When Rights Are Wrong

Just because our Scripture reading for this week was 1 Kings doesn't mean that it was easy to decide what to preach on. It's so full of illustrations of the use and misuse of power that I could probably spend the whole month before moving on to 2 Kings, which is just as rich with examples of folly and cruelty and greed. Well, call it by its proper name, sin. One particularly famous story is the one about Solomon’s judgment, when he decided between the claims of two prostitutes to be the true mother of a baby boy. Another fruitful field for exploration is about King Solomon and his women. He had wives and concubines from every place you could think of and a few more besides, and when was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods. [1 Kings 11:4-6] Then of course there’s the unsuccessful rebellion against Solomon’s rule... But we know all about powerful, popular, womanizing leaders, and the divisive, demoralizing effect of unsuccessful rebellions, don’t we. There's nothing new under the sun.

But even with such a wealth of subject matter to pick from I decided to focus on the transfer of power. Why? We're so good at the peaceful transfer of power here in America, aren't we, that it couldn't possibly tell us anything about ourselves, could it? So what did happen when Solomon’s long reign came to an end?

Rehoboam was Solomon’s son. Scripture doesn’t tell us whether or not there were any other sons. It would be surprising, wouldn’t it, if there hadn’t been, given all the wives and concubines? David had far fewer, and yet his reign was filled with his children’s shenanigans, rape and murder and treason, among others. But there doesn’t seem to have been any alternative to Rehoboam. Even after he blows the succession, and the kingdom falls apart, no ambitious half-brother rises up to take his place.

But what we do know is that Rehoboam is in his 40’s, desperate to prove himself, to be independent of his father, to prove himself to be a true “alpha male’ as well, to come at last out of Solomon’s shadow and make the kingdom his own. And Solomon dies, and Rehoboam goes to Shechem to be crowned.

Why Shechem? I’m sure you’re all dying to know. But seriously, that is an important question. Because now the center of the country is unquestionably Jerusalem. That’s where the king lives, that’s where the ark of the covenant is, that’s where the temple is. Why Shechem?

Shechem was full of history. It is where Joseph’s bones were buried. It was the place of the covenant. After Joshua had brought the people into the promised land, that is where they gathered to renew their covenant promises.

And Joshua said to all the people, “Now therefore revere YHWH... put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to YHWH, the God of Israel.” The people said to Joshua, “YHWH our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day... Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of YHWH. Joshua said to all the people, “See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of YHWH that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God.” [Joshua 24:2, 24-27]

Shechem is also the place where Gideon’s son Abimilech tried unsuccessfully to make himself king back in the days of the Judges.

I think it is unlikely that Rehoboam chose this place for his coronation. I think he was summoned by the tribes to give an accounting of his plans for the kingdom, and to reassure the people that he would rule them in accordance with the covenant.

King Solomon had a terrific record. His country was prosperous and at peace. His reputation abroad was second to none; you may remember the story of how the Queen of Sheba came to visit him, to “test him with hard questions” [1 Ki 10:1] and the impression she took back with her was that “not even half was told; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.” [1 Ki 10:7] His reputation rested not only on his wisdom and his wealth, but on his relationship with God. And yet by the time he died, the people were not happy. They wanted a different kind of leadership from Rehoboam. And so they called him to Shechem.

The rebel Jeroboam, an Ephraimite who had been the son of one of Solomon’s officials, was called back from exile in Egypt by the other 10 tribes - the ones not related to David and David’s line - when Solomon died, to be their spokesman.