A KINGDOM TORN IN TWO
CHAPTER 14, “THE STORY”
1 KINGS 12:1-19
INTRODUCTION AND UPPER STORY
Where to go to college
To stay with your spouse or get a divorce
What industry or job you should have
To adopt a child or not
To marry or not to marry… who to marry
To change jobs or stay with the company you work for
Where and how much to invest for retirement
To hire one employee or another
What to do with your aging parent
Deciding to have surgery or let it go
What company to go with for a contract
What activities your family is involved in
How many children to have
Where you should buy a house or maybe just rent
What school your children should attend
Who to enter a dating relationship with
Whether or not to take out the loan
Remain friends with the bad influence or let them go
Forgive the offender or break off the relationship
To pursue legal action or let it go
Roles you will take as your kids leave the home
To seek counseling or work it out on your own
To pursue a dream or be more practical
To blow the whistle at work or stay quiet
These are all decisions that perhaps you have had to make.
These are all decisions you are faced with right now.
These are all decisions that may come to you in the future.
What are you going to do?
Today the “Upper Story” and “Lower Story” continue in the life of King Rehoboam the son of Solomon. I want you to know and believe that God is not distant from us, but is actively involved in our lives. The Almighty God does not sit back distantly and watch while His people choose to obey or disobey Him.
When His people sin, God responds.
When His people repent, God responds.
When His people have decisions to make, God stands ready to direct.
THE LOWER STORY
I believe the “Lower Story” of chapter 14 is centered on 1 Kings 12:1-19 which describes Rehoboam taking the throne after his father Solomon. His life gives us pause. His actions give us pause. His attitudes give us pause. For King Rehoboam, his life and actions and attitudes are all reflected in a key decision he made at the beginning of his reign which informs us about how we should make decisions in our lives. The “Lower Story” of chapter 14 is all about decision making.
We all face decisions on the scale that Rehoboam faced. As we talk about Rehoboam’s life, I want you to be thinking about your own life… that is the point of the “Lower Story”… we see how our lives intersect with the lives of the people in Scripture. So I want you to…
… think about past life decisions that you have made.
… think about current life decisions that you need to make.
… think and imagine about future life decisions that may come your way.
Decisions come to us all. Our past decisions affect our present lives while our present decisions impact our future. If you are like me, the decisions that we make affect not only our lives, but many people around us. I would like us to pause today as we look at the life of King Rehoboam and reflect on the decision that faced him, the decision process, and the result of his decision that affected an entire nation.
I. DECISION FACING REHOBOAM (VERSES 1-4)
READ 1 KINGS 12:1-4
“Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 "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."
King Rehoboam is just starting out his reign when he, like his father, has a decision to make. For King Solomon, his decision was about answering God. 1 Kings 3:5 says about Solomon, “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Solomon could have chosen any number of things, but chose wisdom to rule the people of Israel. God loved his answer and his choice. King Rehoboam is facing a decision as well, but not in the same way as his father. The whole assembly of Israel comes to Rehoboam and asks him what kind of ruler he would be… they ask him to lighten all of the public works and labors that Solomon had tasked them with. They ask him to be a kinder and gentler king.
To be honest, the people of God were experiencing what God had already promised them would happen. Way back in 1 Samuel 8, the prophet Samuel warned the people that a king would make them work unjustly. 1 Samuel 8:11-17 says, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.” This all happened under Saul and David and Solomon and now the assembly of leaders is asking that such tasks be lightened under King Rehoboam.
King Rehoboam has a decision to make.
Will King Rehoboam continue to be a king like his father and work the people at his will with all of the public building projects or will he lighten to load an listen to their request?
What will he do? How will he reign? How will he treat the people?
Now you see the decision that King Rehoboam has to make. This is a reign defining decision that is presented to him as he begins to be the king of God’s people. The next portion of the passage details how King Rehoboam made his decision in answering the people. I believe that if we look at this process of decision making in the reign of Rehoboam that this process can help us as we face decisions in our lives.
II. DECISION PROCESS OF REHOBOAM (VERSES 5-11)
READ 1 KINGS 12:5-11
“Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked. 7 They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." 8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?" 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-- tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'"
Verses 5-11 share with us the process that King Rehoboam went through in making his decision. He does two things in this process that we can learn from.
