The Kingdom of Israel Splits - The Book of 1 Kings

In this Bible Story, we witness the splitting of Israel. Solomon’s sin causes God to strip him of his legacy. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, uses the throne as an opportunity to be cruel. Jeroboam is named king in place of Rehoboam. So Rehoboam ruled over Judah, while Jeroboam ruled over the other ten tribes of Israel. This story is inspired by 1 Kings 11:26-12:24 & 2 Chronicles 10-11:1-4. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Kings 11:34 from the King James Version.

Episode 117: Solomon’s lust for foreign women eventually led him to foreign worship as well. This idolatry not only tore apart his relationship with God but would tear the kingdom from his hands as well. During the reign of his son Rehoboam, Jeroboam, one of his servants who had fled from him, returned. He came to confront the new king about the injustices of his father, hoping he would change. However, when Rehoboam refused the wise counsel of his elders and gave a harsh message to the people, the ten tribes of the north left him and followed Jeroboam instead.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, howbeit I will not take the whole
kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him
prince all the days of his life for David, my
servant's sake, whom I chose because he kept my commandments
and my statutes First Kings eleven thirty four. Lord. Through

(00:20):
the life of Solomon and the listening of First Kings
and Second Chronicles, I now know the value of wise
and honest counsel. Therefore, I pray that there is never
a moment in my life that I am ever without
wise and God fearing counsel. When others around me seek

(00:43):
to give advice that is contrary to your wisdom and
your ways. Place people like Jerobaum in my life to
remind me to honor what you have entrusted me with
and to deal kindly with every one I come in
contact with. From this truth, I know your hand will
stay upon me and guide me as you continue to

(01:05):
expand and enlarge the tent pegs of my life and ministry.
In Jesus name, Amen, thank you for praying with us
to day. Continue your time with God by listening to
to day's Bible story brought to you by Bible in
a year dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
The Kingdom of Israel splits. In our last story, we
beheld the vast wisdom of the philosopher King Solomon. Kings
and queens of old would seek him out and travel
long distances to glean from his wisdom. Solomon led with
great kindness and pursued peace with other nations. However, Solomon

(01:57):
had a weakness for women. He am asked to here
of hundreds of wives and concubines from other nations. He
immersed himself and lude cultures and sexual devians. Eventually he
began to worship foreign gods. Therefore, his kingdom was promised
by God to be split. Solomon died and left his
kingdom to his son Ria Boam. Now we peer more

(02:20):
into the inner workings of rebellion during Solomon's reign and
witness the heart of Riaboam. His pride and unwillingness to
heed the advice of his elders may end up being
his downfall. Inspired by the Book of First Kings.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year. In yesterday's episode, we heard about Solomon's
fall from God. Though he was wise and wealthy, his
heart sought his own desires. He disobeyed God and married
foreign women, hundreds of them, and with each new wife
he would give a bit of his heart to a

(02:58):
false God. His life, though filled with such promise, ended
up in strife and sorrow. But God's grace was with him,
and in the end he turned back to the Lord
and praised the God of his father, the one True God.
Today we'll hear how dissension was already brewing before Solomon's death,
and how his son Raya Boam, his successor, would face

(03:20):
the consequences of Solomon's sins and his own prideful spirit.
Let's listen now to today's scripture.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
The trees shifted slightly from the breeze. Crickets chirped, and
the subtle sound of babbling brooks could be heard among
the forest. In the darkness, a faint chanting could be
heard from the distance. Deep among the trees, Solomon stood
in the mount of Olives, where his father would once
go to pray and sing before the Lord. His face
was illuminated by candles and incense. There in the coolness

(03:54):
of evening, Solomon worshiped the moabide God, Shimosh. Shimosh was
known as the Destroyer. He was said to be a
god that craved blood. The Moabites would often make human
sacrifices to Shimash to appease him. There, bowing before a
massive black stone altar, Solomon worshiped the Destroyer. His kind

(04:16):
heart was being tainted by the evil that lurked behind
the altar. He sat among a darkness that would not
relent in its desire to destroy Solomon's soul. Solomon's idolatry
was well known by his officials.

Speaker 4 (04:30):
They watched as.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
He left in the middle of the night. They witnessed
his lust for foreign women. They saw his insatiable hunger
for exotic sex.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
And idol worship.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Jeroboam, son of Niebat, watched as Solomon came to and
fro from the black stone altar. His bones shook at
the thought of Israel's king worshiping a god that required
human blood. Jeroboam was the son of a widow and
knew the hardships some had experienced in Israel. It pained
him to watch the the king shirk his faithfulness for

(05:01):
the sake of simple pleasures and dark arts. One day,
Solomon was overseeing a rebuilding project of Israel's walls. He
took many of his men to aid in the repairs.
Together in the hot sun, Solomon and his men began
to reinforce the walls, building better beams and support systems
to keep it upright. Solomon saw ria Boam work. He

