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1 Kings 12. Last week in chapter 
11, we saw the death of Solomon. As well, we saw a prophecy of 
Ahijah the Shilonite spoken to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat from 
the north, and that prophecy will be fleshed out here in chapter 
12. So I'll just begin reading in verse 1. And Rehoboam went 
to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 
So it happened when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, he 
was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King 
Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt, that they sent and 
called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly 
of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, Your father made our 
yoke heavy. Now therefore, lighten the burdensome 
service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, 
and we will serve you. So he said to them, Depart for 
three days, then come back to me. And the people departed. Then King Rehoboam consulted 
the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still 
lived. And he said, How do you advise 
me to answer these people? And they spoke to him, saying, 
If you will be a servant to these people today and serve them and 
answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be your 
servants forever. But he rejected the advice which 
the elders had given him and consulted the young men who had 
grown up with him who stood before him. And he said to them, what 
advice do you give? How should we answer this people 
who have spoken to me saying, lighten the yoke which your father 
put on us? And the young man who had grown 
up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus you should speak to this 
people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father made our 
yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us. Thus you shall say to 
them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist. 
And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add 
to your yoke. My father chastised you with 
whips, but I will chastise you with scourges. So Jeroboam and 
all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had 
directed, saying, Come back to me the third day. Then the king 
answered the people roughly and rejected the advice which the 
elders had given him. And he spoke to them according 
to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke 
heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you 
with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges. So the king 
did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from 
the Lord, that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord had 
spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 
Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, 
the people answered the king, saying, What share have we in 
David? We have no inheritance in the 
son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel. Now 
see to your own house, O David. So Israel departed to their tents. 
But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt 
in the cities of Judah. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, 
who was in charge of the revenue. But all Israel stoned him with 
stones and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted 
his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been 
in rebellion against the house of David to this day. Now it 
came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come 
back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation and made 
him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the 
house of David but the tribe of Judah only. 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, to fight 
against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom 
to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. But the word of God came to Shemaiah, 
the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, 
king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to 
the rest of the people, saying, Thus says the Lord, You shall 
not go up nor fight against your brethren, the children of Israel. 
Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from me. Therefore, 
they obeyed the word of the Lord and turned back according to 
the word of the Lord. Amen. Well, as we saw last week, 
what would happen in terms of the kingdom was indeed a serious 
chastisement from the Lord God Most High. It is in accordance 
with 2 Samuel 7 and the Davidic Covenant where God said that 
He would chastise the sinning son with the blows of men, but 
he would nevertheless not withdraw his mercy from the house of David, 
specifically the tribe of Judah, as it would be from that tribe 
that Messiah would come. Well, chapter 12 records the 
beginning of that division or the division in the kingdom the 
rest of 1st and 2nd Kings will see that there is no reunification, 
there is no unified monarchy ever again. And so let's look 
at chapter 12 under three specific considerations. First, the request 
of the northern tribes in verses 1-15. Secondly, the revolt of 
the northern tribes in verses 16-20. And then the requirement 
for the southern tribes in verses 21-24. So let's look at the request 
of the northern tribes. In the first place, they appeal 
to the king, to Rehoboam. Remember that Rehoboam is Solomon's 
son. If you go back to verse 43 in 
chapter 11, then Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried 
in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned 
in his place. So Rehoboam is the heir apparent. He is going to be crowned king 
over a unified kingdom. At this point, Rehoboam does 
not know what is facing him. Rehoboam never really seems to 
get the message of how deep this rift is. I think when he sends 
Adoram to the northern tribes, he very much misjudges the situation. Now it was certainly wrong for 
Adoram to be stoned, but you can see that the people in the 
north were very upset, and they were not going to broker peace 
with Rehoboam at this time. But notice the coronation takes 
place at Shechem. That's a bit of a bad omen, because 
all Israel should have gathered together in Jerusalem. But the 
fact that Rehoboam has to go into northern territory to Shechem, 
again indicates that not everything is well at this particular time. 
So Rehoboam goes to Shechem so that he can be crowned king. 
Now notice the return of Jeroboam in verses 2 to 3a. Back in chapter 
11 at verse 40, it says Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. Jeroboam was given the message 
by Ahijah, the Shilonite, concerning the division of the kingdom. 