First, King Rehoboam took time to make his decision. Verse 5 tells us plainly, “Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me.” Rehoboam was wise in requesting time to make his decision. This prevented him from making a knee-jerk reaction which he may have regretted later. Most of the time our immediate decisions are based on anger, uninformed opinions, exaggerated needs, and other emotional factors which may lead to a poor decision. We regret those don’t we? King Rehoboam had been asked a serious question and the answer was just as serious and deserved time.
Rehoboam could not afford to answer wrong.
Rehoboam would cause national problems if he gave one answer and then changed his mind later.
Rehoboam should not have relied on spur-of-the-moment emotions or stress in this situation.
Rehoboam would have to live with this decision for the rest of his reign.
In a 2010 article from the Scientific American Magazine, Maastricht University School of Business and Economics reported on their small study that when participants in the study took time to reflect on a decision, they were happier and more satisfied with the decisions that were made (www.scientificamerican.com). I have found this to be true in my own life and I am trying to teach my children the same principle.
ILLUSTRATION… Abigail and martial arts training (p)
I have had the fortunate pleasure of training in martial arts for the past few years. It is not something I expected to enjoy, but have enjoyed it tremendously. I don’t know if you know this but I have a daughter who is quickly becoming a teenager. I would like her to be able to defend herself if a horrible situation were to happen to her. I have the opportunity to have her join me in martial arts training. This is not something that a person can do lightly, it is a commitment and something that has to be practiced. In February of this year, I presented this idea to Abigail and asked her if she would like to join me in training with my instructor to learn the basics of self-defense. I asked her to take one month to decide… from the time I asked her to her birthday. Weigh it out. Decide if it is something she is willing to commit to doing. It would reflect badly on me if she began and then quit… not something you do in martial arts in my opinion. I gave her time to think it all through so that her commitment would be solid and her decision sound. Taking time to make decisions is important.
Second, King Rehoboam asked advice about what he should do. Verses 6-11 recounts for us how Rehoboam asked advice from two very different groups of people: the elders and the young men. Verse 6 tells us that Rehoboam first went to the wise elders who served with Solomon and he asked what their opinion was. They had experience. They had perspective. Verse 9 tells us that Rehoboam next went and asked his friends and buddies what he should do. They had no experience. They wanted to please their friend the king. The advice that each group gave was polar opposite.
Let me point out the progression of events in this passage.
Verse 6 Rehoboam asks the elders for their advice.
Verse 7 the elders give their advice.
Verse 8 Rehoboam rejects their advice.
Verse 9 Rehoboam asks the friends he grew up with.
Verses 10-11 the friends give their advice.
Notice the progression of the events. Rehoboam did ask the elders their advice, but he rejected it right away. I do not think he wished to take their advice in the first place and perhaps he felt obligated to ask them. He moves on to his friends. What are his friends going to say? Are they going to give their friend who just ascended to the throne advice he doesn’t want or like and get on his bad side? My point is, Rehoboam already knew what he wanted to do and he was just going through the motions of asking for advice and was not really listening. He should have honestly listened to all the advice and then made his decision. Rehoboam had an agenda. He had made up his mind. He did not really ask for advice.
Rehoboam’s father King Solomon had much to say about asking for advice:
Proverbs 12:5 The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Proverbs 20:18 Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
As we look at those four proverbs on advice, I note that Solomon would tell us to make sure we are asking the right people for advice. He would tell us that when we ask for advice, we should also actually listen to what the people actually say. There is nothing wrong with asking for advice when a major decision is confronting you… this is a wise thing to do! Rehoboam almost did the wise thing… he did it half way… he did ask for advice… but he neglected to actually listen to everything he heard.
I do think that King Rehoboam did one thing on accident that can help us when making a decision. Rehoboam asked two very distinct groups their opinion on this matter. He was able to get well-rounded advice and not just one perspective. I find that to be helpful in my own life when making decisions.
