October 23, 2025
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Reading along with us in 1 Kings and Acts? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Kings 12 (NIV)
Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:……Continue Reading
This is one of the saddest chapters in the Bible because of what it sets in motion for generations to come. Now we understand that God is orchestrating this, through the choice of man, to rip Israel away from Judah as a consequence for Solomon’s disobedience following false gods. But it is still sad that Rehoboam takes this course in pride not realizing that it was God who made Solomon who he was and Rehoboam was no Solomon and therefore did not have the same favor with the people. And yet even more evil is the evil that Jeroboam is embracing because he is afraid the people will go back to Judah if they worshipped at the temple like God would have wanted. It is usually bad when we make decisions out of fear and insecurity and thereby trust our own ideas and devices rather than trusting in God. If only Jeroboam said to himself, God put me in the position I am in and He said if I obey Him, He would establish a line through me. So let me ask Him what to do, or trust, that if He says they worship in Jerusalem, than I can trust Him to protect me in the people’s minds rather than trusting what I am going to come up with. And how absolutely wrong it was for him to set up 2 golden calves and say they brought you out of Egypt. Did no one say, this sounds familiar…or that’s what another generation did in disobedience to the Lord. Let’s not do that. How easily deceived people can be. But like I said, there is much wrong set in motion here, and the northern kingdom never had a righteous king because of it.
1 Kings 11 & 12
1 Kings 12
1 Kings 12
A chapter of bad decision making and the absence of seeking God is so prominent. Both Rehoboam and Jeroboam are making decisions without consulting or trusting God at all. Seeking to please man or self never ends up working out very well. Certainly Solomon had his major flaws but the wisdom he received from God to rule was not handed down generationally at all!
1 Kings 12
The tribes split into two kingdoms and a history of idolatry in Israel, the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam prevails up to Jesus’ time.
Judah, the Southern Kingdom under Rehoboam is no better.