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I'll begin reading in verse 1. 
But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter 
of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, 
and Hittites, from the nations of whom the Lord had said to 
the children of Israel, you shall not intermarry with them, nor 
they with you. Surely, they will turn away your 
hearts after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. 
And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives 
turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was 
old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his 
heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of 
his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, 
the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination 
of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight 
of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father 
David. And Solomon built a high place 
for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is 
east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the people 
of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who 
burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. So the Lord became 
angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord 
God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded 
him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other 
gods. But he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore, 
the Lord said to Solomon, because you have done this and have not 
kept my covenant and my statutes which I have commanded you, I 
will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to 
your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it 
in your days for the sake of your father David. I will tear 
it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away 
the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your 
son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, 
which I have chosen. The Lord raised up an adversary 
against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was a descendant of the king 
in Edom. For it happened when David was 
in Edom and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury 
the slain after he had killed every male in Edom, because for 
six months Joab remained there with all Israel until he had 
cut down every male in Edom. But Hadad fled to go to Egypt. He and certain Edomites of his 
father's servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. 
Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran. And they took 
men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king 
of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and 
gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in 
the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister 
of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tapanes. Then 
the sister of Tapanes bore him, Genubath, his son, whom Tapanes 
weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's 
household among the sons of Pharaoh. So when Hadad heard in Egypt 
that David rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander 
of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, let me depart 
that I may go to my own country. And Pharaoh said to him, but 
what have you lacked with me that suddenly you seek to go 
to your own country? So he answered, nothing, but 
do let me go anyway. God raised up another adversary 
against him, Razan, the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his 
lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah. So he gathered men to him and 
became captain over a band of raiders. When David killed those 
of Zobah, And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned 
in Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel 
all the days of Solomon, besides the trouble that Hadad caused. 
And he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria. Then Solomon's servant, Jeroboam 
the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zerudah, whose mother's 
name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. And 
this is what caused him to rebel against the king. Solomon had 
built the Milo and repaired the damages to the city of David 
his father. The man Jeroboam was a mighty 
man of valor, and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, 
made him the officer over all the labor force of the house 
of Joseph. Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went 
out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, met him 
on the way. And he had clothed himself with 
a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah 
took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it 
into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take 
for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of 
Israel. Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, 
and will give ten tribes to you. But he shall have one tribe for 
the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, 
the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 
Because they have forsaken me, and worshipped Ashtoreth, the 
goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, and 
Milcom, the god of the people of Ammon. and have not walked 
in my ways to do what is right in my eyes and keep my statutes 
and my judgments as did his father David. However, I will not take 
the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him 
ruler all the days of his life for the sake of my servant David, 
whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes. 
But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it 
to you, ten tribes. And to his son I will give one 
tribe, that my servant David may always have a lamp before 
me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put 
my name there. So I will take you, and you shall 
reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 
Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk 
in my ways and do what is right in my sight to keep my statutes 
and my commandments as my servant David did, then I will be with 
you and build for you an enduring house as I built for David and 
will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the descendants 
of David because of this, but not forever. Solomon therefore 
sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to 
Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death 
of Solomon. Now the rest of the Acts of Solomon, 
all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book 
of the Acts of Solomon? and the period that Solomon reigned 
in Jerusalem over all Israel was 40 years. Then Solomon rested 
with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, 
and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place." Amen. Well, last 
week we saw the first part of this particular chapter, verses 
1 to 13, that specifically records Solomon's downfall, his slide 
into idolatry. And that comes as a result of 
verse 1. It says, King Solomon loved many foreign women as well 
as the daughter of Pharaoh. And then it indicates the various 
places from which these women came, and then cites the precedent 
that forbids such a practice One in Israel, and then as well 
with reference to the King of Israel. Verse 2 says, from the 
nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, 
you shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely 
they will turn away your hearts after their God. So the Lord 
knew this temptation or tendency that was in his people. And so 
in Deuteronomy chapter 7, in verses 3 and 4 specifically, 
he commands the children of Israel when they go into Canaan, when 
they engage in holy war, they're not to make any sort of social 
covenant or political covenant or religious covenant with the 
people of the land, because God knows that once they do that, 
their hearts will be led astray. And we see that is precisely 
the case with Solomon. These women led his heart away 
from the Lord God. Notice in verse 4. For it was 
so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after 
other gods, and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, 
as was the heart of his father David." So the Lord then becomes 
angry with him, verses 9 and 10. And then the Lord reveals 
to him in verses 11 to 13 his plan in terms of the kingdom 
of Israel. As a result of Solomon's sin, 
bad things would come upon the nation as a whole. And that leads 
us to verses 14 to 43. So we see in the first place 
the rebellions against Solomon in verses 14 to 28. Secondly, 
there is a prophecy concerning the kingdom in verses 29 to 40. And then, of course, the death 
of Solomon in verses 41 to 43. So let's look at these rebellions 
against Solomon. Literally, God raised up Satans 
against Solomon. Satan is the Hebrew word for 
adversary, and certainly it applies to the devil himself, but it 
can also refer to men who present themselves as troublemakers or 
as adversaries to someone else. But the interesting thing is 
that this comes from God Most High. Notice the rebellion of 
Hadad in verses 14 to 22. We are told specifically, now 
the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. The same thing is stipulated 
in verse 23, and God raised up another adversary against him, 
Razan, the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his Lord. Now it 
doesn't say that specifically concerning Jeroboam, But the 
fact that God's already revealed in verses 11 to 13 what his plan 
for the kingdom is, and then in the extended prophecy of Ahijah, 
the Shilonite, that explains God's plan for the kingdom, we 
see that the Lord did in fact raise up Jeroboam as well. So 
this is the divine response to Solomon's sin of idolatry. But 
as we read through the narrative, we'll notice that Solomon did 
not act alone. Solomon's example then caused 
the nation of Israel to engage in that same sort of idolatry. 
