1st Kings 12:1-24 DIVISION!! Trouble does not always come upon us unawares. For many years there had been an "us and them" attitude among the Israelites. Ephraim seemed to be the most influential tribe of the northern part of the nation and Judah the most influential in the south. Rehoboam must have sensed the potential problem so he went north to Shechem for his coronation and to set up the center of his government perhaps to seek to unify the people. It could have been that he was seeking to claim historical significance because that was where the Lord met Abraham and promised him the land as far as he could see all around him.
By its very nature division has a root cause that has been overlooked and left unresolved until it grows into a serious problem. Jealousy of some kind is usually its source. Pride demands supremacy and humility often lets it happen. Grace left unbalanced by truth leads God's people to leave sin unjudged if we are not careful. Truth without grace to balance it becomes hard and calloused to the extent that people can become resentful and ignore the righteous demands of our Lord.
David began his reign in Israel over the northern tribes. The representatives of those tribes came to meet Rehoboam at Shechem to seek some deliverance from the pressures they were under when Solomon was king. Jeroboam recently returned from Egypt was their spokesman. The discontent of the people over high taxes, the drafting of laborers and military forces that Solomon had imposed to support his opulent lifestyle, left a deep bitterness in the people. As Solomon's pride and extravagance increased, and the political pressures led him to take multiple idolatrous wives, the burdens on the Israelites increased, until when Rehoboam became king, they had had enough.
Not everything that has been passed on to us is good, nor are we obligated to do what older people tell us if it is not biblically based. We want this generation and the ones following to "set their hope in God," not in being successful in the eyes of the world. The expectations people may have of us is not the basis of our motivation to "live godly in Christ Jesus." What we do in life is to be for the glory of God and the blessing of others. Responsibilities and opportunities may be passed on to us by others and it is up to us to use them in ways that are directed by the Lord. Divisions can come quickly when a new generation arises to take leadership among God's people.
Authority in the assemblies of the people of the Lord and in the kingdom of God in general, is given for service, not for self-promotion and personal advantage. Solomon had finished his life with full and plenty, with fame and popularity in the world, but with confusion and chaos in Israel and his own home. Rehoboam was left with a very discontented nation of people to lead who were disillusioned with the royal family. He asked for advice it is true, but he did not carefully evaluate the advice given. He must have given government positions to his friends and those of his own age as soon as he took the throne. Older men were there to advise him but for some reason he took the advice of the younger men and rejected the counsel of the aged.
When advice is asked for and given, determine if it is realistic and consistent with scriptural principles. If the advice is fair, positive, workable and will be an improvement and the direction is clear, then follow the advice. If you are uneasy about the advice given because it seems too hard or too slack, go no further but wait on God to open the way before you unmistakably.
Rehoboam's answer to the people of a harsher and more aggressive rule was contrary to the principles of the covenant of the nation with God that are written in Deuteronomy 17. The people had been warned by Samuel what would happen when they had a king - and it happened. The rebellion of the northern tribes was not condoned nor was the foolishness of Rehoboam. Some things are a natural response to the actions of those who act outside of the will of God. God allows events of our own choosing to bring about the effect that can be expected when we act in the flesh. Division among God's people is one of those awful effects.
One wrong act leads to another and the result of self-will is not only divisive, but in the case of Rehoboam's decision, it led to the murder of his tax man and the flight of Rehoboam himself to the city of David, Jerusalem. Some decisions we make come back to bite us severely and it is very hard to admit to making a mistake and take steps to put the problem right.
Rehoboam didn't learn from his mistake and was about to make a more serious one involving an invasion into northern Israel. However, God spoke through His servant and the bloodshed was avoided temporarily. Until the cause of division is faced and fixed, instability among the people of God will remain.
IN HIS HEART What are you doing?! Don't you understand - True worship is in God's ways - not the will of man? To say you worship in your own way is an arrogant decision. Worshipping in God's way is the divine condition.
To act independently is to usurp the role of God. Worship and service are to be according to His Word. Compromise and presumption lead to error in the end. Error brings consequences that both God and men will send.
Learn from those in the ancient past who made this grave mistake. They lost all God intended for them when their own way they did take. Confusion and rebellion tracked those leaders all their days, And instead of a unified nation, they went their separate ways.
There is no spiritual reason for convenience to be the reason, We decide to try to do God's will in our own "convenient season." Possibly we think our actions affect ourselves only alone - But generations yet to come will be affected by what we've done.