Rehoboam, Solomon's Son

Click here to read I Kings 12.

Chapter 12 begins the story of Rehoboam who became King of Israel at the death of his father, Solomon. The story of the division of the United Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms is a sad one. When Solomon died, all Israel came to Rehoboam and asked him to "lighten their burden" they would have remained loyal to him if he had done so, but obviously Rehoboam did not inherit his father's wisdom. He asked the leaders of Israel for 3 days to prepare his answer. He sought council from the Elders who had served his father and they suggested that he be kind and considerate of the people. He then sought the council of his young friends, and they suggested that he add to the already high burden of the people. He chose to take the advice of his young friends and the 10 northern tribes rebelled as prophesied by A-hi-jah the Shi-lonite back in Chapter 11.

When Jeroboam hears of Solomon's death, he leaves Egypt and returns to Israel. When the 10 northern tribes hear of this, they call an assembly and they make him King of The Northern Kingdom of Israel. When Rehoboam hears of this, He assemblies an army of 80,000 soldiers to fight against him and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but God spoke to the people through the Prophet She-mai-ah and told them to go home because the rebellion of the 10 northern tribes was of His doing.

So Rehoboam built a Capitol at She-chem for the Nation of Israel and Rehoboam retained his Capitol at Jerusalem. Jeroboam realized that the people of the northern tribes would continue to go to Jerusalem to worship and in doing so, would in their hearts, turn to the Lord and to Rehoboam, the King of Judah. So he made two "golden calves" and said to the people of Israel, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough, behold your gods." He set one at Bethel and one at Dan then he organized priests who were not Levites and he duplicated the feasts and sacrifices and made them to the idols.

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