CHAPTER 10

(975 B.C.)

REHOBOAM SUCCEEDS SOLOMON

¹And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king. (Jerusalem was where the Lord had placed His Name, and yet, for political purposes, and without consulting the Lord, Rehoboam would go to Shechem. So much of what is today called Christianity is operated upon the rudiment of political expediency, and not according to the Word of the Lord.)

²And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt (heard that Solomon had died.; it is instructive to point out the dissatisfaction of the nation with the glorious reign of Solomon, with all of its prosperity; in fact, much of Israel would elect Solomons enemy as king; this is a perfect picture of Rev., Chpt. 20.

There it is foretold that although Christ will maintain an absolutely perfect and prosperous government over the entirety of the Earth for one thousand years, yet some of the world will be dissatisfied with that reign of Glory and Righteousness, and will call back Satan from exile, as Israel called back Jeroboam and, for a short time, will enthrone Satan as prince over at least a part of the Earth).

³And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease you somewhat the grievous servitude of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you (there is no Scriptural evidence of a grievous servitude or heavy yoke).

⁵And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

⁶And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give you me to return answer to this people? (However, there is no place that it says that he took counsel with God. There seemed to be little desire for the Will of God. All was political expediency.)

⁷And they spoke unto him, saying, If you be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants for ever (this was the counsel he should have taken!).

⁸But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him, who stood before him (this would occasion much bloodshed!).

⁹And he said unto them, What advice give you that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that your father did put upon us?

¹⁰And the young men who were brought up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shall you answer the people who spoke unto you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make you it somewhat lighter for us; thus shall you say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my fathers loins.

¹¹For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. (No doubt, there was much more said than given here. They probably counseled him to conduct himself in a strong manner, etc. It was the worst advice he could have gotten!)

REHOBOAMS FOOLISH DECISION

¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.

¹³And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,

¹⁴And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹⁵So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform His Word, which He spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat (I Ki. 11:29-39; Solomon, although dead, bears his full share of the responsibility of what Rehoboam was, and shortly came to show he was; the Lord didnt do this arbitrarily, but because of Judahs terrible idol-worship, which now characterized the country, and was instigated by Solomon).

ISRAELS REVOLT

¹⁶And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to your own house. So all Israel went to their tents (this was the beginning of over 250 years of division and strife between Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom; this rupture would result in untold numbers of deaths).

¹⁷But as for the Children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them (the northern kingdom under Jeroboam would be called by several names Israel, Samaria, and Ephraim; some ten Tribes would be loyal to the northern confederacy; the southern confederacy, called Judah, would have some three Tribes that would remain loyal Judah, Benjamin, and Levi; Shechem, and then Samaria, would be the capital of the northern confederacy, with Jerusalem being the capital of the southern confederacy).

¹⁸Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was over the tribute (taxes); and the Children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem (wherever Rehoboam was, he realized he was in acute danger, so he went speedily to Jerusalem).

¹⁹And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.