Notice specifically in verse 33. It says, "...because they 
have forsaken me and worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the 
Sidonians, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the 
god of the people of Ammon." and have not walked in my ways 
to do what is right in my eyes and keep my statutes and my judgments." 
So you see, the sins of the leaders affect the people. When the people 
see the leader engaged in that sort of wickedness and ungodliness, 
then oftentimes the people follow. The Lord Jesus speaks to this 
in Matthew 15. If a blind man leads a blind... 
If the blind lead the blind, then both shall fall into a ditch. It is the case that when we have 
blind men leading us, unfortunately, there will be those who happily 
follow along. And God holds responsible not 
only the leaders, but also the followers. Even if the leaders 
engage in that sort of activity, if they engage in idolatry, We're 
supposed to resist that tendency. We're supposed to stay the course 
and remain faithful. But Israel did not do that very 
specifically as indicated here. But we see that this adversity 
that comes upon Solomon is a result of God's sovereignty. So the 
divine word is given in verses 9 to 13. Judgment is now highlighted. The sovereignty of God is behind 
Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam. And I think this is very encouraging 
in the sense that, wow, we're greatly blessed in the reality 
that God is sending these adversaries against Solomon. But it's encouraging 
to see that the Bible gives us the true story. Ralph Davis makes 
the observation. You don't get from the local 
news or you don't get from cable news what you get in Scripture. 
Scripture gives you the real deal. You will never hear a theological 
interpretation placed on something in a news source outside of Scripture. See, God tells us what He is 
doing. God leads us by the hand and 
shows us that whatever is happening here in this calamitous event, 
it's all under the sovereign control of our great God. It's 
a very encouraging thing in the sense that whatever may happen, 
we need to realize that God does not relinquish control. God doesn't 
say, well, Solomon, you've messed up, so I'm just going to let 
you all go and, you know, sort of simmer in your problems there, 
and I'll come back in a generation and then try to clean things 
up. No, the Lord is guiding history. The Lord is sovereign in His 
providence. The Lord causes all things to work together for good 
to those who love Him and to those who are the called according 
to His purpose. Now, in that passage in Romans 
8, he must not only mean God causes all good things to work 
for good, but he causes all things, and that includes bad things, 
like raising up Adam, raising up Razan, raising up Jeroboam, 
as adversaries of a man who plunged the nation into idolatry. A people that were to be faithful 
worshippers of Yahweh of Israel are worshipping Moloch, or they're 
worshipping Chemosh, or they're worshipping Ashtoreth. We see 
the divine response in terms of God's judgment, God's holiness, 
God's righteousness, but we ought not to miss the reality that 
God is sovereign in His providence and everything that takes place 
happens according to His plan. We see in this as well the consequences 
of sin. John Gill says, though he did 
not take his kingdom from him for his sin, he chastised him 
with the rod of men, as he said he would, suffering one and then 
another to rise up and disturb his peace in his old age. Again, the divine response to 
Solomon's sin is to disturb his peace in his old age. Go back 
to chapter 5. Note Solomon's statement earlier 
on in his reign. In 1 Kings chapter 5, specifically 
verse 3, you know how my father David could not build a house 
for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which 
were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his 
foes under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given 
me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor 
evil occurrence. So you see, at that particular 
juncture in Solomon's reign or career, he had peace. But when 
Solomon goes a-whoring from God into the arms of these false 
gods, then God delivers him over to judgment, to chastisement, 
to the blows of men. And as I said, this is going 
to affect the entirety of the nation. What we find prophesied 
here in 1 Kings 11 and what we'll see enacted in 1 Kings 12 is 
massive, the tearing of a kingdom into two parts. Imagine the prime 
minister getting word from a prophet saying, half of Canada is no 
longer going to be connected to the other half of Canada. 
Now, some of us might say, hey, that's not a bad idea, but it's 
the rupture of a particular kingdom. And this was God's kingdom on 
earth. This was God's people on earth. 
