When Pride Splits a Kingdom: How Rehoboam Lost Ten Tribes in Three Days

2815 AM (945 BCE) – A FOOL & HIS KINGDOM ARE SOON DIVIDED

Even though Adonai promised not to rip the kingdom out of the hands of Solomon for the sake of his servant David, the anger of Adonai was still provoked. As a result, Adonai began to raise enemies against the kingdom of Solomon.

One of those enemies was Hadad the Edomite. When David was king and had his commander Joab attack Edom, he had every male put to death. Even still, Hadad survived. As a boy he fled to Egypt. The Pharaoh of Egypt loved Hadad and gave him food and land, and eventually even the Pharaoh’s daughter as a wife. And even though Hadad had great influence and wealth and family, and despite the many pleas from Pharaoh for Hadad to stay, Adonai’s Spirit called out to Hadad, so that when he heard that both David and Joab had died, Hadad returned to Edom.

Another one of those enemies was Rezon, the son of Eliada, who became a marauder after David had killed King Hadadezer of Zobah. Because of David, Rezon hid in Damascus. However, he also returned to Aram when he heard that Hadad was successfully engaging with the aging Solomon. Both rulers felt abject disgust for Israel.

And as malicious, ruthless, and tenacious as Rezon and Hadad were, as they were constant, violent assailants against Israel, nothing could prepare Solomon for who Adonai planned to raise up next.

It all started with one of Solomon’s most faithful servants, Jeroboam son of Nebat. He was such a valiant warrior and industrious in all he did that Solomon appointed Jeroboam over the management of the forced labor that was used during the construction of both his personal palace and the Temple dedicated to Adonai. Jeroboam served Solomon in excellence in all he did.

Adonai then raised up a prophet named Ahijah the Shilonite. When Jeroboam had left Jerusalem to conduct his affairs, Adonai sent Ahijah to meet Jeroboam on the road. Jeroboam was traveling light, but still had a small entourage of horsemen riding with his wagon that had a nice canopy to shade him from the harsh daylight.

Ahijah was a tiny little man and simply stood in the road, awaiting their arrival. By just holding up his frail, gaunt hand, Ahijah stopped the whole group. Ahijah then spoke loudly, shouting, “Jeroboam! Jeroboam, a word please … alone.”

Jeroboam leaned out from the wagon slightly to look at whoever was calling his name. He considered the slight man dressed in simple animal skins but wearing a beautiful, obviously new cloak. Curiosity overwhelmed Jeroboam.

“It’s okay,” Jeroboam said to his entourage, “it will just be a minute.”

Jeroboam dismounted the wagon and walked up to the prophet.

“What is your name, sir, and what is your business?”

Ahijah respectfully responded, “Jeroboam, I am Ahijah the Shilonite. I speak to you today on behalf of Adonai, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.”

“Indeed,” Jeroboam responded, “I have nothing against Adonai. What word does Adonai bring to me today, a simple servant of Solomon?”

Ahijah reached out his hand in a friendly gesture of welcome, and the two walked away from the horses and men, at least far enough away to be mostly out of earshot. Then, Ahijah took off his beautiful new cloak, and he began to slowly tear it into pieces. As he tore it, he began to tell Jeroboam of how Solomon had failed Adonai. With each piece he tore, he talked about the many chariots, the many foreign women, the many temples to gods of wood and stone, his bowing with his wives in worship, how Solomon was leading the people astray through his example, and much, much more.

“You see,” Ahijah said, holding the pieces of the devastated cloak, “see what has become of this beautiful new cloak, so new and bristling with potential and promise, now torn into twelve pieces? Solomon’s kingdom is so new, pristine, and there was so much potential. Yet Solomon, professing to be wise, has proven himself to be a fool, and his kingdom, too, will be broken into twelve pieces.”

“Adonai has already reserved ten tribes for you, but Solomon will be allowed to keep just one tribe for his son, Rehoboam, for the sake of his faithful servant David. Rehoboam will be king over Judah, and you will be king over Israel. Now please, listen! Listen to what will happen to Solomon because of all he did and failed to do! Don’t do those things! If you listen to all that Adonai commands you, and walk in the way Adonai directs, as David had, then Adonai will bequeath to you and your descendants the northern ten tribes of Israel as an inheritance to you forever.”

Jeroboam looked at Ahijah, and with a simple nod, acknowledged all Ahijah had said to him. Then, Jeroboam saw Ahijah look up at something behind Jeroboam, and he just knew that they had not gone far enough away from the entourage.

Jeroboam sensed the motion behind him, and he turned around to see the captain of the guard draw his sword and ride quickly toward him. The rest of the entourage was oblivious to what was happening. Lightning-quick, Jeroboam drew his blade and slashed the captain off his horse. In one smooth motion he grabbed the animal’s reins and leapt on, riding quickly away.