Remember that Ahijah tears his garment and hands ten pieces 
of the garment to Jeroboam. And he says that you will receive 
ten tribes. You will be the king over the 
north. Now, when Solomon hears this, 
Solomon wants to kill Jeroboam. We saw in chapter 2 how Solomon 
secured the throne by eliminating the enemies to the throne. Certainly, 
at the end of Solomon's career, that same sort of strategy would 
hold good, and he wanted to kill Jeroboam. But, verse 40 tells 
us, Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak, king of Egypt, 
and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. Now that Solomon 
is dead, a delegation is sent to Jeroboam and he is invited 
to Shechem to sort of lead the northern tribes in their appeal 
to Rehoboam that his reign over these northerners would be lessened, 
that it would be lighter. Now note their request for concessions 
in verses 3b to 5. In the first place, they highlight 
that Solomon's yoke was indeed a heavy yoke. Now remember, this 
is the complaint of the North. We're not certain that it's true. Now, when Rehoboam addresses 
them in verse 14, he repeats this. He says, my father made 
your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. Now, whether he 
means this sort of ironically, or let's just assume for the 
sake of argument, or if it was indeed the case that Solomon 
had imposed a heavy yoke upon the northern tribes. But just 
because they say it doesn't necessarily mean that it's true. Nothing 
in chapters 3 to 10 give us a direct account of this sort of oppressive 
reign by Solomon over these northerners. Now, in terms of the particular 
burden at stake, most of the commentators favor one of two, 
probably both options, heavy taxation and conscripted labor, 
or forced labor. Now, when we look at chapter 
5 and we see the North being used in this sort of forced labor, 
it wasn't slavery, it wasn't the way the heathen were used 
in terms of forced labor, They were paid, and they were rotated, 
and they got rest. Nevertheless, it seems that the 
North were not pleased. The Northerners, and I say Northerners, 
and I always feel like an American when I say that, because I think 
of the Civil War in America between the North and the South. That's 
just the same sort of thing we have there. When I say Northerners, 
I'm not talking about Yankees. I'm talking about you know, the 
northern tribes in Israel at this particular time and season 
in Israel's history. But taxation and this sort of 
forced labor, and probably both of those things are at play. 
Now, to fund the great kingdom that Solomon had indeed reigned 
over required a lot of money. And we see that not only foreigners 
are bringing tribute to Solomon, but certainly the nation was 
taxed as well in order to provide for the nation itself. And then 
it was indeed the case that Solomon used Israelites to build various 
projects relative to his kingship. And so probably those are the 
sorts of things that has gotten a bee in their bonnet and they 
want a lighter yoke. Notice, they want a lighter yoke 
and they have and express a willingness to serve. Notice in verse 4, 
your father made our yoke heavy, now therefore lighten the burdensome 
service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us 
and we will serve you. So they're not unwilling to serve, 
they just don't want to do it at the high taxation of this 
sort of conscripted labor that they have experienced up to this 
particular point. So again, we can't take everything 
they say as gospel truth, but at the same time we can't utterly 
cast it away. The point is that probably no 
one is absolutely right with reference to this particular 
division. It's not the case that the North is pure and holy and 
harmless and undefiled, and Solomon and Rehoboam are just evil wretches. 
I don't think we can conclude that, but at the same time we 
can't conclude that everything was rosy under Solomon's reign. up until this particular point. 
But it is intriguing. If these two things are the particulars 
involved, heavy taxation and this conscripted labor, note 
the conspicuous absence of idolatry. I mean, they don't complain that 
Solomon has taken a thousand wives and he's now building high 
places for Chemosh and Molech and Ashtoreth. They don't complain 
about the most horrific thing that's gone on under Solomon's 
reign. That would be a legitimate complaint. 
That would be something that we could sink our teeth into, 
because we would see it there in chapter 11. Solomon multiplies 
wives, and he loves them, and he clung to them, and they led 
his heart astray from Yahweh, and he starts to build these 
places of worship. probably first just tolerating 
his wife's gods, and then bowing before his wife's gods along 
with them, so they don't complain about the thing that is most 
wicked in the nation. And I think this is somewhat 
typical of modern citizens. As long as taxes are manageable, 
and as long as we aren't conscripted into labor, a bit of idolatry 
really doesn't bother us. As long as everything is status 
quo around us, we really don't care that Molech is being worshipped, 
that Ashtoreth is being worshipped, that Chemosh is being bowed to. I think in many respects what 
we see represented here in Israel is the same sort of thing that 
we see represented in Canada and in America. We get upset 
when they raise our taxes, but somehow it doesn't bother us 
when idolatry runs rampant in the land. Now note Rehoboam's 
response. He tells them, depart for three 
days, then come back to me, and the people departed. Now I think 
that every step of the way, up until the very end, specifically 
verse 24, when Rehoboam and the Judahites actually obey God, 
and they don't launch this military incursion on the north, every 
other thing Rehoboam does in this chapter is wrong. every 
step of the way. In fact, John Gill mentions here, 
he shouldn't have waited three days. I mean, you've got an upset 
people that don't, you know, they're trying to get some concessions 
from you in order to crown you king. Don't tell them, depart. for three days, then come back 
to me. That's not skillful politics. And I think, as I said, every 
step of the way, Rehoboam shows that he is really out of his 
league. He is not fit for the task. He doesn't have the savvy 
or the skill or the ability for the kingship over this united 
empire. Now notice the counsel sought 
by Rehoboam in verses 6 to 11. He first goes to the elders. 