This was a massive shift in terms of the cohesiveness of this particular 
kingdom. It is the alternate of Proverbs 
16, 7. In Proverbs 16, 7, Solomon writes, 
when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies 
to be at peace with him. Now Solomon experienced that 
early on in his career, but Solomon had forfeited that now. And I 
think the converse of this is true. When a man's ways please 
the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. When 
a man's ways displease the Lord, he certainly makes his enemies 
to be adversarial towards him. This is divine judgment. This 
is the response of God to the sin of idolatry. So while the 
Lord exercises mercy in not completely taking the tribes away from Solomon. Nevertheless, we need to appreciate 
this was serious, heavy, and severe chastisement. And certainly 
for the remainder of Solomon's reign, it was not a peaceful 
reign. This man of peace is no longer 
enjoying peace. because God, rather, has become 
his adversary. So we see Hadad, we see Razan, 
and we see Jeroboam, and it's told us that they are the adversaries 
of Solomon. But who's the true adversary 
here? It's God. He's got an axe to grind against 
Solomon in this particular instance. A holy axe to grind, if you will. But notice specifically the rebellion 
of this man, Hadad. The historical background is 
given in verses 14b to 20. It says, he was a descendant 
of the king in Edom. For it happened when David was 
in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury 
the slain after he had killed every male in Edom, because for 
six months Joab remained there with all Israel until he had 
cut down every male in Egypt, that Hadad fled to go to Egypt. He and certain Edomites of his 
father's servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. Turn back to 2 Samuel chapter 
8. 2 Samuel chapter 8 sketches the 
background for us for this particular section in terms of Hadad and 
Razon. But specifically in 2 Samuel 
8, verses 13 and 14, notice. And David made himself a name 
when he returned from killing 18,000. Now, the New King James 
has Syrians in the text, but it's Edom in the margin, and 
that's the correct reading, in the Valley of Salt. He also put 
garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he put garrisons. And all the Edomites became David's 
servants, and the Lord preserved David wherever he went." So you 
see, in this particular attack upon Edom, when David is victorious 
because Yahweh preserves him and Joab is burying bodies, this 
young boy, Hadad, is able to escape. He finds safe haven in 
Pharaoh. Robert Alter said, the Pharaoh 
in David's time, unlike the successor who gave his daughter to Solomon, 
was hostile to Israel. His providing refuge to this 
Edomite refugee from David's onslaught is politically motivated 
with the calculation that at some future point, Hadad might 
prove useful in the conflict with David. So then we go back 
and we see in verses 21 to 22 that essentially Hadad does return. He hears that David rested with 
his fathers, verse 21, and that Joab the commander of the army 
was dead. Hadad said to Pharaoh, let me 
depart that I may go to my own country. So he goes back to the 
country. And as we read in verse 25, he's 
an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon. Now, some see 
that and they see something of an inconsistency or a discrepancy. They see all the days of Solomon. 
But didn't we just read or didn't we just study that in chapters 
3 to 10 he had great prosperity? Probably it means all the remaining 
days of Solomon. Or it could mean that Hadad and 
Razan hated Solomon even prior to this particular phase in his 
life, but they never had the opportunity to act. They could 
have been harboring this secret enmity, but it didn't disrupt 
Solomon because they didn't act upon it. But the text now indicates 
that these adversaries, raised up by God, are now acting upon 
it to make life difficult for the king of Israel, this divine 
chastisement for Solomon's sin of idolatry. So the return of 
Hadad is occasioned by the death of David and Joab, but ultimately 
occasioned by the sovereignty of God. Notice the rebellion 
of this fellow, Rezan. It says, God raised up another 
adversary against him, Razan, the son of Eliadah, who had fled 
from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah. Now, we need to understand 
a little bit of our geography here. Edom is south, and Syria 
is north. You see, what it's suggesting 
to us is that Solomon's got problems all around. In other words, it's 
not just one breach in the southern wall that they've got to deal 
with. They've got problems in the south represented by this 
Haydad. They've got problems in the north 
represented by this Razon. And so what the text is telling 
us is that God's chastisement coming upon Solomon via these 
adversaries that the Lord has raised up. is comprehensive in 
nature and it does affect Solomon's reign. It does affect the particular 
situation. Again, the background for this 
fellow is back in 2 Samuel chapter 8. Same sort of a situation, 
2 Samuel chapter 8 verses 3 to 9. David also defeated Hadadezer, 
the son of Rahab, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory 
at the river Euphrates. David took from him 1,000 chariots, 
700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung 
all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them 
for 100 chariots. Now, you can see why these two 
men harbored a peculiar grudge against Solomon, right? Or against 
the nation of Israel. I mean, David did damage to their 
country. David wiped out Edomites and 
David wiped out Syrians. So we can see why in this particular 
section in 1 Kings 11, these two men have an axe to grind 
against Solomon and against Israel. So verse 5 says, the Syrians 
of Damascus came to help Hadadizr, king of Zobah. David killed 22,000 
of the Syrians. Then David put garrisons in Syria 
of Damascus, and the Syrians became David's servants and brought 
tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever 
he went. Notice those parallel statements. 
After the first summary in terms of Edom, and after that summary 
in terms of Syria, the Lord preserved David wherever he went. The absolute 
contrast to what we find at the end of 1 Kings 11. Because David 
was faithful, because his heart fully followed the Lord, because 
David was a man who obeyed the commandments and followed the 
statutes, God preserved David wherever he went. But Solomon 
turns away from God. Solomon's heart is divided. Solomon 
goes and bows down before these idols. Not only bows down to 
them, but the man who built the temple for Yahweh now builds 
these altars of sacrifice for these pagan deities. He's built 
them, and he's bowing before them. Now it is the case that 
God raises up adversaries against him. No longer do we find that 
blessed record that the Lord preserved David wherever he went. 
Now, God raised up an adversary against Solomon. Again, I think 
this underscores or should highlight for us the seriousness of idolatry. Not that all the other sins are 
okay. It's not that God's going to 
wink at you if you commit adultery or you you know, commit perjury, 
or if you're a thief, or a murderer, or a liar. I'm not suggesting 
that, you know, commandments 3 to 10 really aren't that important. But commandments 3 to 10 are 
founded upon commandments 1 and 2. Idolatry is a sin singled 
out by God in so many instances in Scripture. Turn to Romans 
chapter 1, for instance. Romans chapter 1, the particular 
sin that is condemned in Romans chapter 1 is the sin of idolatry. We focus on all the symptoms, 
we focus on all the application and on all the fruit. but the 
primary problem that Paul is condemning deals with ungodliness. Notice in Romans 118, for the 
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men. Ungodliness precedes unrighteousness. In other words, the thoughts 
we have about God affect the way that we live in terms of 
or in light of God. And that's the specific order, 
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Now notice, who suppress 
the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of 
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. You 
see, here's your scriptural warrant for the reality that there's 
no such thing as a genuine atheist. I mean, men profess there is 
no God, men may try to dupe themselves into thinking there is no God, 
but God the Lord testifies by the Holy Spirit in Paul's writing 
to the Romans that men know God exists, because what may be known 
of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For 
since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even as eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." 
