After the passing of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne of Israel, inheriting the immense responsibility and authority bestowed upon him. To coronate their new monarch, all of Israel assembled at Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, the place where they had renewed their covenant with God after entering the promised land. Unbeknownst to the king-elect, the people of Israel wanted to renegotiate the terms of another covenant, the one they had formed with his grandfather David.
They were fed up with the constant construction projects that Solomon had undertaken during his reign, making slaves of his own people in the process. The Israelites thought that they had left the life of forced labour back in Egypt. However, even under the rule of the most prosperous king of the land, they found their conditions to be worse than when they lived as slaves under the Egyptians. To make their case even stronger, they summoned the exiled Jeroboam, who had taken up refuge in Egypt when Solomon had tried to kill him. Together they approached Rehoboam expressing their desire for a change in their fortunes.
“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
1 Kings 12:4-5 (NIV)
Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.
A Change in Terms
From the outcry of the people, it is evident that the people of Israel were discontented during the reign of Solomon. Although his kingdom enjoyed a period of peace, Solomon chose to utilize this time primarily to construct numerous elaborate structures, which inevitably required an extensive workforce. Unfortunately, the implementation of these grand construction projects led to the imposition of harsh labour upon the people.
Furthermore, Solomon’s propensity for hosting foreign dignitaries demanded constant upgrades to the kingdom’s facilities. Consequently, in the final two decades of his reign, the demand for labourers escalated significantly, forcing his own people to undertake arduous construction projects. Regrettably, the plight of the Israelites remained largely unchanged even under the rule of the most prosperous king, serving as a recurrent reminder of their past enslavement in Egypt.
Rehoboam consulted the elders in his court, probably the ministers who served his father. All of them unanimously advised Rehoboam to agree to the demands of the tribes of Israel and lighten the heavy load that Solomon his father had imposed on the people of Israel while undertaking heavy projects like the building of the terraces and walls of Jerusalem not to mention the temple and his palace. However, Rehoboam ignored their advice and rather listened to his contemporaries the men who had grown up with him and did not share the credentials or the life experiences of the group of elders that he had consulted earlier.
The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”
1 Kings 12:13-14 (NIV)
Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and accepted the advice of his contemporaries because he believed that by burdening the people with more taxes and work, he would gain more power and resources. He didn’t see any benefit in giving the people the relaxation they were requesting. Unlike his father David, Solomon’s reign was focused more on building temples and palaces rather than having a strong army of warriors. The people had forgotten what it was to be drafted into the army at a moment’s notice. Rehoboam wanted to project a strong and harsh image to establish his dominion over the people. It is also obvious that he favoured the opinions of his contemporaries over the elders, possibly due to his personal bond with them and his resentment towards the conservative approach suggested by the elders that would have made him look weak.
When facing dilemmas, people often seek the opinions of different individuals. If the matter is embarrassing, they may turn to their peers for advice. However, for career choices or life guidance, they often seek the wisdom of the older generations. If individuals only seek the opinions of their own generation, they risk confirming their own thoughts and opinions without considering alternative perspectives. Confirmation bias can lead them to search for data that supports their existing beliefs.
In the story of Rehoboam, if the elders had provided him with the advice he needed, he might have made a different decision. Above everyone else’s opinion, we must see the counselling of our Father in Heaven. Nowadays, parents have a two-way dialogue with their kids when they are making life decisions that may impact them as well. Every life decision that we make, whether big or small, impacts our relationship with God. So why don’t we consult or even inform him when we make crucial decisions in our lives.
When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” So the Israelites went home.
1 Kings 12:16 (NIV)
The Northern Tribes Secede
King Rehoboam still had control over the Israelites living in the towns of Judah. So he sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labour, but the Israelites stoned him to death, and Rehoboam had to escape to Jerusalem for his own safety. The ten tribes of the northern kingdom successfully seceded and formed their own country with Jeroboam as their king. This division remained until the time Israel was captured and exiled to Babylon. The northern tribes called themselves Israel, while the southern kingdom belonged to the house of David and took the name of his tribe, Judah. However, Rehoboam did not sit quietly and accept defeat. He mustered up able-bodied men from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to war against Israel in a last-ditch attempt to regain the northern territory.
But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the LORD and went home again, as the LORD had ordered.
1 Kings 12:22-24 (NIV)
The king and the prophet took the advice of the man of God and returned to their homes. More than their king, the people did not want to go up against their own countrymen in battle, having not experienced any war during their lifetime. Rehoboam knew that he had already lost the support of the northern tribes and did not want to lose the confidence of the few people who still hailed him as their ruler. So, people adhered to the warning that came from the LORD this time, as they were already down on numbers and not ready to go to war with their own people.
Jeroboam Builds Holy Places in Israel
Jeroboam fortified Shechem and rebuilt the town of Peniel as well, the place where Jacob had met the Angel of the LORD. While he had the support of the northern tribes that brought him to power, he feared that if the people continued to travel to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices, he would lose their allegiance. His rival, Rehoboam, had control of the temple that his father had built and on which every Israelite would offer their prayers during their festivals. So he built his own holy places and created his own festivals.
He made two golden calves and asked the Israelites to treat these idols as their gods. He strategically placed these idols in the northern and southern parts of his territory so that no Israelite needed to cross the border into Judah to fulfil their need to worship any god. He even built shrines on top of high places and appointed priests from all tribes, not adhering to the Levitical order. He created his own festivals co-occurring with the festival of Tabernacles that would have been celebrated in Judah.
The Israelites maintained a tradition of passing down stories about their ancestors in the desert to their children. They also celebrated various festivals to remember pivotal moments during their journey through the wilderness. However, over time, it seems that the stories may have been altered or misconstrued, leading some people to worship through proxies rather than solely worshipping God. Unfortunately, Jeroboam, in an attempt to provide the people with a sense of the Lord’s presence, ended up betraying God by establishing golden calves for worship, following in the footsteps of Aaron.
When people have a superficial relationship, they are dependent on their leaders and traditions to help them do something as simple as worship their creator. This is a problem even today when our traditions are convoluted with various pagan rituals, and our leaders may not always have the best interest of the congregants at heart. A day of remembering the greatest gift of God has turned into anything but what this day of remembrance was meant to be.
We all need to have our own channels of communication with God which He has opened for us through His Spirit. Whether it be how we should worship Him or ask for advice on the crucial decisions in our lives, let us go to Him alone. Otherwise, we will keep repeating the mistakes of the people of Israel and set up our own traditions and customs that in actuality drive us far away from God.
Discussion Questions
- Were the people of Israel not happy under the reign of Solomon?
- Why did Rehoboam not take the advice of the elders of his court?
- What made Rehoboam obey the word of the LORD something that his father had ignored when he tried to kill Jeroboam?
- Have the Israelites forgotten what happened the last time they started worshipping the golden calf?
The Jordan Valley 
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