1. Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis
In 1997, Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of aviator Charles Lindbergh, was invited to give the annual Lindbergh Address at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of her father's historic solo flight across the Atlantic. On the day of the speech, museum officials invited her to come early, before the facility opened, so that she could have a close-up look at The Spirit of St. Louis, the little plane suspended from the museum ceiling that her father had piloted from New York to Paris in 1927.
That morning in the museum, Reeve and her young son, Ben, eagerly climbed into the bucket of a cherry-picker, a long-armed crane that carried them upward until the plane was at eye level and within their reach. Seeing the machine that her father had so bravely flown across the sea was an unforgettable experience for Reeve. She had never touched the plane before, and that morning, 20 feet above the floor of the museum, she tenderly reached out to run her fingers along the door handle, which she knew her father must have grasped many times with his own hand.
Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of what she was doing. "Oh, Ben," she whispered, her voice trembling, "isn't this amazing?"
"Yeaaaaaah," Ben replied, equally impressed. "I've never been in a cherry-picker before!"
2. The Story of God contains Heroes with flaws and Non-Heroes -- villains
3. Timeline -- Adam and Eve; Noah; Abraham and Sarah; Isaac-Jacob-Joseph (and brothers); Moses; Joshua; Judges (Samson); Saul; David; Solomon (United Kingdom)
4. This morning we are going to diverge from the standard hero expectations and look at someone who was almost a hero. He stood right at the threshold of becoming a great king and a great leader. He was faced with a decision that literally would make or break him as a leader and hero and would make or break the Israel nation. This man was Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
5. Period of the Divided Kingdom [Maps]
a. Unity is a good thing -- Psalm 133.1
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
b. Division is Deadly -- Matthew 12.22-27
22 Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons that this man casts out demons." 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand; 26 and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
I. The Seeds of Division -- 1 Kings 11.1-13
A. Solomon's Divided Interests
1. First God
2. Alliances + God
3. Idols + God
4. Idols -- God
B. God's Delayed Intentions (for the sake of David)
1. No divided kingdom in the life of Solomon -- because of David
2. Divided Kingdom in the life of Rehoboam (Solomon's son; Solomon's Cause)
3. Not fully removed -- because of David -- Judah got the one tribe of Benjamin
In Arkansas several years ago, a feud started when Jeb Hollings stole a mule from the McCrary place. When the McCrary boys went to recover the mule, one of the Hollings clan shot Frank McCrary for trespassing. This started the blood feud that lasted almost 3 years. During those three years the Hollings knew that the McCrary land was off limits. And the McCrary clan knew that they had best avoid the Hollings place. Jeb and Frank never went anywhere without an armed escort. The whole county took sides with either the Hollings or the McCrarys. Until one day when Jeb paid a visit on the McCrary house -- alone. Jeb Hollings said to Grandpa McCrary, "You can do whatever you think is right with me, but this blood feud has got to stop." Jeb knew that the feud had begun with the actions of one man -- himself. Therefore, he was the one man who could bring an end to the death and division that had ensued.
4. It's too bad SOLOMON did not try to stop the feud that was coming and save the kingdom
II. The Stirring of Destruction -- 1 Kings 12
A. The Special Appeal to Rehoboam -- "Take it easy on us" -- 12.4
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29.2
B. The Seeking of Advice by Rehoboam
1. The Old Men -- 12.6-7
2. His Young Friends -- 12.8-11
3. His wrong Choice -- 12.12-15
4. NOTE -- Did not ask GOD!
C. The Sordid Avalanche by Rehoboam -- 12.17ff
1. Rebellion of the 10 Northern Tribes -- [Obedience to God is Rebellion to Tyrants
2. FROM GOD -- 12.21-24
Years ago, Billie Burke was a famous actress who was traveling across the ocean on a ship when she noticed that a gentleman at the next table was suffering from a bad head cold. She asked him, "Are you uncomfortable?" The man nodded.
She said, "I'll tell you just what to do about it. Go back to your room and drink lots of orange juice. Take two aspirins. Cover yourself with all the blankets you can find. Sweat the cold out. I know just what I'm talking about. I'm Billie Burke from Hollywood."
The man smiled and said, "Thanks" Then he added, "By the way, I'm Dr. Mayo from the Mayo Clinic."
I don't know about you, but when it comes to medical matters, I would prefer to take the advice of an esteemed doctor over that of a famous actress. Likewise, when it comes to spiritual matters, we have a choice.
We can look to celebrities. We can look to those we regard as "wise". We can look to the stars (astrology). We can even look to the angels. Or we can look to Jesus Christ. It shouldn't be a difficult choice.
III. The Sealing of Division
A. The Replacement Leader, Jeroboam
1. Rewarded by Solomon
2. A Threat to Solomon
3. Prediction of Ahijah -- 1 Kings 11.29-33
4. Promise of God -- 11.37-39
B. The Renovated Worship (12.25ff)
1. Convenience
2. Comfort (of the leader) -- 12.28
a. But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Samuel 24.24
b. Journey to the promised land was a 40 year walk of inconvenience -- ours too
3. Compromise
a. Places -- Dan and Bethel, not Jerusalem
b. People -- non-Levites for priests (fringe people)
c. Purpose, images instead of God
1. Moving from Zero to Hero
a. Get Over Yourself -- Rehoboam was self-absorbed and greedy
b. Grow Yourself -- be teachable; learn from own experiences and others' experiences; learn from history or repeat it
c. Give of yourself -- Rehoboam wanted others to sacrifice for him; Mark 10.45
2. Things more important than Self or Convenience (More important than comfort, etc.)
The name "Auschwitz" brings terror and grief to the hearts of many people. It is the sight of an infamous Nazi death camp. The showers that once sprayed poison gas still stand. Maximillian Kolbe, a Franciscan priest who had been helping the Jews escape the Nazis, was discovered and arrested, and then sent to Auschwitz. While there he still tried to care for the prisoners. He bandaged their wounds. He shared his food. He gave up his bunk. He prayed for his captors. He was soon nicknamed the "Saint of Auschwitz."
In July 1941, there was an escape. The camp rule stated that upon every successful escape, 10 persons would die. All the prisoners would be gathered in the courtyard, and an SS Officer would randomly call names of the prisoners, who would be immediately taken to a cell where they would receive no food and water until they died. One by one, names were called. The 10th person called was a man named Fraciszek Gajowniczek. When his name was called he cried, "My wife and children!"
Suddenly, a prisoner has left his rank and is pushing his way to the front. It was Kolbe. One of the guards shout, "Stop or be shot!" Kolbe said that he wanted to talk to the commander. For some reason, they let him. He said to the commander, "Let me die in the place of this man. I have no family. Besides, I am old and cannot do much work. He's in much better condition, and more useful to you."
For a reason that we'll never know, the SS officer let Kolbe take the place of this man. This priest was marched off with nine other men to a cold basement cell, where they were stripped of their clothes and kept without food and water until they died. On August 14, 1941, the Saint of Auschwitz and another were still wretchedly and miserably alive, until a camp doctor injected phenol into each one's heart and put them out of their misery.
Gajowniczek survived. He was liberated by the allies and was reunited with his wife and children. In his backyard in Warsaw, Poland is a plaque that he carved with his own hands as a memorial to Maximillian Kolbe. Until his death a few years ago, he returned to Auschwitz August 14th of every year and revisited the sight, and he wept and he prayed and thanked God that someone cared enough for him to die in his place.