Now notice, because although they knew God, they did not glorify 
Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, 
and their foolish hearts were darkened. You see, we come to 
Romans 1 and we say, wow, homosexuality is a great big problem, and it 
is. I'm not suggesting otherwise. We come to Romans 1 and we say, 
wow, covetousness, maliciousness, murder, strife, deceit, all those 
are horrific things, and they are. But it's also a horrific 
thing, verse 21, although they knew God, they didn't glorify 
Him as God, nor were thankful. That's man's primary problem. 
He knows God. But He doesn't glorify Him as 
God, nor is His heart thankful. He lives as if there is no God. 
And as a result, His actions follow suit. And that's the flow 
in Romans 1. Verse 21, it says, They became 
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory 
of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible 
man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things." 
So you see, this is ungodliness described, and now comes the 
act of unrighteousness, homosexuality, and then that catalog or that 
list of vices beginning in verses 28 and following. You see, idolatry 
is a terrible thing. Notice in 1 John chapter 5, It's 
an amazing thing that John, the beloved disciple, who writes 
the first epistle encouraging, professing people of God to engage 
in love, to pursue the truth, the walk in righteousness, ends 
on a most sober note. First John 5.21, little children, 
keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Now, that's written to believers, 
right? Those are the little children 
involved here. We need to guard our hearts when 
it comes to this issue of idolatry. And if Solomon can do anything 
for us, hopefully he can point out to us the necessity of faithfulness 
in this particular regard. Little children, keep yourselves 
from idols. Do not follow the pathway of 
Solomon. Don't engage in any sort of a 
particular relationship that may open the door to your tolerating 
a particular practice and then end up embracing that particular 
practice. So Solomon is reaping the consequences 
for his sin. So back to 1 Kings chapter 11, 
we see this particular man, almost sounds French. It's actually 
Rizon. So we see his reign in verse 
25. He is an adversary of Israel 
all the days of Solomon, besides the trouble that Hadad caused, 
and he abhorred Israel. and reigned over Syria. So we've got Hadad, Rezon, and 
then we've got Jeroboam. Notice in verses 26 to 28. He 
is the servant of Solomon. Now, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 
becomes sort of a benchmark from this point on. Jeroboam, the 
son of Nebat, is a notoriously wretched human being. I mean, 
he becomes, you know, if the standard for godly kings is David, 
the standard for ungodly kings is Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. I mean, we couldn't say enough 
bad things about this wretch. But at this particular point, 
notice who he's serving. Then Solomon's servant, Jeroboam 
the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zerada, whose mother's name 
was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. So you see 
Solomon's got it coming from all corners. He's got it in the 
north twice, and then he's got it in the south. It says, and 
this is what caused him to rebel against the king. Now, this is 
ambiguous. I'm not sure what it means. I'm 
not sure that the commentators know what it means, but certainly 
Jeroboam knew what it meant, and he knew why it was that he 
wanted to rebel against Solomon. He had built the Milo and repaired 
the damages to the city of David, his father. Now, Jeroboam led 
the northern Israelite labor force, and probably whatever 
verse 28 refers to, or verse 27 refers to, probably meant 
that the northern Israelite laborers were not getting their due. whether it be pay, whether it 
be whatever. Perhaps it was mistreatment, 
perhaps they weren't getting the same sort of treatment as 
the Judahite laborers, whatever the case. Gill makes this comment. In the oversight of which it 
is supposed by the Jews, he employed this man, who reproached him 
for doing these works, building a house in Melo for Pharaoh's 
daughter and stopping up the passage to the city of David 
and the people's access to there upon occasion." So basically, 
Gill suggests that by David's building projects, Northerners 
couldn't come into Jerusalem. Again, it's a bit of an ambiguous 
verse. Better men than me can mess with 
that. But suffice it to say, Jeroboam had an axe to grind 
with Solomon. But note verse 28. I don't know 
that this is all chronological. I think it's just providing for 
us. this picture of Jeroboam. The man Jeroboam was a mighty 
man of valor and Solomon seeing that the young man was industrious 
made him the officer over all the labor force of the house 
of Joseph. So he is functioning as one of 
Solomon's servants or officers over this labor force tasked 
with reporting ultimately to Solomon and doing these particular 
deeds. So he was a young man of valor, 
he had distinguished himself, he was very industrious, all 
those sorts of things. But it is ironic, isn't it? Very 
ironic that Solomon takes under his charge the man that would 
ultimately take the northern tribes. I mean, you got to see 
in all of this just the wisdom, not of Solomon as it used to 
be, but the wisdom of the writer of 1 Kings 11. It's truly brilliant 
the way that it's woven together. House says, ironically, Solomon 
chooses, promotes, and gives a power base to the man who will 
end the Davidic dynasties rule over northern Israel. So that's the opposition or the 
rebellions against Solomon. Let's look at the prophecy concerning 
the kingdom in verses 29 to 40. The first place we ought to observe 
this prophet Ahijah in verses 29 and 30. Now, it happened at 
that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem that the prophet 
Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way and he had clothed 
himself with a new garment and the two were alone in the field. 
