2 Chronicles 10:1-19

II. THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM
(2 Chronicles 10:1 to 2 Chronicles 36:21)

1. JEROBOAM'S REVOLUTION (Chapter 10)

TEXT

2 Chronicles 10:1. And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon), that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. 3. And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake to Rehoboam, saying, 4. Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 5. And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

6. And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? 7. And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. 8. But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. 9. And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that ye may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, -Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter-'? 10. And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto the people that spake unto thee, saying, -Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us;-' thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. 11. -And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.-'
12. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the third day. 13. And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, 14. and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 15. So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was brought about of God, that Jehovah might establish his word, which he spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16. And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So all Israel departed unto their tents. 17. But as the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18. Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to taskwork; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

PARAPHRASE

2 Chronicles 10:1. All the leaders of Israel came to Shechem for Rehoboam's coronation. 2, 3. Meanwhile, friends of Jeroaboam (son of Nebat) sent word to him of Solomon's death. He was in Egypt at the time, where he had gone to escape from King Solomon. He now quickly returned, and was present at the coronation, and led the people's demands on Rehoboam: 4. Your father was a hard master, they said. Be easier on us than he was, and we will let you be our king! 5. Rehoboam told them to return in three days for his decision.

6. He discussed their demand with the old men who had counseled his father Solomon. What shall I tell them? he asked. 7. If you want to be their king, they replied, you will have to give them a favorable reply and treat them with kindness. 8, 9. But he rejected their advice and asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him. What do you fellows think I should do? he asked. Shall I be easier on them than my father was? 10. No! they replied. Tell them, -If you think my father was hard on you, just wait and see what I-'ll be like!-' Tell them -My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 11. I am going to be tougher on you, not easier! My father used whips on you, but I-'ll use scorpions!-'
12. So when Jeroboam and the people returned in three days to hear King Rehoboam's decision, 13. he spoke roughly to them; for he refused the advice of the old men, 14. and followed the counsel of the younger ones. My father gave you heavy burdens but I will give you heavier! he told them, My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions! 15. So the king turned down the people's demands. (God caused him to do it in order to fulfill his prediction spoken to Jeroboam by Ahijah, the Shilonite.)
16. When the people realized what the king was saying they turned around and deserted him. Forget David and his dynasty! they shouted angrily. We-'ll get someone else to be our king. Let Rehoboam rule his own tribe of Judah! Let's go home! So they did. 17. The People of the tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to Rehoboam. 18. Afterwards, when King Rehoboam sent Hadoram to draft forced labor from the other tribes of Israel, the people stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam he jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19. And Israel has refused to be ruled by a descendant of David to this day.

COMMENTARY

Solomon's name meant Peace and described his character and the nature of his reign. Rehoboam's name meant the people are enlarged or one who sets the people free. There was bound up in Rehoboam's name Solomon's hope for Israel. Rehoboam's actions contradicted the anticipation in his name. The selection of Shechem for the great national gathering was unusual. Jerusalem was the capital. The Temple was in Jerusalem. Shechem was in Ephraim about thirty miles north of Jerusalem. Whether Rehoboam went there by choice or was advised by the people that this was where they would meet him is not clear. The people of Israel gathered there to make him king if he would meet their conditions.

When Ahijah had revealed to Jeroboam that Jehovah would give him ten parts of the kingdom (1 Kings 11:31), Jeroboam conspired to take the throne from Solomon. The conspiracy failed. Jeroboam was able to find refuge in Egypt where he remained until Solomon's death. Jeroboam had friends in Ephraim and other northern tribes who looked to him for leadership. In the meeting at Shechem, Jeroboam is the champion of the ten tribes. He and the elders of these tribes presented themselves before Rehoboam with their requests. Solomon's demands upon Israel had become very galling especially in the latter half of his reign. There was much wealth; but the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. Social injustice was evident throughout the kingdom. The people were burdened with excessive taxation. They had been pushed to the point of rebellion. They asked that their heavy yoke be made lighter. They requested a readjustment of personal responsibilities with regard to the kingdom. From a human viewpoint, Rehoboam probably could have made the necessary adjustments and the kingdom would have remained united. From Jehovah's viewpoint His purpose was that the kingdom should now be divided (1 Kings 12:15). Rehoboam would rule over Judah and Jeroboam would lead the ten northern tribes. Faced with this serious request, Rehoboam promised an answer within three days. Rehoboam used the time to seek the advice of counselors. He turned to the old men, contemporaries of Solomon. They advised that he follow a policy of kindness and consideration for the people. Even here, Jehovah was at work as Rehoboam rejected good advice. Having decided what he wanted to do, his heart was hardened as was the case with Pharaoh in Moses-' day. At this time Rehoboam was forty one years old (1 Kings 14:21). He turned to younger men, those of his own generation for advice. They advised him to be stern, kingly, demanding. They fed Rehoboam's ego, reminded him of his authority, sent him to the people with a proverbial expressionmy little finger is thicker than my father's loins. The people understood that if they had found Solomon's regime burdensome, Rehoboam's would be unbearable. They could not and would not live with scorpions. The scorpion was a creature which was able to inflict a person with a very painful sting. The term was also used as a name for a whip made of rawhide thongs to which pieces of lead were attached. Rehoboam threatened to coerce Israel and rule as a despot. When the appointed time came, the king hatefully announced his policy to the people. 2 Chronicles 10:15 reviews Jehovah's purpose in this matter. It must be understood that Jehovah did not use Rehoboam as a pawn. What the king decided to do was, first of all his own decision. When he would not do God's will, his heart was hardened. In these matters we cannot limit Jehovah's knowledge of the past, present and future. He is omniscient. At the same time, He allows personal choice and holds man responsible for that choice.

When the people heard Rehoboam's insulting speech, they lifted up the cry of rebellion and left the scene in an angry mood. Perhaps some of the people were glad for an occasion to rebel. Others among them were perplexed. Israel, as a name, from this time specially identified the ten northern tribes. The rebel cry, what portion have we in David? Every man to your tents, had been heard in Sheba's rebellion against David (2 Samuel 20:1). The tribes of Judah, Simeon and a part of Benjamin submitted to Rehoboam's kingship. All of the other tribes of Israel turned to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and made him king. This was a tragic day in Hebrew history. Rehoboam made a futile attempt to bring the northern tribes under his rule. Hadoram (Adoram1 Kings 12:18) was sent to organize some forced labor or to arrange for tribute to be paid to Rehoboam. The king, Rehoboam, kept himself at a safe distance. When Hadoram was stoned to death by the rebels, Rehoboam hurried to the safety of Jerusalem. The division between Judah in the south and Israel in the north continued until the time of the Babylonian captivity.