Go back to chapter 10 and verse 8. Chapter 10 and verse 8. Notice the Queen of Sheba's response 
here with reference to Solomon's wealth and wisdom. In verse 8, 
she says, Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants, 
who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom. Now 
go back to chapter 12, verse 6. Then King Rehoboam consulted 
the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still 
lived, and he said, how do you advise me to answer these people? 
These were men that had benefited directly from the wisdom of Solomon. I mean, come on, Rehoboam, you 
should listen to these men. You should give heed to these 
men. You should highly value and prize their counsel. Do not 
discard them, do not disregard them, do not turn them away. The elders recommend that Rehoboam 
make concessions to secure northern allegiance. This is good politics. This is good policy. He's not 
saying, abdicate the throne, let them do whatever they want, 
make some concessions. They've expressed a willingness. 
Verse 4, "...and His heavy yoke which He put on us, and we will 
serve you." Proven says the king has Israelites as servants, to 
which they do not in principle object. But if he really wants 
them as servants, he must be a servant to them and demand 
less service. And I love the way the elders 
describe the king's responsibility. It is so contrary to the way 
things typically operate. Notice in verse 7, "...if you 
will be a servant to these people today and serve them." That's 
the function of a king. That's what makes our Lord Jesus 
Christ so glorious. He's a servant king. He actually 
takes seriously the whole idea of kingship. Shepherding is serving. And what we find here is these 
elders, armed with this wisdom, tell Rehoboam that he needs to 
be a servant to these people and he needs to serve them. Interestingly 
enough, in the monarchy then, and as monarchies have continued 
to evolve into even constitutional republics and democracies and 
whatnot, it becomes just the opposite. The citizenry is to 
be the servant to the government, and that's just not right. It's 
not the way it's supposed to be. They are called ministers. What is minister? I've always 
been a bit bothered by that title as a title of esteem and respect. Oh, the minister. Ministers serve. Ministers are laborers, ministers 
are helpers of others for their well-being, whether they be ecclesiastical 
ministers in terms of eldership, or they are political ministers, 
they are servants. That's what it's called. In America 
we call them civil servants. But they don't function that 
way. The citizenry is the servant to the government. And so these 
elders are full of wisdom and they tell Rehoboam good things. But notice verse 8. But he rejected 
the advice which the elders had given him and consulted the young 
men who had grown up with him who stood before him. I mean, 
we're told at the outset, he receives an earful of good wisdom 
and instead of acting upon it and taking it to heart and then 
putting it into practice and implementing it for the good 
of the kingdom. You see, that's what's at stake. 
And I think the elders recognize that. A few concessions, a bit 
of a lighter load, ease up on some of the taxation, ease up 
on the conscripted labor, And everybody will be hunky-dory. Everything will function swimmingly. 
These are not unreasonable requests on the part of these northerners. 
It's not unreasonable for them to desire less taxation and less 
conscripted labor. These are legitimate things, 
Rehoboam. But wholesale, out of out of 
hand before he even seeks out these young men. It says, "...he 
rejected the advice which the elders had given him, consulted 
the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him." 
Now, we need to date these young men. If the elders were the ones 
who stood before Solomon, These young men were contemporaries 
of Rehoboam. I think that makes sense, doesn't 
it? Consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, 
who stood before him. When Rehoboam assumed the throne, 
he was 41. So these are 20-year-old young 
men. These are 40-year-old young men. They are young, contrasted with 
the elders who stood with and before Solomon. So we're not 
dealing with teenagers here. We're not dealing with even 20-year-olds 
here. We're dealing with 40-year-olds 
that should have some more horse sense than what these guys exhibit. Gil says they were at an age 
to be wiser than they appeared to be. because they certainly 
don't come off the page of 1 Kings 12 as wise. And if they're not 
wise, Rehoboam is doubly not wise for following their foolish 
counsel. So the statement that Rehoboam 
rejected the advice which the elders had given him does not 
bode well. The young men do not advise concessions, 
but they advise intimidation. In other words, Rehoboam, the 
way that you deal with this northern plea for concession is with a 
heavy hand. It's with an iron fist. Crush 
them. Oppose them. Increase the taxation. Increase the tax burden. Increase 
the conscripted labor. Make things more miserable for 
these whining, grumbling, complaining fools from the north. That is 
precisely how the young man responds. respond. So Rehoboam poses the 
question in verse 9. Verse 10, the young men who had 
grown up with him spoke to him saying, thus you should speak 
to this people who have spoken to you saying, your father made 
our yoke heavy, but you made it lighter on us. Thus you shall 
say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's 
waist, and now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will 
add to your yoke. My father chastised you with 
whips, but I will chastise you with scourges." Davis says, these 
younger bucks believe that nothing impresses like intimidation, 
nothing tames like threatening. And of course, Rehoboam is going 
to side with these younger men. It's one of those times where 
you're reading the Bible, and you're talking to the Bible, 
and you're saying, please, Rehoboam, don't do that. Listen to these 
wise old men that had benefited from the wisdom of Solomon. You 
are plunging the nation into ruin. You are plunging the nation 
into a division from whence it will not return. This is not 
a wise course of conduct. Now, notice how he says, my father 
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges. 
