The king of Israel, Rehoboam, refused to listen to his people when they asked him to be a merciful king. Instead, he promised a hard, uncompromising rule. This alienated most of the rest of the kingdom, and so ten tribes broke off from the tribe of Judah. When Rehoboam sent out Adoniram to put down the rebellion, he was murdered, and the king barely escaped with his own life. After the northern kingdom made Jeroboam king, Rehoboam mustered a huge army to take back the nation. But God warned him not to even try it, as this was from the Lord. The nation of Israel was torn in two, its glory days gone forever. This was a result of the sin of Rehoboam.
The Lord had promised Jeroboam that, if he obeyed his word, the Lord would make an enduring dynasty. But Jeroboam did not value the word of God. When he became king of Israel, he quickly abandoned the word of God and set up convenient places of worship. He made two locations in Israel as places to worship the Lord, and set up a golden calf in both places, so the people wouldn’t have to travel to Judah to worship the Lord. He also significantly loosened the qualifications to serve as priest. The nation of Israel was ensnared in sin from the beginning.
Application: Father, when we don’t value your word, sin is the inevitable result. Help our leaders to hold to your word.
One Word: Leaders must fear God