Now, the only prophet mentioned up to this point in Samuel and 
Kings is Nathan. But from this point forward, 
there's a lot of prophetic activity in Israel. And this is a mercy 
from God. This is a kindness in his provision 
for Israel in terms of a religious and her political life. The prophets 
are going to function as God's servants to not only indict and 
upgrade and reprove and rebuke these particular kings, but they'll 
also come to tell them certain things that they need to know 
concerning political situations and wars and whatnot. So the 
prophetic ministry from this time forth is very prevalent 
in Israel. Now, notice the lack of information. Ahijah the Shilonite, all we're 
told is that he had a new garment, and that the two of them were 
alone in the field. I'm going to quote Davis here 
because I think Davis makes a good observation. He says, we're told 
he's from Shiloh, but he just appears. I don't think it means 
he just materialized in terms of, you know, he just right there 
with Jeroboam. He appears on the page of scripture. 
You'll see that with Elijah the Tishbite as well. He just shows 
up. And Davis makes this observation. We've never heard of him before. 
We know nothing about him. Wife? Hobbies? Nothing. Because 
it doesn't matter. The Lord's Word, not the prophet's 
biography, is crucial. And the reason I state this is 
because I think we see this pattern among the prophets of God. We 
know very little about most of the prophets. I mean, we know 
Micah was from Moreshath. We know certain tidbits along 
the way. Amos was a sheep breeder and, 
you know, these little bits and pieces of their autobiography. 
But for the most part, the prophets of God in Israel were not well 
known in terms of who they are, wife, hobbies, friends, associates, 
relatives, what they like to do on their day off. We just 
don't know. Because it's the word of the Lord that's prevalent. 
It's the word of the Lord that's important. And Davis elsewhere 
makes the contrast between the culture in our day. If we're 
hearing more about the man, then we're hearing about Christ. And 
this is why I always loathe to use autobiography in terms of 
illustration. But at some point, it's kind 
of all you know about. If it makes the point, it's hopefully 
good to do. But it shouldn't be the case 
that we're learning more about our favorite pastor or preacher 
than about Jesus, you see? I saw on Twitter recently a particular 
pastor that I followed made a comment about another pastor, and he 
said, you know, this guy's website says it's all about Jesus, and 
interestingly enough, I learned more about him than I learned 
about Jesus whatsoever. Now, all that to say these prophets 
were God's mouthpieces, and so it's God that is conspicuous 
that we need to focus our attention on when it comes to the rest 
of the prophets as we move through this particular book. So the 
reference to the new garment, it's not telling us that he was 
sporting some flashy new duds that he just picked up at, not 
Walmart, wherever the equivalent of you know, Walmart in Israel 
at that time. The new garment is essential 
for the acted parable that's gonna come to play. He's gonna 
tear that garment up into 12 pieces and he's gonna hand 10 
of those pieces to Jeroboam because it symbolizes the division of 
the kingdom that's about to take place. So what we're told in 
terms of this particular clothing himself with a new garment and 
the two were alone in the field, we understand why this would 
be something of a clandestine meeting, wouldn't we? I mean, 
you don't just go announce in the middle of the public square, 
hey, Jeroboam, you're going to be the guy that rips the kingdom 
apart and takes 10 northern tribes. That wouldn't go over well any 
more than sedition or revolution in our own particular era would 
have gone over well. In fact, later, specifically 
in verse 40, we see that Solomon wants to kill Jeroboam. So somebody 
leaked, or maybe Jeroboam didn't want to wait until he was supposed 
to get the throne and tried to make a position for it or play 
for it earlier. So Solomon learns of that, and 
Solomon wants to liquidate him. I mean, Solomon ascended the 
throne in such a way in 1 Kings 2. This is the way Solomon will 
try to protect the throne here in verse 40. So you see, it was 
a clandestine meeting designed to tell Jeroboam what God's plan 
was concerning the kingdom. Now notice the prophecy of Ahijah. In verse 31, he said to Jeroboam, 
take for yourself 10 pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God 
of Israel, behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of 
Solomon and will give 10 tribes to you. This was already stipulated 
in the preceding section by God to Solomon. Now, God didn't flesh 
out or sketch the details for Solomon. Now it comes for us, 
the reader. We get to hear, we get to see, 
we get to understand what's going to happen in 1 Kings chapter 
12. So Jeroboam is to take ten pieces. Notice the reason in verse 31b, 
the Lord will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and 
will give ten tribes to you. Now he explains himself in verses 
32 to 39. There will be one tribe preserved. Now, I mentioned last week that 
there's 12 tribes at play here and yet it says 11 and 1. Judah 
is assumed and Benjamin is referred to. Judah is assumed and Benjamin 
is referred to. Notice in verse 32. But he shall 
have one tribe for the sake of my servant David, and for the 
sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the 
tribes of Israel. The tribe that's not mentioned 
is Judah. Judah is assumed. Judah is certainly 
going to retain Judah. But notice in 1221, this identifies 
that Benjamin is that other tribe. And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, 
he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, 
180,000 chosen men who were warriors. So those are the two southern 
tribes. Judah and Benjamin. Now notice, 
the reason for the judgment, we've already pointed out in 
verse 33, it wasn't just confined to Solomon. It wasn't just a 
Solomon idolatry problem. As the leader goes, so goes the 
people. We need to appreciate that particular 
lesson, not only in terms of kingly office or in terms of 
church leadership, but we need to understand this with reference 
to households. Yes, we need to be good examples. 
We need to be faithful examples. It's hypocritical for us to command 
our children to do one thing and for us to do another thing. 