Most of your margins probably read scorpions. I will chastise 
you with scorpions. Does that mean he's going to 
collect scorpions and whip them with them? One of the commentators 
says that these are many tailed whips armed with barbed points 
or hooks that when lashed against the intended victim felt like 
a scorpion sting. So you see it's all bluster here. My little finger is thicker than 
my father's waist. He chastised you with whips, 
I will chastise you with scorpions. In other words, get back to your 
jobs, get back to your life, and pay the taxes to fund the 
kingdom. This is the counsel of these 
younger men. Obviously, younger men who didn't 
have a clue on how to rule a kingdom. Notice the response given by 
Rehoboam in verses 12-14. So Jeroboam and all the people 
came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, 
Come back to me the third day. Then the king answered the people 
roughly. You see what I'm saying? Every 
step of the way, every time there is narrative dedicated to Rehoboam, 
it's foolishness, it's folly, it's a lack of wisdom. Solomon 
was known for his wisdom. It certainly wasn't passed on 
genetically. It certainly wasn't communicated 
in terms of didactic lessons given by father to son. No doubt 
Solomon taught his sons the Book of Proverbs, makes it clear, 
but there was a great disconnect between the spoken word and what 
actually found its way into the head and the heart of Rehoboam. Notice. It says, "...the king 
answered the people roughly, rejected the advice which the 
elders had given him, and he spoke to them according to the 
advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, 
but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with 
whips, but I will chastise you with scourges." So Rehoboam chooses 
the path of intimidation and threatening, and he rejects the 
path of some simple concessions that would have greased the wheels 
of the kingdom and kept everything going. Now that brings us to 
the theological explanation of Rehoboam's actions. Verse 15, 
So the king did not listen to the people, for the turn of events 
was from the Lord, that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord 
had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 
Now you see here the interplay between divine sovereignty and 
human responsibility. Or we might even say human stupidity. The Lord's sovereignty does not 
erase the actions and the responsibility of men, nor does the actions 
and the responsibility of men, including their stupidity and 
folly, does it alter divine sovereignty. So everything that is happening 
here, as foolish as it is, and Rehoboam is fully responsible 
for that, is under the direct control of our sovereign God. This is the theological explanation. So as we read up to this point, 
there is a temptation to moralize the passage. We could jump into 
1 Kings 12, 6-11 and preach a sermon on how you ought to listen to 
your elders. But that's not the point of the 
passage. Or we could preach a sermon on how peer pressure can really 
destroy you if you're not listening to your father and listening 
to his advisors. That's not the point of the passage. 
The point of the passage describes for us the folly of Rehoboam, 
but the ultimate point of the passage is to underscore that 
this is the fulfillment of prophecy. In other words, the word of the 
Lord God Most High is sure. what He has spoken in 1 Kings 
11, 31-39, by Ahijah the Shilonite, to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 
comes to fruition. God's Word comes to pass. That's the point here. The king 
does not listen to the people. The turn of events, however, 
was from the Lord. The events were the fulfillment 
of the Lord's word spoken through Ahijah to Jeroboam in chapter 
11. So there is a theological rationale. So whenever we see the folly 
of men, oftentimes in governmental positions, realize that that 
folly, realize that that idiocy, realize that that blatant stupidity 
is not autonomous. That the Lord is working even 
in the midst of the folly of men. That the Lord is accomplishing 
His purposes even through the folly of men. Now that shouldn't 
give us license to go out and be fools. I hope nobody goes 
home tonight and says, yippee, I get to be a fool because God's 
going to work out His sovereign rule through that. No, I'm not 
suggesting that. But what I am suggesting is that 
for the people of God, who affirm and confess a sovereign God, 
we ought not to fret or freak out when we see our public leaders 
doing foolish things. Now, I'm not saying be unconcerned, 
I'm not saying don't vote, I'm not saying don't pray, but I 
am saying don't come apart at the seams. You see, when Rehoboam 
engages in one foolish act after another, it's not as if God is 
somehow fretting on his throne. It's not as if God is caught 
unawares. It's not as if God is having 
to consult with somebody and say, well, what do we do now 
because Rehoboam's made a mess out of everything. No, what Rehoboam 
does, this turn of events, is from the Lord in order that the 
Lord's prophecy concerning the division of the kingdom will 
come to pass. In other words, divine sovereignty 
provides great comfort for the people of God. In fact, this 
passage, in two conspicuous places, is punctuated with that reality. Verses 15 and 24. God doesn't 
let us forget that whatever mess men may make 
of the kingdom, ultimately He is sovereign, and ultimately 
He is fulfilling His purposes, even through the madness and 
the folly of man. It's a good thing to consider 
that God's will will be done, and that men cannot stop it, 
men cannot thwart it, men cannot frustrate it, And so, therefore, 
the people of God must find comfort and solace and peace and rest, 
not in government, but in a sovereign God who overrules all things 
for His glory and for the good of those who love Him, to those 
who are the called according to His purpose. So that's the 
request of the northern tribes. Now, how do you think they receive 
that? You think they said, oh great, 
now we get a more oppressive regime. We can't wait for that 
tax burden to increase, and we can't wait for the conscripted 
labor. No, everything goes as one might expect. Rehoboam threatens. Rehoboam seeks to intimidate. 
