Magicians make their living by seemingly altering our perception of reality. Many of these tricks are accomplished through what is known as sleight of hand. The guiding principle of sleight-of-hand, articulated by legendary close-up magician Dai Vernon, is "be natural." A well-performed sleight looks like an ordinary, natural and completely innocent gesture, change in hand-position or body posture. It is commonly suggested that sleight of hand works because "the hand is quicker than the eye" but this is usually not the case. In addition to manual dexterity, sleight of hand depends on the use of psychology, timing, misdirection, and natural choreography in accomplishing a magical effect. Misdirection is perhaps the most important component of the art of sleight of hand. The magician choreographs his actions so that all spectators are likely to look where he or she wants them to. More importantly, they do not look where the performer does not wish them to look. On the surface one would believe that Rehoboam would be a good and Godly leader for the nation of Israel. He was the grandson of King David and son of Solomon the two greatest kings to ever sit on the throne in Jerusalem. However, Rehoboam is going to follow in his father’s footsteps in way that Solomon would never have desired. In fact his reign will be marked by a dividing kingdom and an intense struggle to maintain his throne. Today, as we look closely at the life of Rehoboam we will be reminded that things are not always the way they seem to be. Hopefully, we will discover some valuable principles to enable us to be able to live an authentic life before God.
I. Rehoboam had a lot against him before he ever assumed the throne.
A. He witnessed his father’s disobedience toward God.
1. When Solomon assumed the throne of Israel, he loved the Lord with all his heart and he desired to rule the people the way God desired him to.
2. As the curtain goes up in chapter 11, we are told that Solomon loved many foreign women.
a. Women from nations that the Lord forbid his people to intermarry with.
b. This love for his many wives begins to lessen his love for the Lord.
c. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah who was a distinguished Ammonite woman.
3. Solomon felt that these alliances formed through these foreign marriages were in the best interest of the nation of Israel but unfortunately the opposite was true.
4. Solomon’s decisions would soon begin to be made according to political correctness rather than obedience to God’s Law.
a. He accommodated the foreign gods that his wives worshipped.
b. Compromise slowly turned Solomon’s heart from God.
5. Rehoboam witnessed how over time Solomon’s commitment to God is slowly eroded by compromise.
B. He witnessed how his father never lived what he taught.
1. In the Song of Solomon, Solomon lifts up the sanctity of marriage but his 700 wives and 300 concubines sent an entirely different message.
2. Undoubtedly Rehoboam was taught by his father’s proverbs that stressed integrity, wisdom and discipline but he witnessed his father living a self-indulgent life style.
3. Rehoboam witnessed his father living the life of a self-indulgent fool as recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes.
4. Rehoboam had a lot against him as he would grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps.
a. His mother worshiped pagan gods rather than the one true God.
b. Solomon confessed one God but accommodated the worship of many gods.
c. Solomon never practiced what he taught.
5. Solomon’s disregard for God’s law will lead to Rehoboam being set up for failure.
II. There are four clues that show us the Rehoboam’s life was not the way it seemed to be.
A. The way he initially dealt with the people of Israel.
1. The northern part of the kingdom was extremely dissatisfied with Solomon’s policies and Rehoboam has the opportunity to win the hearts of the people.
2. On the outside Rehoboam seems to have great concern for the people as he listens to their grievances.
3. There is no hint that the northern tribes are planning to reject Rehoboam, they simply want to seek a resolution for the things they are unhappy about.
4. Rehoboam requests three days to think things over and to respond to the people’s grievances but soon it will become apparent that Rehoboam only cares about Rehoboam.
a. He asks his father’s wise and seasoned advisors but doesn’t like the advice he receives.
b. He asks those that he grew up with and they tell him exactly what he wants to hear although it is totally wrong.
5. Rehoboam comes down hard on the people and God allows the northern tribes to be ripped away from him.
B. His desire to maintain his throne at any cost.
1. Rehoboam reacts to the revolt like any other ruler would; end it with military force.
2. Through Shemaiah God tells Rehoboam not to go fight against Israel because what has happened is from Him.
3. Rehoboam seems to be completely obedient to God as Israel is split into two separate kingdoms.
4. There seems to be some lack of obedience on Rehoboam’s part under the surface as he works to fortify cities and increase his army as if he was preparing for war.
C. The subtle religious changes in Jerusalem.
1. Out of all the cities in Israel the Lord chose Jerusalem to be the place where he put His name. This is obvious by the presence of the temple.
2. Remember that Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite who worshiped several pagan gods.
3. Like his father, Rehoboam accommodates his mother’s pagan religion by building shrines and fertility altars.
4. Soon Rehoboam’s subtle changes will turn the people’s hearts away from the Lord and start Judah on a downward spiral.
5. In fact we are told that under Rehoboam’s reign the people did more to arouse God’s anger than they ever had before.
D. The handling of the theft of Solomon’s gold shields.
1. God uses Shishak the king of Egypt to discipline Rehoboam and the people of Judah.
2. The Egyptian army marches into Jerusalem and loots the palace and the Lord’s temple carrying off everything of value.
3. To get Shishak off his back Rehoboam gives him the pure gold shields that the kings body guards would carry as he went up to the temple and for other ceremonies.
4. Rehoboam seems to try to cover up giving the shields away by making bronze replacements and having them stored in the guard house away from close public inspection.
5. Rehoboam was definitely much different behind the scenes then he was in public. However, he had a great teacher, his father Solomon.
III. Principles we can take away from Rehoboam’s story.
A. We should never have a public life and a private life.
1. When we think of people like Rehoboam, one word comes to mind, that word is hypocrite.
2. The word hypocrite comes from the ancient Greek word hupokrites which describes an actor in Greek theater that would wear a different mask for each role he would be playing.
3. If we are bluntly honest, there is a little hypocrite in all of us; we hide behind a mask to keep certain things about ourselves hidden.
4. Often we become quite skilled at playing the right role at church and living entirely different in private.
B. God always looks behind our masks and into our hearts.
1. We may be able to hide behind our mask and fool the audience with a little sleight of hand. However, we are badly mistaken if we think we are fooling God.
2. God has the ability to see through our different masks and see exactly what is in our hearts.
3. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were skilled in playing roles and Jesus gave them some of His harshest words.
4. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28—NIV 2011)
5. It takes so much more energy to live a dual life then it does to live an authentic life before the Lord and others.
Closing:
A young lawyer was setting himself up in his first private practice. As he sat in his office, which was basically bare except for his desk with a telephone on it and a book case filled with important-looking legal books, he wondered how long it would be before he got his first client.
Then, as luck would have it, he saw a man across the road cross the street and stride towards his front door. Feeling nervous and wanting to make a good impression on the working class man, he quickly picked up the phone receiver and began talking to an imaginary client on the phone. The man, now standing in the office in front of his desk, waited several minutes while he concluded his conversation with this very important client.
Finally after ending the conversation, he looked up at the man, now directly in front of his desk and with an air of superiority said to the man "Can I help you?"
The man looked at the young lawyer and without missing a beat said "I’m from the phone company. I’m here to connect your phone."