ILLUSTRATION… NBCC online giving (p)
Let me give you an example, at the Deacons’ request, the church has been investigating online giving and the feasibility of adding this option to our church’s website. There are a lot of issues and cost and security and nickels and dimes to consider when thinking about online giving. I was tasked with investigating what we should do. I decided to get different opinions. I first looked at a site that we had used in the past once or twice. I then compared that service with an online giving service recommended by another church. I then compared those two services to an online giving vendor that was recommended by the bank the church uses. I then investigated a company suggested by the person who runs our website. Our church has investigated online giving very well and we looked at it from 4 different companies and 4 different perspectives before making a decision. I believe this was a solid and well-rounded plan of advice because it got different perspectives. In fact, another church has already asked to see my findings so they could think through the same issues.
So far in his decision making process, Rehoboam has rightly asked for time in making his decision. He has also half-heartedly asked for advice and we see how asking for well-rounded advice and listening to it is a wise step in decision making. Those are both worthy steps in making a decision, but something is missing from Rehoboam’s thought process.
III. DECISION MISTAKE OF REHOBOAM
What do you notice is absent from King Rehoboam’s decision process?
What has Rehoboam failed to do which is critical for any of us when making a decision?!
I do not see one single instance in Rehoboam’s thought process that he once consulted God in prayer for His opinion. Not once did Rehoboam ask that God help him make the decision. Not once did he ask for help in sifting through the advice. He didn’t ask for it to be obvious or a sign or anything. Rehoboam left God out of his decision process completely!
Decisions without consulting God happen all the time in Scripture and it always leads to disaster:
* Sarai and Abram use Hagar to conceive a child without asking God and the Middle East has never been the same (Genesis 16).
* Samson didn’t ask God’s opinion about anything and the woman he chose to marry betrayed him (Judges 16).
* Saul did not ask God about making a sacrifice and the kingdom was torn away from him (1 Samuel 13).
* David did not ask God about conducting a census and plague erupted killing 70,000 (2 Samuel 24).
* Hezekiah didn’t ask God about showing Babylonian envoys around his treasuries and he sealed Jerusalem’s destruction (2 Kings 20).
Every single time the people of God make decisions without asking God the result is never good. As people of faith, God must be a part of every single life decision you make. God has opinions in His Word that have already been stated about who to marry, whether or not you should get a divorce, whether or not to forgive, whether to pursue legal action or not, and your role in your children and grandchildren’s lives. When we ignore His Word we invite destruction and we invite Him to remove His blessings from our lives. As people of faith, God has direction for our jobs, where we spend our money, how we spend our time, and the manner with which we conduct ourselves in business and He can aid is through prayer and the Holy Spirit. King Rehoboam’s biggest mistake is NOT asking God His opinion. Please do not make the same mistake.
What should Rehoboam have done?
I think Rehoboam should have asked for time to make the decision (as he did).
I think Rehoboam should have asked and listened to advice (which he half did).
I think Rehoboam should have prayed to God in making the decision (which he did not do).
In order to avoid Rehoboam’s big mistake, there are three basic things that you can do in consulting God when making a life decision:
#1 Pray that God will give you wisdom to know the right decision when you decide it. Ask Him to give you peace when you do make the decision or ask Him to give you a great sense of uneasiness about one of the options that is before you.
#2 Search the Bible for what God has already said on the matter… He does not change… there is your answer. The Bible trumps what you think, what you feel, other advice, and often times what makes the most sense. As people of faith, we live by what God says… not anything else.
#3 Pray for circumstances to lead you directly to God’s choice for you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the “God pleas whittle down my options” prayer so that the decision is easier to make.
[repeat these]
So what does Rehoboam do? What decision does Rehoboam make? You can probably guess based on the fact that Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders who served with Solomon and he like the advice of his friends. You can probably guess based on the fact that Rehoboam did not consult God and whenever people of faith do this disaster is the result. What happens?
IV. DECISION RESULTS OF REHOBOAM (VERSES 12-19)
READ 1 KINGS 12:12-19
“Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." 13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14 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." 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. 16 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, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!" So the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. 18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Verse 19 says it all doesn’t it?
The results of King Rehoboam’s decision was that 10 tribes split from God’s nation and went down a path of self-destruction. In terms of the “Upper Story,” God’s purpose and fulfillment of promises in Jesus Christ continues through the Southern Kingdom of Judah and God’s will is accomplished through the faith and faithlessness of the Kings of Judah.
CONCLUSION