Now Jeroboam, leading the northerners, is going to say, uh-uh. We are 
not going to submit to this. We are not going to be privy 
to this power play. Notice the revolt of the northern 
tribes, verses 16 to 20. The declaration, or the report 
rather, of this in verses 16 and 17. Now when all Israel saw 
that the king did not listen to them, the people answered 
the king saying, and it's a poetic assertion of independence here, 
isn't it? It's lyrical. What share have 
we in David? We have no inheritance in the 
son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel. Now 
see to your own house, O David. This lyric was composed initially 
by Sheba in his rebellion against the house of David back in 2 
Samuel chapter 20. 2 Samuel 20 verse 1, and there 
happened to be there a rebel whose name was Sheba, the son 
of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet and said, 
We have no share in David, nor do we have inheritance in the 
son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel. seems to be the adopted song 
of any would-be rebel against the southern kingdom. And that 
is precisely how they adopt it here. And it's really unfortunate, 
and it's really sad, and it's really grievous. Because notice, 
in this assertion, what share have we in David? We have no 
inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel. Now 
see to your own house, O David. They have rejected the security 
of the kingdom provided by David. I mean, David did a lion's share 
of work to get them to this particular point. David did an immense amount 
of battle against a whole host of enemies in order to provide 
a stable environment for Israel. It is to disregard the work of 
Solomon. Solomon wasn't Rehoboam. Solomon had the ability to unify 
the kingdom, to govern the kingdom, to do it in a way that the kingdom 
itself expanded and increased and grew. When I mentioned back 
in chapter 12 at verse 3, this is what they said, but it's not 
necessarily gospel truth. As John Gill points out, They 
had no right to complain. Under Solomon's reign, silver 
was not anything special. Silver was just a common metal 
that became like a copper penny today. It wasn't anything that 
important. So they had benefited greatly 
from David, they had benefited greatly from Solomon, and now 
they are repudiating all of that. not suggesting that they should 
have just took everything that Rehoboam had to say, but it really 
is a sad state of affairs when a fool like Rehoboam can divide 
a kingdom that was so difficult to work for and secure by both 
David and Solomon. I think that, if anything, we 
ought to learn from 1 Kings 12, we don't pick men for government 
that are out of their league. I mean, you get that sense with 
a certain prime minister in a certain country. He's out of his league. He's out of his depth. He just 
doesn't have the ability and the wherewithal to do what is 
asked of him in this particular situation. If that's offensive, 
I'm sorry. I'm a citizen of this country, 
and I have a freedom to say what I need to say. It just feels 
like he doesn't have the savvy and the wherewithal to properly 
govern. Remember, way back in 1 Samuel 
16, God does not look upon men the way that men do. God isn't 
looking for the tallest among them, or the best hair among 
them, or the most handsome smile among them. God's looking for 
a man after his own heart. And you see, political savvy 
is a gift from God. If building the tabernacle or 
building the temple is a gift given by God, then certainly 
the government over nations is a gift given by God. Rehoboam 
did not possess this gift at all. And it's an unfortunate 
reality that he listens to these younger men and he goes with 
this, you know, brash and brazen machismo attitude and says, this 
is the way things are going to be now. And so the northerners 
say, forget it. We don't want any part of it 
whatsoever. Now, Rehoboam, or the whole situation 
is aggravated, it's exacerbated in verse 18. Then King Rehoboam 
sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue. Now, this is 
an interesting translation that the New King James has, and the 
King James has. He was in charge of the revenue. 
