1 Kings 12: Israel is Divided

1 Kings Chapter 12 tells us how the kingdom of Israel became divided into two parts. This happened after King Solomon died and his son Rehoboam became king.

All the people of Israel went to a place called Shechem to make Rehoboam king. Jeroboam also returned from Egypt. The people came to Rehoboam with a request. They said that Solomon had made their work very hard and had placed heavy taxes on them. They asked Rehoboam to make their work easier, and they promised to serve him faithfully if he did.

Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for his answer. First, he asked the older men who had advised his father Solomon. These wise elders told him to be kind to the people. They said if he spoke gently and reduced their heavy load, the people would serve him gladly.

But Rehoboam did not follow their advice. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him. They told him to be strict and strong. They said he should tell the people that he would make their work even harder than Solomon did. They told him to show his power.

After three days, the people returned. Rehoboam answered them harshly. He said his father had punished them with whips, but he would punish them with scorpions, which meant even greater suffering. He refused to make their burden lighter.

When the people heard this, they became angry. They said they no longer wanted David’s family to rule over them. Ten tribes of Israel chose Jeroboam as their king. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin stayed with Rehoboam. From that time, the kingdom was divided into two parts. The northern kingdom was called Israel and was ruled by Jeroboam. The southern kingdom was called Judah and was ruled by Rehoboam.

Rehoboam gathered soldiers to fight and bring the kingdom back together. But God sent a prophet named Shemaiah with a message. God told Rehoboam not to fight against his brothers because the division was part of His plan. So Rehoboam and the people obeyed and did not go to war.

Jeroboam became king over Israel, but he made a serious mistake. He was afraid the people would go to Jerusalem in Judah to worship at the temple. He thought their hearts might turn back to Rehoboam. So he made two golden calves and told the people that these were the gods who brought them out of Egypt. He placed one calf in Bethel and the other in Dan. He built places of worship and chose priests who were not from the tribe of Levi. He even made his own festival days.

This was a great sin. Jeroboam led the people away from worshiping the true God. Because of this, many problems would come later.

This chapter teaches us that leaders must listen to wise advice and be humble. It also teaches that fear can cause people to make wrong choices. When we turn away from God’s truth, it brings trouble.

Lesson from the Chapter

Wise advice and obedience to God are very important. Pride and fear can lead to serious mistakes.