Now, we're always going to be hypocritical to some degree or 
other, but we need to confess our sins, we need to ask for 
mercy, and when we are inconsistent, when we demonstrate that sort 
of wickedness, we need to take them by the hand, we need to 
ask them to forgive us, and we need to pray to God to forgive 
us. Brethren, it is absolutely crucial that we set good examples, 
so it's not the case that our children end up doing the same 
sorts of things we're doing and say, well, you know, you taught 
me this. By your example, by your practice, by your conduct, 
what do you expect when you set that forth to me as a consistent 
pattern? That lesson is prevalent throughout 
the entirety of Holy Scripture, and we need to appropriate it, 
we need to get it in our heads. Notice, however, verse 33, God 
specifies or God indicates, I'm sorry, in verse 34, God specifies 
that he is indeed going to preserve. However, I will not take the 
whole kingdom out of his hand because I have made him ruler 
all the days of his life. for the sake of my servant David, 
whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes." 
So the southern kingdom would be preserved due to God's faithfulness. Second Samuel 7, the Davidic 
covenant. As well, the entire kingdom would 
be fractured because of Solomon's and the people's sin. He explains 
this in verses 34 to 36, specifically via the Davidic covenant. In 
fact, go back there for just a moment. I mentioned last week 
how it's fulfilled. perfectly in this section. Notice 
in 2 Samuel 7, 12, when your days are fulfilled and you rest 
with your fathers, I will set up your seat after you who will 
come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall 
build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of 
his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he shall 
be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will 
chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons 
of men. That's what's happening in the fracture of the kingdom. 
That's what's happening as a result of Solomon's sin. That's the 
divine response to Solomon's rebellion with reference to idolatry. But notice in verse 15, but my 
mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom 
I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom 
shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall 
be established forever. So you see, the Davidic covenant 
runs on two levels. There are conditional elements. 
And by conditional elements, I mean simply this. Do this, 
and you get this. A conditional element is if you 
are faithful, then you will be blessed. Well, Solomon was unfaithful, 
so conditional element involved, he is cursed. The unconditional 
element is God's promise to David that from David's loins, from 
David's line, there will rise up one to be a king who sits 
upon his throne forever. Of course, that's Jesus Christ. 
So you see that at play here specifically in Ahijah's prophecy. God is chastening Solomon and 
the kingdom with the blows of men, but God is preserving Judah 
in order to fulfill the covenant made to David concerning his 
greater son. And then notice, very specifically, 
commands given to Jeroboam, verses 37 to 38. So I will take you, 
and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall 
be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed 
all that I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right 
in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as my servant 
David did, then I will be with you, and build for you an enduring 
house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." 
So there's that conditional statement given to Jeroboam, just like 
God had spoken to Solomon. do what you're supposed to do 
in light of what your father David did, and everything will 
go well for you. Jeroboam, you're going to be 
the king over the northern tribes. If you tow the line and do what 
you're supposed to do, everything will be fine. But if you sin 
against me, as Jeroboam most certainly will, then everything 
won't be fine. Okay, so that's the specifics 
concerning the prophecy. But notice before we conclude 
this particular section, verse 39. This is further evidence 
of God's love for Judah. And I will afflict the descendants 
of David because of this, but not forever. I will afflict the descendants 
of David because of this, but not forever. Doesn't that, in 
a sense, prophesy the fall of the Northern Kingdom? I mean, 
as soon as God says it, he's telling him, but it's not going 
to be forever. So that doesn't mean God's promise 
to Jeroboam is illegitimate. The promise is legit. Jeroboam, 
do what you're supposed to do, and everything will go well. 
But God knows the hearts of men, and God knows the course of history. 
So God says, and I will afflict the descendants of David because 
of this, but not forever. What does that speak to? It speaks 
to the reunification of the kingdom. It speaks to the time when it's 
no longer north and south, but it's one Davidic kingdom. It's 
foreshadowing the reality that the northern tribes are in fact 
going to fall. Southern tribes are going to 
fall as well, but they will be reunified under the Lord Jesus 
Christ. It's a blessed thing, really. 
The statement indicates God's goodness to Judah, even in the 
midst of affliction. Notice verse 39, I will afflict 
the descendants of David because of this, but not forever. This 
is a heavy prophecy spoken by Ahijah the Shilohite in terms 
of the rupture of the kingdom in a way that they had not seen 
previously. It's spoken to a man that's going 
to be the standard for wickedness in all of Israel. And nevertheless, 
in the midst of this, we see God's mercy, God's kindness, 
God's goodness, and God's grace. It says, I will afflict the descendants 
of David because of this, but not forever. That's a word of 
promise, not forever. I'm going to show mercy. Not 
forever. This is not always going to be 
the way it is now. Davis makes this comment, and 
it's a lengthy one, but I think he nails it. Yahweh's judgment 
does not involve cancellation of God's promise. You see, this 
is what you might be inclined to think if you were an observer 
on Ahijah and Jeroboam. They steal away into the field. 