Most every other version says he was in charge of the forced 
labor. Most other versions relate this 
Adoram to the Adoniram that is mentioned in chapter 4 at verse 
6. Not uncommon for a name to be 
indicated a different way. Adoram, Adoniram, you feel the 
sense, you see the similarity. Well, in 4.6, Adoniram is the 
head of the labor force. So I don't think it's a stretch 
to see this as that Adariah who was in charge of the labor force. In the Hebrew here, revenue is 
forced labor. Again, I didn't have the time 
to sort of trace down or track down or look and see where the 
variants were, but why the King James tradition translates it 
revenue instead of forced labor, I'm sure the answer's out there, 
I just don't have it. But either way, If the two problems 
were taxation and forced labor, whichever reading we adopt with 
reference to this Adora, he was either in charge of taxation 
or forced labor. Do you see how unwise it was 
for Rehoboam to send him? I mean, they have just said, 
we don't want anything to do with you in the South because 
we don't like this tax burden and we don't like this conscripted 
labor. So Rehoboam, in all of his wisdom, 
sends the chief tax collector or the head of the conscripted 
labor force. This can't go well. This can't 
end well at this particular juncture. Adoniram is walking into a trap. He is walking into a hotbed of 
political revolution, and he is going to be the scapegoat 
and the target. So when verse 18 tells us that 
King Rehoboam sent Adoram, now some suggest that he sent him 
in order to try and broker a deal, in order to try and make peace. 
I think it's more likely that He sent him to show that what 
He had said in verses 13 and 14, He meant business. In other words, in verses 13 
and 14, he says, you want a lighter yoke? I'm going to give you a 
heavier yoke. You want to have easy street, 
or you want to have no problems? I am going to make it far more 
difficult. I think that's the sense in which 
he sends Adoniram there, is to show them who's boss. Now, Proven 
makes a very interesting observation that in some sense, Jeroboam 
functions as a Moses type of a person. Not type in terms of 
type and typological and anti-type and all that. But Jeroboam lives 
in Egypt and he comes to bring the north Israel out of bondage. And the bondage is unfortunately 
inflicted by their own king. So Jeroboam from Egypt comes 
into Israel to ask, let my people go. And Rehoboam is functioning 
as the pharaoh who wants to increase the burden and make things harder 
and more difficult for the nation of Israel. But he also shows 
that Jeroboam not only functions as a Moses-like figure, but also 
like an Aaron-like figure. Because the last part of chapter 
12 is when Jeroboam institutionalizes idolatry. And there he functions 
as sort of like an Aaron, remember? Aaron said, you know the people 
gave me this gold, I threw it in and out popped this calf! 
Oh, really? Calfs just pop out? No, you shaped 
it and formed it and said, this is Yahweh, your God. So you see, 
there is some, I think, some interesting parallels going on 
there, and I'm thankful that I read that in Proven, but I 
think back to Adoniram, that's the point. Rehoboam sends him 
as a show of force. Rehoboam sends him as a show 
of muscle. You got a problem with taxes? 
Meet Adoniram. You got a problem with your conscripted 
labor? Meet Adoniram. Again, whichever reading we adopt, 
whatever he was in charge of, the endgame is the same. He was 
the wrong guy to send. He was the absolute wrong guy. I feel sorry for Adoniram at 
this point. But all Israel stoned him with 
stones, and he died." Again, we can't justify it. We can't 
say, well, you know, he had it coming to him. But you're kind 
of watching Rehoboam walk this poor man into his death. I mean, he goes and he threatens 
the north, and then he sends a henchman to the north? You 
think the north is going to say, oh, well, Adoniram's here. Let's 
just give more money. Let's just work hard. No. They 
stone him and he dies. So then King Rehoboam realizes 
now, I don't think he had realized the depth of the problems, but 
now he does. And Gill notes, this is the first 
time in scripture that we see a king of Israel riding a chariot. I think it was Gill. Therefore, 
King Rehoboam mounted his chariot and aced a fleet of Jerusalem. 
That makes good sense, doesn't it? I mean, look how they treated 
Adoniram. We don't have the sort of thing 
that we thought we had. He thought a little intimidation, 
he thought a little threat would cause these people to knuckle 
under, suck it up, and get back to work. But that's not what 
happened. And Rehoboam now senses, feels, 
knows in the very fiber of his being that that didn't happen. 
So he mounts his chariot in haste, he flees to Jerusalem. So Israel 
has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. And then there is a description 
of this situation in verse 20. It came to pass when all Israel 
heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called 
him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. You 
see, Jeroboam received the northern tribes in accordance with that 
prophecy given by Ahijah the Shilonite to him. It was the 
word of the Lord. But remember that that prophecy 
given by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam stipulated what? that Jeroboam tow the line. In other words, I'm giving you 
the northern tribes, but you need to follow in the footsteps 
of David. You need to be an obedient king. 
That's what it says in chapter 11, verses 37 and 38. So I will 
take you and you shall reign reign over all your heart desires, 
you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed 
all that I command you, walk in My ways, 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 that's 
great. Everything is going according 
to plan, as prophesied by Ahijah the Shilonite, until we get to 
verse 25. We'll pick that up next week. 