(05:23):
was a capable young man, strong, and a good leader
among the rest of his men. Solomon decided to put
him in charge of the labor force from the tribes
of Ephrium and Manassa. Jeroboam accepted the task reluctantly, Still
leery of the king, Jeroboam departed from Jerusalem to begin
his work. He passed some of the farm lands on

(05:44):
the outskirts of the city. The fields were lush and
ripe for harvesting, and the air smelled of wheat and barley.
Along the way, the prophet of Hyjah stopped him in
the middle of the field. A Hyjah was wearing a
brand new cloak that waved gracefully in the breeze. Jeroboam
watched as a Hyjah removed his new cloak and tore
it into ten pieces. He watched curiously as the prophet

(06:07):
ripped the robe. He handed the ten pieces to Jeroboam
and said take these pieces of my cloak, for the
Lord is about to tear the kingdom apart. Because of
Solomon's idolatry. Ten tribes of Israel will be given to you, Jeroboam. However,
he will leave one tribe to Solomon and his descendants
because of his loyalty to King David. You shall rule

(06:30):
over all that your heart desires. Listen to the ways
of the Lord, and your dynasty will be established. Jeroboam
held the torn pieces in his hands, and from that
day forward he began the secret workings of a rebellion.
When Solomon caught wind of Jeroboam's favor, he sent men
to kill him. However, Jeroboam fled to King Shishak of

(06:53):
Egypt and stayed there for a long while. The days
of Solomon came to a close and it was time
for his son ria Boam to take the throne. All
of Israel gathered to make him king. He was ushered
in with parades and dancing. The news of Solomon's passing
spread across the land, for Solomon was beloved among every

(07:14):
surrounding nation. The news came to Jeroboam, who had found
refuge in the land of Egypt for a few years
he had amassed wealth and influence in Egypt, yet left
it to return to his people. He walked the city streets.
While many kings would have seen a thriving and flourishing culture,
Jeroboam saw laborers who were worked hard and taxed too much.

(07:37):
His days living in Jerusalem with his widowed mother had
made him compassionate towards the suffering and poor in Israel.
Together with a few of the elders in Israel, Jeroboam
approached the new king. He stood before him and said,
your father was a hard master at times. If you
lightened the load of labor and decreased taxes, the people

(07:58):
will love you and thank you. They will be your
loyal servants. Riabaum stroked his young beard. A certain air
of arrogance came off of him. It vexed Jeroboam. Riabaum
deepened his voice and waved his hand like a child,
pretending to be king. He held out his hands and said,
give me three days to think.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
This over and come back for my answer.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
So Jeroboam and the elders left. Riabaum gathered his father's
advisers and asked for their advice. How shall I respond
to their requests, he asked the eldest counselor of the group.
Looked among the men. They all seemed to be in
agreement that Riaboum should lighten the load for the people.
He bowed before the king and said, if you would

(08:43):
become a servant to these people, they will serve you
with loyalty and honor. Riobaum did not like this answer.
He had waited his whole life to become king. He
enjoyed the lavish lifestyle of his father's riches. He enjoyed
the fine wines, the gardens, the women, and the expensive robes.
The last thing Riobouam wanted was to serve anybody. Instead

(09:06):
of heeding their advice, Riobaum gathered his young friends together.
They drank reveled and pretended to speak of the kingdom's
greatest needs. What is your advice, he asked them. How
shall I answer these elders and servants. The young men
were filled with the same self importance as their king.
They responded, just as expected, here is how you handle

(09:29):
the complainers of Israel. Say this to them, I have
more power in my finger than my father did in
his whole body. He lashed you with whips, but I
shall lash you with scorpions.

Speaker 4 (09:40):
Riobaum laughed.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
The cackles of his friends filled the halls. Three days later,
Jeroboam entered into the palace halls with the elders behind him.
Jeroboam was tall, strong, and held his posture in a
commanding demeanor. King Rioboam took notice of this and was
slightly threatened. Riaboh Beaum shifted upright on his throne to
seem taller. He raised his staff in the air and said,

(10:05):
I have my answer.

Speaker 4 (10:08):
The whole crowd was silent.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
My father gave you heavy burdens, but I will make
them even heavier. Jeroboam's fists clenched at the sound of
his words. The king smiled and said, my father last
you with whips, but I shall lash you with scorpions.
His friends laughed behind him, Yet the elders and Jeroboam

(10:31):
were unamused, saying nothing.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
They left the halls.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
So the king was brutal to his people. His cruelty
and taxation increased, and his heavy hands stirred up the
people of Israel. An uproar began to ignite among the people.
They shouted in the city streets down with the legacy
of David. They refused to work any longer and returned
to their homes in protest. Riobaum was livid at their disobedience.

