As far as I know, there were no prophecies about me when I was born. I was one of those blissful “surprise” babies, a child that arrived into the world without permission from her parents. My mother has recounted the tale many times, and I won’t bore you with the details, but needless to say, many “security gates” were jumped in order for me to exist. Today, my mother tells me that, while they might not have thought they wanted me, God knew they needed me. And I believe her. After all, He went through quite a bit of trouble to make sure I got here.
When I sat down to read this long passage in 1 Kings, I was immediately struck by the number of prophecies that are attached to this one family. How did they keep track? And when Rehoboam came to power after his father Solomon died, did he know that the Lord was about to tear his kingdom in two?
Imagine if he had known of the prophecy. Was his ego puffed up by fear, fueled by the prophecies—prophecies that were not in his favor? It would be a deadly mix leading to a whole lot of posturing, pretending to have strength, rather than turning to God to be strengthened by Him. After all, He is the source of all true wisdom and strength.
Rehoboam’s leadership style was vindictive and harsh, perhaps because he assumed that those qualities and that leadership style would translate into strength. Maybe he thought that if he took control of the reins, he could avoid the prophesied loss of power. Instead, his feigned strength led to the exact result he was trying to avoid. After watching his father Solomon rise in wealth and power, Rehoboam was cut down to size.
What does this mean for us? And what does it tell us about God?
First, we must see that God takes His vows seriously. What He says happens. There is no false posturing, no ego, no vindictive stripe in our God. He doesn’t punish in order to prove His power. He follows through on His word, because His word is good and always comes to fruition. Second, we must see that God holds a high standard for His people, one that requires our faith and trust be placed in Him alone. The division and destruction we see in 1 Kings happened because God allows it, but not because He wants it. Instead, He calls us to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2–3).
God wants His people to be united as one, and so, the Bible is ultimately a tale of restoration—how one man born of one tiny tribe, Judah, is the true and righteous King. He came not just for Israel, and not just for Judah. He came for the entire world.
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15 thoughts on "The Kingdom Divided"
I pray that I have a heart after God and I do what is pleasant to him
I want to remember this: he doesn’t punish to prove his power. That causes division and destruction. He calls us to live with all humility and gentleness… following through on our word.
In our culture and state of affairs even among the “church” we have no fear of God. May God have mercy on our disobedience and lack of relevancy in a sinful world.
I pray that I would be careful how I live in this world. I pray that I would accomplish the things that God has planned for me.
There are so many learnings I received from today’s reading. What I’m marinating on right now is the importance of receiving wisdom from my elders versus my peers… How different things may have been had Rehoboam been able to hear wisdom? How different some things would be for me had I been able to hear wisdom??
In this season of moral and ethical relativism and manufactured truths, I pray that God will give us the gift of discernment and the wisdom and faith to follow Him, who is the Way, The TRUTH and the Life (John 14:6), and not the enemy who comes “to kill steal and destroy” (John 10:10), just as the enemy’s deceit led to the death of the prophet, described as the “man of God” in I Kings 13:18.
So true , praying that as believers we will actually BELIEVE in his word without fail. And the parts which we question lead to moral relativism , but why not listen to what God has to say before we utter a word?
No human word, despite their position should be elevated above God’s word. Even when their word appears to come from a good place. We should weigh it against God’s word
Rehoboam thought he could fight the prophecy and the will of God through strength and determinedness. How often do we try to push back against God, hoping by sheer strength it will work? We need to remember that what God says, happens. He follows through with his word always, because His word is good and He knows the plan for our lives.
God means business. Sin has consequences, no matter one’s status or rank in life. God is sovereign and He sets the rules. Who dares to try to set self above Him? Who is so foolish as to take man’s advice over the commands of the Lord? Be humble and repent or you will be humbled. There is no other way to live worthy of the calling you have received. It starts with surrender to the God who loves you and provides the best way.
God’s Word always says it best:
4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spiritbb—just as you were called to one hope, at your calling—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:1-6
“God holds a high standard for HIS people, one that requires faith and trust to be placed on HIM alone.” We see in our reading today how following unwise counsel, even when it may appear on the surface to be sound, can lead us astray. It is so very easy to be caught off guard by the evil one through things of this world that take our eyes off the one true GOD, LORD and SAVIOR. In a world of “selfies,” we must choose to continually look and listen for the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIGHT. LORD, I pray that I will have wisdom to discern between YOUR truth and the lies spewed by satan through others throughout my day. May others see YOU through me today, through “humility and gentleness, with patience, (always)bearing one another in love.”
Amen
Typos happen. But JESUS remains the true and righteous King for the entire world. Thanks be to God!
In I Kings 13:18, the man of God is deceived by the old prophet – apparently someone he deemed trustworthy – which leads to God fulfilling a warning against the man of God. Lord, help me to discern the difference between Your voice and that of a deceiver – no matter how sincere or trustworthy they seem or have been previously. John 10:27, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.