But if you happen to be hiding behind a rock and you heard this 
whole thing, what might you surmise? God's promise to David is going 
to collapse. God's promise to David is done and over. God's 
promise is going to go away. Well, he's already explained 
that he's going to preserve Benjamin. He's going to preserve Judah 
for the sake of David. And then in this one encapsulating 
thought, he says, I will afflict the descendants of David because 
of this, but not forever. He goes on to say, when God announced 
His judgment to Solomon, He placed two restrictions on it. Not now, 
verse 12, and not all. Isn't that what He said? It's 
not going to be now. It'll happen in the time of your 
son. And it's not going to be all because you get to keep Benjamin 
and Judah. You see, in the midst of judgment, God's still speaking 
mercy and grace. This is a pattern. You should 
see this throughout Scripture. You ought to appreciate this 
pattern throughout Scripture. God, in His statements of judgment, 
at times speaks great merciful things. That prophecy in Ezekiel 
16 about how God finds Israel, they're squirming in their blood, 
and God says, live, live. God raises them up and God decks 
them out. I mean, he adorns them, he puts 
nose rings in them, he makes them beautiful as a bride, and 
nevertheless, they depart from God. He says he's gonna bring 
judgment, he's gonna bring chastisement, he's going to bring the curse 
of the covenant to bear upon them. Nevertheless, he says, 
and it points them to this new covenant era. You see, this God 
who brings this judgment and chastisement never ceases to 
be the God of the covenant. He never stops being the God 
of mercy and grace. He never stops being the God 
of goodness. Davis goes on, Ahijah underscored 
these same qualifications to Jeroboam. The judgment will be 
delayed in time, in the days of Solomon's son, and restricted 
in extent. Solomon's son gets one tribe. And why these restrictions? Because 
God has made previous commitments, previous choices. God has an 
elect person, David, and an elect place, Jerusalem. Covenant king 
and covenant worship are non-negotiables. They cannot be completely obliterated. 
Jeroboam's rule must take place within these confines. Verse 
39 implicitly suggests the restoration of David's line to full strength. 
So I will afflict the seed of David because of this, but not 
all the days. God's promise then, I love this, 
may be eclipsed, but not eliminated. This is the point. This is what 
you ought to get. God's promise can be eclipsed. You know, the moon might pass 
over the sun and we don't see the full blaze of the rays, but 
it cannot be eliminated. He says, verse 39 states the 
principle in a nutshell, affliction, but not abandonment. The rays of hope flicker from 
behind the clouds of judgment. to say, oh, you know, Davis is 
waxing poetic on a pretty historical piece of narrative. This is prophecy. This is programmatic for everything 
that follows. You know, when you continue on, 
God willing, you're all here as we continue on. We're going 
to see this fleshed out every step of the way until it culminates 
in 2nd Kings 17 with the collapse of the Northern Kingdom. I mean, 
that's actually recorded for us. This isn't, you know, Ahijah 
making things up that had no taproot in history. The rest 
of Kings indicate that what Ahijah speaks here to Jeroboam, what 
God said to Solomon in verses 11 to 13, is precisely the order 
the book is going to take. And of course, the southern kingdom 
is going to fall in chapter 25, but it's going to come back because 
of God's promise in 2 Samuel 7. There is the conditional element 
that will bring judgment and chastisement to bear. It will 
be the blows of men that will come upon these kings, but that 
unconditional element is realized ultimately in Jesus Christ. And 
the reunion, the reunification in new covenant terms is the 
church. The house of Judah and house 
of Israel in the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 31, as he's speaking 
about reunification, as we see this reunification in the book 
of Ezekiel, Israel and Judah, it's pointing us to the church. 
This is what Paul tells us in Hebrews 8 and 10. In many respects, 
brethren, we owe our lives, our existence as a church, to 1 Kings 
11. And this promise by God in verse 
39, I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but 
not forever. Not typically a passage, you 
would think, concerning the planting of a local church. But it's because 
of verse 39 that local churches exist. So Solomon, as I suggested 
earlier, hears of this plan, verse 40, Solomon therefore sought 
to kill Jeroboam. You understand that logic? That's 
not difficult, is it? Doesn't need a lot of exposition 
there. Of course he wants to kill Jeroboam, because Jeroboam's 
making a play for the kingdom. That's not tolerable in a regime 
that is run by a lawful king. That's just ungodliness. But 
notice, so he runs to Egypt, And even though he has departed, 
things are not good as we end this chapter. House says, the 
Davidic lineage is in trouble. Jeroboam has a constituency in 
Israel, a significant foreign ally, and God's promise to place 
him in power. Without question, then, he will 
soon be a major force in Israelite politics. And that happens. We'll see it, the Lord willing. 
next Wednesday night, and it's an amazing thing the way it all 
happens according to God's plan. His solemn death is recorded 
in verses 41 to 43. I don't know what the book of 
the Acts of Solomon are. There are probably some court 
annals, some records that were kept at the royal house the period 
that he reigned. Overall, Israel was 40 years. 
He rested with his father, was buried in the city of David, 
his father, and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his place. We 
know something at this point that Rehoboam doesn't know yet, 
though. Do we? Or does he? He doesn't know what's 
going to happen, unless Solomon said, hey, guess what, or before 
he died. We know something about 1 Kings 
12 that Rehoboam, at this particular point, has no clue about. Israel's 
glory days are over. And Rehoboam is walking into 
a firestorm that he did not see coming. Now, he's not the brightest 
bulb in the chandelier, to be sure. So it's not the case that 
bad things are happening to such a good guy. But what do we learn? Finally, quickly, we'll move 
to the end. The effect, the merciful effect 
of prophets upon Israel's religious and political life. As I said, 
Ahijah is a bit of a down payment. The books are going to take a 
decisive turn in favor of the prophet, the prophet of God, 
the mouthpiece of God, the word of God, comes conspicuously to 
the kings in Israel, to the people of Israel, and it's a means that 
God used. And not to say there weren't 
prophets before Ahijah, but they become even more conspicuous, 
especially with Elijah and Elisha. The narrative at some points 
are just centered on them, not the kings necessarily. So it 
shows you the prophetic movement in Israel was most significant 
for their religious and political life. Secondly, I hope that we 
learn the miserable consequences of Solomon's sin. The sin of 
the king leads to sin on the part of the people. We've already 
banged that nail, we don't need to continue. The sin of the king 
leads to the judgment of God. I mean, these are the consequences 
of sin. It's so unfortunate that we don't 
stop and ponder before we sin. It's typically not the way, OK, 
I'm about to commit this sin. When I do this, what are going 
to be the ripple effects to everybody that I know and love? Now, hopefully, 
we do that, and we're training ourselves to do that. But for 
the most part, we just wander willy-nilly in without ever thinking, 
and then have to deal with the consequences after the fact. It's better for us to consider 
the consequences prior to actually engaging in sin. I mean, David 
on the rooftop looking at Bathsheba, we all want to scream at him, 
don't do that, don't call for her. That would have been a great 
time for him to ponder the ripple effect of that particular sin. 
