1 Kings 12:12,13

B. THE REPLY OF REHOBOAM 12:12-13

TRANSLATION

(12) Then Jeroboam and all the people came unto Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, Return unto me on the third day. (13) And the king answered the people harshly, for he had abandoned the counsel which had been proposed by the elders. (14) And he spoke unto them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will discipline you with scorpions. (15) So the king did not hearken unto the people; for it was a turn of events brought about by the LORD, in order to establish His word, which the LORD had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam son of Nebat.

COMMENTS

On the third day Jeroboam and the representatives of the Northern tribes appeared again before Rehoboam as the king had instructed (1 Kings 12:12). Abandoning the course proposed by the elder statesmen, Rehoboam spoke harshly to the petitioners (1 Kings 12:13), repeating verbatim the declaration of his young advisers (1 Kings 12:14). Rehoboam's pride is inexcusable and reprehensible. Nevertheless, the Lord used this incident to accomplish His purpose of bringing about a division within the kingdom. God may even use the sinful acts of men to accomplish His will. What happened at Shechem led to the fulfillment of the predictions made by the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam some two decades earlier (1 Kings 12:15).