Rehoboam the Fool

Synopsis     1Kings 12:12-20     5/3/2019 

After King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king in his place. At his coronation, the leaders of the tribes asked him to reduce the burdens that his father had placed on the people. But Rehoboam refused. 

And so, the people of the ten northern tribes declared refused Rehoboam as their king. Adoram was the official in charge of forced labor under King Solomon. But when Rehoboam sent him out to reimpose forced labor, the people of the northern tribes stoned him to death. 

After this, they decided to name for themselves a new king. They called an assembly. And there, the made Jeroboam king over all Israel. 

So then, the kingdom became divided once again. In the south, Rehoboam remained king over Judah. But Jeroboam was king over all of the rest of Israel. 

Rehoboam the Fool 

The people of the northern tribes decided to rebel. When they did, they said to one another, “What share have we in David? We have no heritage in the son of Jesse.”  

Obviously the leaders of the northern tribes felt used and objectified. And they felt taken for granted. Unsurprisingly, after Rehoboam’s answer, they left. The divorce was on.

And so a pause for reflection: First, David unified the nation. Then, Solomon grew the unified nation into an international power and center of culture. And yet all this effort was undone with an astonishing lack of wisdom in just a few minutes. 

Foolishness Remains 

I know that God has called me to love. For, this is His way. And when I think about it, it’s obvious. 

In other words, I know that He has called me to create value for others. Through my prayers. And through my acts. I’m called to create value. 

And yet, in the grind of life, it’s not how I intuitively live. 

My intuitive sense is to get more value than I give. I want things to be easy. And I want to get as much as I can for free.  

What’s more, if getting what I want takes more work than I think it should, I’m wondering out loud where God is. Like a toddling infant, I demand to know why He doesn’t give me what I want – why He doesn’t answer my prayers. 

Of all of God’s many virtues, today I’m reminded how good it is that He is patient. 

“Their own folly leads people astray; [yet] in their hearts they rage against the LORD.” Prov 19:3