But what's Jeroboam's first order of business? Let's institutionalize 
idolatry. Let's build golden calves, put 
them in Dan and put them in Bethel. Let's put them there and let's 
invite the people to bow before these calves. So we have to conclude 
that things aren't going to go well in the North either. I mean, 
he was told to follow David. Why was David a good king? Not 
because he was perfect, not because he was sinless, but because he 
was wholly devoted to Yahweh. So we don't even get out of the 
chapter, and Jeroboam, with the newfound power that he has, begins 
a course of institutional idolatry. Now note, finally, the requirement 
for the southern tribes. In light of all that has occurred, 
verses 21 to 24, what's Rehoboam do? comes to Jerusalem, he assembles 
all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, so those are 
the two tribes in the southern kingdom. You've got Judah, you've 
got Benjamin. He has 180,000 chosen men who 
are warriors to fight against the house of Israel that he might 
restore the kingdom to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. So he wants 
to gather these military forces in order to suppress northern 
rebellion. Again, sounds a lot like what 
happened in the in the US, only it kind of was the other way 
around. The northerners wanted to suppress the southern rebellion. 
But that's what's happening. Rehoboam's response to this is 
warfare. Let's gather forces, launch a 
military incursion into the northern tribes and show them who's boss. Now note the word of the prophet 
in verses 22 to 24. But, this is just beautiful in 
the book of 1st and 2nd Kings. This is the kind of stuff you 
get. All this mayhem, all this trouble, all these things falling 
down around everybody. But, the Word of God came to 
Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, God's involved every step of 
the way. He's not going to let these people 
just, you know, utterly destroy themselves. And I love to think 
about that in our own lives. He's not going to let us utterly 
destroy ourselves, because we would if we could, but the Word 
of God comes to us through the Word of God. Notice, it came 
through this man, Shemaiah, the man of God, as we saw with Ahijah. No long description, there was 
a man by the name of Shemaiah, he had a wife, he had three kids, 
they had a cat, they had a summer home. They don't tell us about 
the prophets, because the prophets aren't important. It's the message 
of the prophets, which is the Word of God, that's what's important. You don't get these elaborate 
descriptions of who these prophets were. You were simply told that 
they were in order to be the vehicle to bring the Word of 
God to bear upon a particular situation. So what is Shemaiah's 
word to Rehoboam? God says in verse 23, "...Speak 
to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house 
of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 
Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up, nor fight against 
your brethren, the children of Israel. Let every man return 
to his house, for this thing is from me." So God prohibits 
civil war. God forbids civil war. Now, the theological explanation 
is there underscored, for this thing is from me. The Northern 
Rebellion, this whole turn of events, all of this stuff, the 
division, it happened as a result, covenantally, 2 Samuel 7, practically 
Solomon's idolatry in 1 Kings 11. Right? You with me? You're looking 
confused. Like 2 Samuel 7 is where I will 
chastise with the blows of men. That's what I mean by that. Practically, 
we see Solomon's sin in 1 Kings 11. But notice, with reference 
to this theology, John Gill says, it was according to the will 
of God, as Josephus rightly says, it was by his ordination and 
appointment. though Jeroboam and the people 
sinned in the way and manner in which they brought it about. 
And therefore, to fight against Israel in order to regain the 
kingdom would be fighting against God, and so to no purpose." So 
you see, the Lord says, do not do this because it's from me. 
If you do this, then you are going against me, so don't do 
that. Now, for the first time in his 
short But very illustrious career. Rehoboam actually does what he's 
supposed to. We can end this night with sort 
of a two hands up for Rehoboam. Therefore they obeyed the word 
of the Lord and turned back according to the word of the Lord. That's 
actually surprising in 1st and 2nd Kings. The typical response 
to the word of the Lord is that they disobeyed it. They rejected 
it. They didn't do what God said. 
So enjoy verse 24. for a short time, because that 
ain't going to be the rest of first and second kings. That's 
not the majority report on the part of the people. In fact, 
let me read it again. Therefore, they obeyed the word of the Lord 
and turned back according to the word of the Lord. That's 
a beautiful thing, but it doesn't last. Chapter 14, verse 30. Chapter 
15, verse 6 and 16. Both the North and the South 
are at war with one another. Well, what do we learn in conclusion? First, I hope we see the faithfulness 
of God's Word. You know, I think it's easy to 
see the faithfulness or the veracity or the truthfulness or the consistency 
of God's Word in times of blessing. You know, we look at good things 
and we say, wow, God's favor is upon us. But we need to appreciate 
it in cursing as well. You know, whenever one of those 
curses in Deuteronomy 28 comes to pass, that's proof of God's 
faithfulness. In other words, the Word would 
be broken and it would be untrue if the curses of the covenant 
didn't come to pass. So we rejoice in God's faithful 
Word, one way or the other. Secondly, the restraining influence 
of God's Word. That's the lesson in verses 21 
to 24, isn't it? Rehoboam goes back, gathers the 
troops, wants to head to the north and bust some heads. God 
restrains through the prophet Shemaiah. God keeps Rehoboam 
from doing something even more foolish. And we ought to praise 
God for the restraining influence of His Word. I used to tell my 
kids when they got caught in sin, I would tell them, praise 
God you got caught. Because if you didn't get caught, 
you would get further hardened in it, you would get better at 
it, and you would become more deceptive and more evil. I would 
count every time you get caught as a mercy from God speaking 
to you that you need to knock it off and repent and get things 
in order. But we see that restraining influence 
of God's Word. And Davis makes this very perceptive 
observation. So Rehoboam, when confronted 
with northern rebellion, wants to fix it, right? I mean, that's 
a natural response. Isn't that how we react? Something 
doesn't go according to plan in our kingdom, and we want to 
fix it. Dispatch troops. God says stand down. Well, Davis 
makes this observation, for some reason we think there must be 
some way to fix everything, a band-aid for every dilemma. But most sinful 
and thoughtful believers know that sometimes their choices, 
their folly, their bull-headedness or their hard-heartedness have 
landed them in a network of circumstances they simply cannot undo. Their 
lives are riddled with gaping cracks that can't be cocked or 
with irreversible consequences that can't be righted. What can 
one do but listen to the word of Yahweh at that point and go 
on living in the kingdom as grace enables to do so? Is that mere 
weakness or is it finally wisdom? I think that's a great observation. 