(10:59):
He sent his and furrser Arneium to restore order in
the city streets. However, he was stoned to death as
a message to the king. When Riabaum heard of this,
he hopped on his chariot and hid in the palace
of Jerusalem. From that day forward, the northern tribes of
Israel refused to be ruled by the descendants of David.

(11:20):
The ten northern tribes of Israel gathered together in rejection
of their king. They talked among themselves and decided that
Jeroboam should be their new king. Jeroboam accepted their offer
and ruled over every tribe except for Judah. When Riaboam
heard of this, he amassed a great army of one
hundred eighty thousand troops. He was ready to destroy all

(11:42):
of Israel in vengeance.

Speaker 4 (11:44):
However, the Lord.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Spoke to him sternly, saying, do not attack your brothers,
for this is my doing. So Rioboam cowered in his
palace and ruled over the vast nation of Judah once again.
Israel was a split kingdom. Are no perfect kings. The
entirety of Israel pointed to the faithfulness of God to
work in imperfect people. Solomon, for all his wisdom and

(12:09):
tact as a king, fell prey to the grips of sin.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
His sins trickled down into the heart of his son.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
God would not excuse this, nor would he abandon Israel altogether. Instead,
God would weave Israel's goodness and evil into one tapestry,
ultimately pointing to his grace.

Speaker 3 (12:31):
Today we begin with Solomon, who is still alive. He
has given himself over to his foreign wives and their
false gods, and his wisdom and kindness seems a distant
memory to many. In the Kingdom of Israel, we also
meet a young Israelite leader by the name of Jeroboam.
He was a dedicated and hard worker, but even as

(12:52):
he served the king, Jeroboam witnessed the conflict in Israel
and Solomon's harshness with Jewish workers. La was impressed by
Jeroboam and tasked him with overseeing laborers from the northern
tribes of Ephraim and Manassa. Little did Solomon know that
this began to set the stage for a divided kingdom.

(13:14):
One day, as he was working, Jeroboam encountered the prophet Ahijah,
who delivered a dramatic message to Jeroboam. He tore his
robe into twelve pieces to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel,
and told Jeroboam that God was going to take ten
of the tribes away from Solomon's successor and give them
to Jeroboam. With this promise came a warning he was

(13:39):
being given charge over a vast number of God's people,
so he must follow the Lord and listen always to
his counsel. I can only imagine the weight of all
this news on Jeroboam. Surely he was both excited and
fearful at the same time. Shortly after he received the news, however,
Solomon got wind of this threat to his kingdom and

(14:01):
tried to kill Jeroboam, who had no choice but to
flee to Egypt and hide. After Solomon's death, when Rae
Boam was king, Jeroboam felt it was safe to return,
and for the sake of his people, that's what he did.
His first order of business was to approach the new
king and appeal to him for the people. They were

(14:22):
being worked too hard and taxed too much, So Jeroboam
asked the king to ease their burden. Rayeboam's initial response
seems reasonable. He doesn't immediately deny the request or concede.
He asked for time to consider it. Then he seeks
counsel from the elders, and their response was a wise one.

(14:43):
If he will serve the people, then they will reward
him with service and loyalty of their own. It's the
kind of response Solomon himself would have given in his
younger years when he walked with the lord. Tragically, Rayaboam
wasn't seeking wise counsel. What he wanted was an end answer.
He liked one that stroked his ego. So in One

(15:03):
Kings twelve, verse eight we read this, but he abandoned
the council that the old men gave him and took
counsel with the young men who had grown up with
him and stood before him. So he asked his friends,
his yes men, and they gave him the response he wanted.
Show your power and don't back down. They said, in fact,

(15:24):
turn the heat up. It's a response reminiscent of Pharaoh's
answer to Moses, not of a gentle king who loves
his people, but that's the answer he gave Jeroboam and
the people when they returned. Rather than lighten their load,
he would pile on more. His plan to gain power
and respect by force backfired immediately. When the people saw

(15:47):
that he didn't care for them, they dropped their tools
and abandoned their work. Ray of Boam, rather than acknowledge
his mistake, tried once again to force the people to submit.
He sent an enforcer to put the people back to work,
but the Israelites stoned him to death in the streets.
At the end of the day, Ray of Boham was
left with only two tribes to rule, while the ten

(16:09):
tribes of the north made Jereboam king. And so, just
as God had told Solomon it would happen, the Kingdom
of Israel was split in two. Jeroboam would now have
to remember Ahijah the Prophet's warning to follow God's commandments
and to seek him. How would he fare We'll find

(16:29):
out in tomorrow's reading. Dear God, we thank you always
for your word, for it is light and life to us.
Thank you for the lesson that we learned today, that
it is always right and best to seek wise counsel
rather than foolish counsel. Help us always to listen to
those who give us godly counsel, wise men and women

(16:52):
who seek You and your ways. For we pray this
in Jesus's name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's
Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey
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(17:12):
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(17:33):
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