that King Solomon
perpetuated in his later years.
Picture Caption:
(1) From 1 Kings 11:5, the wife was a Sidonian. King Solomon's
abomination was that he worshiped the goddess Ashtoreth.
(2) From 1 Kings 11:5, the
wife was an Ammonite. King Solomon's abomination was that he worshiped false
god Molech.
(3) From 1 Kings 11:7, the
wife was a Moab. King Solomon's abomination was that he built a pagan shrine
for Chemosh.
(4) From 1 Kings 11:7, the wife was an Ammonite. King Solomon's
abomination was that he built a pagan shrine for Molech.
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 11:6 states, "In this way, Solomon did what was evil in
the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely,
as his father, David, had done."
Narrator #1: That
short list only showed four examples of the abominations perpetuated by King
Solomon. As the next Bible verse explains, King Solomon did
many more.
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 11:8 states, "Solomon built such shrines for all his
foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods."
Narrator #1: We
learn the sad news in 1 Kings 11:9 that "The Lord was
very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord,
the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice."
Narrator #2: 1
Kings 11:10 states that Father God "warned
Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to
the Lord’s command."
Narrator #1: As a
result, 1 Kings 11:11-13 describes the scary words that
the LORD said to King Solomon next:
FATHER GOD: Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.”
Narrator
#2: 1 Kings 11:42-43 ends with these words:
"Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. When he died,
he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam
became the next king."
Narrator #1: What was one of the morals of this story about King
Solomon?
Narrator #2: 2 Corinthians 6:14 gives an ideal answer. it states:
Narrator #1: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For
what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness?"
Narrator #2: So, at long last, Rehoboam's shining moment had
arrived. After 41 years as Royal Prince, Rehoboam was now king of all of
Israel.
Narrator #1: Or, at least, that was so, for a precious few days.
Then, disaster struck.
Narrator #2: I Kings 12:1 describes that "Rehoboam went to Shechem,
where all Israel had gathered to make him king."
Narrator #1: I Kings 12:2 states, "When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of
this, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King
Solomon."
Narrator #2: I Kings 12:3 says, "The leaders of Israel summoned him,
and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel went to speak with
Rehoboam."
JEROBOAM: Your father was a
hard master. Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father
imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects. [1
Kings 12:4]
REHOBOAM: Give me three days to
think this over. Then come back for my answer. [1
Kings 12:5]
Narrator #1: "So, the people went away."
Narrator #2: I Kings 12:6 says, "Then, King Rehoboam discussed the
matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. He
asked:"
REHOBOAM: What is your advice?
How should I answer these people? [1 Kings 12:6]
OLDER COUNSELORS: If you are
willing to be a servant to these people today and give them a favorable answer,
they will always be your loyal subjects. [1
Kings 12:7]
Narrator #1: I Kings 12:8 says, "But Rehoboam rejected the advice of
the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up
with him and were now his advisers." He asked them:
REHOBOAM: What is your advice?
How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens my father
imposed? [1 Kings 12:9]
YOUNG MEN (1
Kings 12:10): This is what you should tell those
complainers who want a lighter burden: ‘My little finger is thicker than my
father’s waist!
YOUNG MEN (1
Kings 12:11): Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on
you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips,
but I will beat you with scorpions!
Narrator #2: Oh, Rehoboam, it is too bad and so sad that you did
not look through the very scrolls written by your father, the former King
Solomon. He wisely advised:
Narrator #1: Proverbs 14:7 warns: "Stay away from fools, for you won’t
find knowledge on their lips."
Narrator #2: Also, Proverbs 13:20 warns: "Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm."
Narrator #1: Another great Bible warning, written over 1000 years
later, states: 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns: "Do not be deceived. Bad company
corrupts good morals."
Narrator #2: What did King Rehoboam decide?
Narrator #1: I bet
you can guess who Rehoboam chose to listen to.
Narrator #2: We
learn in 1 Kings 12:12 that "three days later, Jeroboam
and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam's decision, just as the king had
ordered."
Narrator #1:
"But Rehoboam spoke harshly to the people, for he rejected the advice of
the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisors. He told
the people:" [1 Kings 12:13-14]
REHOBOAM: My father laid
heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat
you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions! [1
Kings 12:14]
Narrator #2:
"So, the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the
will of the LORD, for it fulfilled the LORD's message to
Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh." [1
Kings 12:15]
Narrator #1: When
all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they
responded: [1 Kings 12:16]
JEROBOAM: Down with the
dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Back to your homes,
O Israel! Look out for your own house, O David! [1
Kings 12:16]
Narrator #2:
"So, the people of Israel returned home. But Rehoboam continued to rule
over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah." [1
Kings 12:16-17]
Narrator #1:
"King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, to
restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death." [1
Kings 12:18]
Narrator #2: When
this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to
Jerusalem." [1 Kings 12:18]
Narrator #1:
"And to this day, the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled
by a descendant of David." [1 Kings 12:19]
Narrator #2:
"When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam's return from Egypt, they
called an assembly and made him king over all Israel." [1
Kings 12:20]
Narrator #1:
"So, only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the family of
David." [1 Kings 12:20]
Narrator #2:
"But God said to Shemaiah, the man of God these
words: [1 Kings 12:22]
FATHER GOD: Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, this is what the Lord says: 'Do not fight against your relatives, the Israelites. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing!' [1 Kings 12:23-24]
Narrator #1:
"So they obeyed the message of the LORD and went home, as
the LORD had commanded." [1
Kings 12:24-25]
Narrator #2: And
that is the story and full explanation of how the country of Israel divided
into two kingdoms: The Northern Kingdom of Israel, ruled by King Jeroboam I,
and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, ruled by King Rehoboam.
Narrator
#1: See the map picture repeated below as a reminder of what this
divided country looked like during that time period.
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