Rehoboam finally does what's right. He finally engages in 
a bit of wisdom and just submits to God. I think that's important 
for us to appreciate. We can't fix everything. Sin 
messes everything. And it's not always the case 
that we can tie everything off and make it into a neat little 
package. We just need to submit. to God's 
government over us, be content and seek to thrive as grace enables 
us to do. Thirdly, we ought to appreciate 
the sovereignty of God and the foolishness of men. I don't mean 
we ought to appreciate the foolishness of men. The relationship betwixt 
the two. The relationship between divine 
sovereignty and human responsibility. The former, divine sovereignty, 
does not destroy the latter, human responsibility. And the 
latter, human responsibility, cannot alter the former. God 
has caused it to work in harmony. Now, He is sovereign. His decree 
stands. It's the foundation and the cause 
of second causes. But these second causes, men 
act responsibly. Men act according to their own 
choice, really. I mean, nobody forced Rehoboam 
to be an idiot in this passage. He willingly and happily embraced 
that particular course of thought. So Davis again makes this observation, 
and I think it affords comfort. Verse 15, that theological explanation, 
testifies that human hubris never catches God by surprise. He uses 
it. Big men, especially royal arrogant 
ones, are simply little servants of God's Word. Contrary to our 
fears, human stupidity is not running loose, but is on the 
leash of God's sovereignty." That's encouraging. As foolish 
as men may be, it doesn't throw God off the throne. And then 
finally, just a real practical in terms of sort of where we're 
going, the division of the kingdom really wrecked things for Israel. I think we can all appreciate 
that. But the separate entities never experienced the prestige 
achieved by David and Solomon. I mean, Solomon's reign in chapters 
3 to 10 was glorious, wasn't it? Just amazing. They'll never 
get that back. Secondly, the two kingdoms are 
more vulnerable to foreign attack. They've got problems with Egypt. Trade with Tyre is going to be 
greatly diminished. Syria becomes impossible to control 
and becomes a constant threat, or at least a regular threat 
in the north. Judah couldn't hold Annan or 
Philistia, and only Moab continued to pay tribute money. Paul House 
concludes, each part of the divided kingdom had to face the future 
with less income from trade, with more external threats from 
small and large countries, and with turmoil between each other. 
A difficult future lay ahead for them. I mean, we don't feel 
the full weight of it at this point. It's just reporting the 
division. You're going to see as we move through 1st and 2nd 
Kings, it's just not a good situation. And then finally, the institutionalized 
idolatry of Jeroboam certainly introduced a new difficulty into 
Israel's religious life. Keeping covenant becomes very 
difficult when the crown is institutionalizing revolt against God. So all of 
that as divine chastisement for human sin, but realizing that 
the promise that was embedded, that was unconditional in 2 Samuel 
7, will indeed be realized in the person and in the work of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word, and we see, God, the folly of sin, 
and we see its consequences and repercussions in the the kingdom 
of Israel, and we see as well that you are sovereign over even 
these things and that you overrule all things for your glory and 
for the good of your people. God, at times we confess it's 
difficult to see how this can be. It's difficult to make heads 
or tails, especially in our own lives, but give us faith, God, 
to believe the promise of Romans 8.28. Give us faith to believe 
all the Scripture concerning your divine sovereignty and give 
us that peace and that comfort and that rest that comes with 
such a such a great doctrine. As well, our Father, thank you 
for the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that Solomon was a type, 
but he was only typical of one much greater, and we thank you 
for his reign and his rule and for his most blessed and gracious 
kingdom. We ask that you would go with 
us now and watch over us in the remainder of this week. Be with 
all of our brothers and our sisters, and we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.