Kingdom Divides (1 Kings 11-12)

Wayne Anderson

Walk through the Word 2023 • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

1 Kings 12

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Introduction

Biblical Timeline

United Kingdom under the Kings of Saul, David, and Solomon.

Consequences for Choices and Actions

Generally speaking, Good results should come from good choices and actions and bad things happen from bad choices and actions. This is not 100% because we are in a world with sin. God takes our sin seriously.

Galatians 6:7–10 (ESV)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Sow - to sow (seed) v. — to place or scatter (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth. (Bible Sense)

Reap - to harvest v. — to gather as by reaping or gleaning; used of natural products. (Bible Sense)

Doing Good

to do (act) v. — to carry out or perform an action or course of action. (Bible Sense) (9, 10)

good (moral concept) n. — moral excellence or admirableness. (Bible Sense) (9, 10)

Depending on our choices/actions of sow into the Flesh or Spirit, then what is reaped will be Destruction/Eternal life.

Solomon

Solomon is the 3rd King of Israel.

He built the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

He asked the Lord for wisdom to help him lead and judge the people of Israel.

Although Solomon was given great wisdom from God that was known by all that spoke with him, He made lots of choices that we seen as sinful before the Lord. He, as well as, the Israelites would pay the consequences of his choices and actions.

Sin of Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-8)

Foreign Wives (1-4)

King Solomon married many foreign women (1, 3)

Solomon loved many foreign women.

1 Kings 11:1 (ESV)

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

King Solomon loved all the women from the nations that surrounded the nation of Israel.

Solomon as the writer of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 2:9–10 (ESV)

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.

Solomon although had great wisdom from God, keep nothing away of what he desired.

This will lead to the downfall of Solomon and the division

Solomon married Many women.

1 Kings 11:3 (ESV)

He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

Solomon married these foreign women and was influenced by them. He turned away from the Lord because of the influence of them.

Turned away - to incline v., to make receptive or willing towards an action or attitude or belief. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

God’s Law (2)

1 Kings 11:1–2 (ESV)

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

Foreign women are not the problem, but turning away from God.

It was not that God was against foreign women, but the beliefs of the foreigners. He knew that they women would influence the men to worship the false gods they worship growing up.

Unequally yoked.

Two different animals tied together for pulling wagon or plow.

Marriage is a lifelong commitment to share your lives together. It is important that the couple share the same values and beliefs.

Believer and Non believer, Believer and Believer.

Solomon married women with different gods they serve and worship. They influenced Solomon to build alters and worship other gods.

Worshiped false gods (5-8)

Solomon worshipped false gods (5-6)

1 Kings 11:5–6 (ESV)

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.

Solomon went after foreign gods - to follow (behavior) v., to behave in accordance or in agreement with. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

This displeased the Lord.

Evil behavior

to follow fully v., to accept and follow leadership or guidance to the fullest extent. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Added the worship of these false gods to his worship of YHWH.

He built false alters of worship (7-8)

1 Kings 11:7–8 (ESV)

Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Solomon built High Places near Jerusalem.

high place n., an elevated pagan worship center where offerings were made to pagan gods: (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

He built them near Jerusalem in which he built the temple.

He built alters for his other foreign wives.

700 wives (3)

Judgment from God (1 Kings 11:9-40)

Lord’s Judgment (9-13)

Lord’s Anger (9-10)

1 Kings 11:9–10 (ESV)

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.

Lord’s Judgment (11-13)

1 Kings 11:11–13 (ESV)

Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

Consequence for Solomon’s Sin.

His kingdom will be given to another.

This will take place in the reign of his son.

Only a portion of the Kingdom will remain for the sack of David and Jerusalem.

“The punishment would be in accordance with the terms of the covenant with David. Yet even there God exercised mercy for David’s sake. The kingdom was not taken from Solomon during his lifetime, nor was the kingdom to be totally removed from the line of David. One tribe would remain to fulfill God’s promise to David.” (Patterson, Richard D., and Hermann J. Austel. “1, 2 Kings.” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 Samuel–2 Kings (Revised Edition). Ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009. 730. Print.)

Consequences for our Sin.

“for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

Lord raises up adversaries (14-40)

Raising up 3 Adversaries (14, 23, 26)

1 Kings 11:14 (ESV)

And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.

Adversaries - śāṭān, n.c., adversary, opponent; (The) Satan. 27× - adversary n., someone who offers opposition. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Hadad the Edomite (14-22)

Rezon the son of Eliada (23-25)

Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah (26-40)

Lord’s Prophetic message to Jeroboam (30-33)

Prophets actions (29-30)

1 Kings 11:29–30 (ESV)

And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

prophet n., someone who speaks in behalf of and interprets the will of a supernatural being, often rebuking or predicting events; can be used of poets who were said to be inspired by the gods. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

12 pieces = 12 Tribes

Prophet’s Message (31-33)

1 Kings 11:31–33 (ESV)

And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.

God will accomplish this through a series of events to take 10 tribes away from the kingdom of Solomon and give them to Jeroboam and leave one tribe with Solomon for the sake of David.

Fulfillment of Judgment (1 Kings 12:1-24)

Rehoboam’s Folly (1-15)

Rehoboam made King (12:1)

1 Kings 12:1 (ESV)

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

Jeroboam’s Request (12:4-5)

1 Kings 12:4–5 (ESV)

“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.

Solomon built up cities and buildings throughout the nation. This would require lots of material and labor.

Rehoboam seeks counsel from others before responding.

Rehoboam seeks counsel (12:6-11)

Old Men (7)

1 Kings 12:7 (ESV)

And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”

Lighten the Load and they will submit to you.

Young Men (10-11)

1 Kings 12:10–11 (ESV)

And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”

They feed into Rehoboam’s pride and ego.

Put more pressure on them and force them to do what you want. You are the King, do what you want. They have to submit to you.

Rehoboam’s Answer (12:13-14)

1 Kings 12:13–14 (ESV)

And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”

Results (12:15)

1 Kings 12:15 (ESV)

So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Everything happened according to the word God gave to Solomon. This will lead into the fulfillment of God’s word to Jeroboam.

Kingdom Divided (16-24)

Israel’s response to Rehoboam (12:16-20)

Rejection of Rehoboam (16-19)

1 Kings 12:16–17 (ESV)

And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.

Jeroboam made King (20)

1 Kings 12:20 (ESV)

And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.

Everything happened as God told Jeroboam.

God fulfills judgment (12:21-24)

Civil War (21)

1 Kings 12:21 (ESV)

When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

Rehoboam was going to start a war to remain in power of all Israel.

God’s Intervention (22-24)

1 Kings 12:22–24 (ESV)

But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.

Lesson from Solomon

Solomon’s Sin

Solomon turned away from the Lord and practiced loyalty to the false gods of the nations around him.

He was drawn away from the Lord through his many foreign wives.

He not only worshipped the false gods, but built alters and shrines throughout the country. This influenced the Israelites to follow after the false gods as well.

Do we have people, things, or influences in our lives that cause us to practice things that we know displease God?

God’s Judgment.

God will judge for Sin.

Whatever he judges will come about.

Israel Suffers.

Not only did Solomon suffer because of his Sin, but the nation of Israel because of Him being King and bringing into the Nation.

We will have consequences for our sin as well.

Galatians 6:7–10 (ESV)

Seek to sow into the Spirit and not the Flesh.

Benediction

Galatians 1:2–5 (ESV)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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