Ahijah looked down at the captain of the guard, dead on the ground, and the many stunned men who were now without leadership. Ahijah simply turned around and disappeared down the way.

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The entourage returned to Jerusalem to report what happened with Jeroboam to Solomon. Solomon issued an edict to bring him the body of Jeroboam. That would be an edict that would go unfulfilled, as Jeroboam had already made it to Egypt.

When Solomon died, Rehoboam was anointed king. Jeroboam came out of exile, and he rallied the people of the ten northern tribes. They showed up in Shechem and demanded an audience with Rehoboam. The people were angry, insolent, and riled up.

Rehoboam was a bit taken aback, not sure where this animosity was coming from. Where was the respect that was shown Solomon? His father’s body was barely cold, and the people wanted to facilitate an uprising? And what was Jeroboam doing back from Egypt, obviously pulling strings from behind the scenes? A bit skeptical of the authenticity of the whole situation, Rehoboam wanted to know what all this was about and allowed them to air their grievances.

“People of Israel, your king is here. I am not sure what this is all about, but my ears are open. So, please, speak your minds.”

The energy of the raucous crowd faded slightly, if only to allow one of the elders to be heard.

He spoke loudly and deliberately so as not to be misunderstood, “Your father made our yoke hard and our burden heavy. We are tired and spent. We live in a kingdom of extravagance and wealth, but we live like paupers. The labor imposed by your father is too much. The Temple is done, the palace is done, yet we are not liberated! We are not free! But we are not rebels. Lighten the labor, and we will be happy to serve you. But if not, well…,” his voice trailed away.

He could not say it, but King Rehoboam understood the veiled threat well enough.

“Very well,” the king replied, “I understand. Give me three days to consider what to do. I am no Solomon, but I do have his advisors. I will put it before them. Is that acceptable?” the king asked.

The people erupted in cheers and applauded, but that just goaded the king’s dislike of the insolence of the gathering even being there, plus the veiled threat, plus Jeroboam—who should not even be alive.

Who did they all think they were?

☼ ☼ ☼

True to the king’s word, the next day he discussed the matter with the wise advisors of Solomon.

The advisors counseled, “If you do this for them, if you lighten their burden, sure, it will slow down some of the work schedule initially, but you will have their hearts and their devotion.”

But this did not sit well with the king. Why should he have to capitulate to threats from the working class? So, the next day, King Rehoboam met with his young friends with whom he had grown up. They also served him in the capacity of advisors, but their advice tickled the king’s ears.

“Oh, great king,” they started, “you do not deserve to be disrespected like you have been. Who do they think they are? You are the king, appointed by Adonai. What are they going to do? Start a rebellion? Well, let them. They will not be fighting you, but they will be fighting against Adonai. What you should do is put them in their place. Tell them that your little finger is thicker than your father’s waist. Tell them that your father scourged their backs with whips, but you will scourge their backs with scorpions.”

The king loved what they said. He really loved the scorpion bit… that was so cool. So, the third day, when the crowd returned, the king chastised the group.

“You come to me with hat in hand, and you demand that I make your work lighter? You disrespect me and my house, the memory of my father, and then you want a favor? Who are you? What have you really done? You think that just because I am new, you can walk all over me? Understand this: I have more power in my little finger than my father had in his whole waist. My father scourged your backs with whips, but I will scourge your backs with scorpions!”

With that, the king made a motion for his royal guard to disperse the crowd. The guards drew their swords and began to menacingly approach the insolent contingent.

Suddenly, men started shouting, “What inheritance do we have with David? We have no share in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, David! Look after your own house! To your tents!”

The crowds dispersed, and there was a mass exodus of workers from Judah to the northern tribes. Rehoboam reigned over all who remained in Judah, but Jeroboam was made king in Israel. Rehoboam would not tolerate such insolence and gathered an army of 180,000 specialized fighting men from Benjamin, men who could sling stones with their left hand as well as their right.

But as Rehoboam was organizing the offensive, Shemaiah, a prophet of Adonai, sought an audience with Rehoboam. Rehoboam almost did not see him, but he remembered the words of his younger advisors, that if Israel was to fight against Judah, they would just find themselves fighting against Adonai.

But when Shemaiah came into the presence of the king, he proclaimed, “You must not do this. Do not fight against your kinsmen. It is Adonai who has taken Israel from you, not because of anything you have done, but because of what your father has done—the idolatry, the disobedience, his many wives and horses. If you go against Israel, you will definitely not survive, and Judah and Benjamin will likely not survive. But if you obey the words and commandments of Adonai, tear down the high places and worship Him alone; the scepter shall never depart Judah.”

Rehoboam considered the words of Shemaiah carefully. He was angry. He felt betrayed by Adonai and by all of Israel. Yet perhaps the older advisors were right. Perhaps they did not need all the laborers anymore. They would just have to learn to make do.

Still, Rehoboam was angry.

Used with permission by the author. Find the author’s complete works online: Complete Works of Mack Samuels