Solomon, as he's on wife 894, this would have been a great 
time for him to ponder the reality that this is going to have a 
major impact not only upon me and my family, but upon the kingdom 
itself. We need to understand that the 
sin of the king leads to the judgment of God, and the sin 
of the people leads to the judgment of God. No good thing ever comes 
from sin. The sin of the king as well leads 
to national turmoil. Solomon elsewhere writes, righteousness 
exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. So if we see the 
miserable consequences of Solomon's sin, we see the wonderful consequences 
of God's faithfulness. The Davidic Covenant certainly 
overshadows the entirety of this chapter. The Davidic Covenant 
promised that God would chasten him with the rod of man and with 
the blows of the sons of men. This is seen in the rupture of 
the nation, the splitting apart of these two kingdoms. and the 
Davidic covenant promised that God's mercy shall not depart 
from him seen in the preservation of Judah. So you see both the 
miserable effects of sin, the wonderful consequences of God's 
faithfulness, and then finally the lasting influence of Solomon's 
reign. His claim to fame, even more 
so than his wisdom, and certainly more so than his fall. I mean, 
when we think Solomon, we ought not to only think chapter 11. 
I mean, I think that's sort of typical, isn't it? A man has 
proven himself for 60, 70 years, and then he doesn't finish too 
well, and it's almost like the past 60, 70 years didn't matter. 
Now, I'm suggesting that a strong finish gives further confirmation 
of those 60 or 70 years, but we ought not to denigrate the 
fact that he built the temple for God. I mean, that was his 
chief and crowning thing. He was a son of God who built 
a temple for God. And in that, he was typical of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 16, who do men say that 
I, the son of man, am? And Peter says, you are the Christ, 
the son of the living God. And then Jesus says, I will build 
my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
So you have Solomon as a son of God building a house for God 
in the Old Covenant. You've got Jesus as a son of 
God building a house for God in the New Covenant. You can't 
miss that. And that opens up a whole bunch 
of typology. Even in Jesus' teaching, He's 
similar to Solomon. Well, Solomon was typical of 
Jesus. Jesus was kind of like Solomon 
in the sense that Solomon had an interest in animals and in 
plants and in botany. That kind of flavors how Jesus 
teaches, doesn't he? Look at the lilies of the field. 
Look at the birds of the air. Jesus is that sort of a wise 
man. So Solomon's wisdom there even 
typifies the Lord Jesus Christ. And intriguingly, he invokes 
Solomon as a particular example there in Matthew chapter six. 
You know, these lilies have more glory than Solomon, or they're 
clothed more beautifully than Solomon in all his glory. In 
the passage of Do Not Worry and Do Not Be Carnally Anxious, one 
commentator suggests that Solomon is invoked there as a very specific 
example by Jesus, not necessarily as a worrier, but as a man who 
had a problem with too much stuff. His wasn't the case that he was, 
you know, worrying about what he was going to have. He was 
just amassing more and more along the way. There might be some 
legitimacy to seeing that that's not just some random play by 
Jesus invoking Solomon, but Solomon actually fits the context as 
well in terms of Solomon's life history. So he was a temple building 
son of God. He was a type of Jesus Christ. 
And he certainly is a warning to the people of God. We got 
to not Neglect chapters 3 to 10, but we certainly need to 
make sure we remember chapter 11. And I would submit he was 
a sinner saved by grace who did well, and he also did not so 
well. Isn't he just like us? I mean, 
I hope that we're all able to say, you know, or that we don't 
have to go through that sort of thing, but it's easy to Monday 
morning quarterback. How could he do that? Now, certainly the 
epic nature of his sin, I hope none of us multiply wives, you 
know, a thousand fold, or husbands a thousand fold, but the reality 
is, brethren, is that it's not always the case that God's people 
finish as strongly as they ought. And so we ought not to be too 
critical of him. I mean, certainly critical of 
the fact that he was a gross idolater there. But I'll close 
with Gill. I read this last week. Though 
nothing is said of Solomon's repentance, there is no doubt 
but that he was a good man, repented of his sins and was saved. as 
may be concluded from the commendations of him after his death, from 
the promise of God that he made, that his mercy should not depart 
from him, though he chastised him, from his being an inspired 
writer, who are all holy men, and especially from his writing 
the book of Ecclesiastes after his fall, which contains a full 
acknowledgement of all his evils, a recantation of them, and repentance 
for them." Well, let's close in a word of prayer. Father, 
we thank you for your Word, and we thank you for this particular 
chapter. God, cause us to see the reality 
that sin never brings good things. It always has miserable consequences. And may we think through this, 
may we consider this, may we ponder the effects our sin has 
upon others. and may He cause us to walk in 
holiness and in righteousness, enabled by the power of the Holy 
Spirit. We thank you for your mercy so 
clearly displayed in this passage, the reality that Judah would 
not be fully destroyed. What a blessed thought that this 
is, that Christ came, that Christ is the one in whom all these 
promises are, yea and amen. Give us grace to love Him, to 
glorify Him in all that we do, and we pray through Jesus our 
Lord. Amen.