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| 1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. |
Rehoboam – Solomon's son by a heathen mother; had inherited personal beauty from both parents. R4722:3
To make him king – Rehoboam was about 21 when he came to the throne of a great kingdom; and he quickly dissipated a vast fortune. R4722:3
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| 2 And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (now he was yet in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt; |
Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt – Where he had fled when Solomon suppressed his incipient rebellion. R4723:3
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| 3 and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, |
Called him – From exile in Egypt, to become leader and spokesman of the ten tribes. R4722:6
Spake unto Rehoboam – A council of all the tribes except the one to which the royal family belonged. R3384:3
They were not satisfied and would not acknowledge him as king unless he gave them what might be termed a bill of rights. R4722:6
Saying – They inquired what he would promise in the way of a reform government. R4722:6
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| 4 Thy father made our yoke grievous; and now lighten thou the grievous servitude of thy father and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee. |
Make our yoke grievous – By providing magnificent palaces for himself and his heathen wives, gardens, raiment, chariots and soldiers. R2046:5
The capital city had been favored out of all proportion to the remainder of the country, and the ten tribes had shared in a labor conscription at small compensation. R5723:1
They were ready to break out in open rebellion. R3384:3
Even today many of the best governed and most prosperous are discontented. R3384:3
Make . . . lighter – The Jews as a people have always zealously guarded their liberties. R2068:6
They wished assurance that there would be an abatement of demands of levies of men for public labor, of taxes, liberties, etc. R3384:3
A demand similar to that of the British public in connection with the Magna Charta. R5723:1
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| 5 And he said to them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. |
Depart ... three days – He and all realized that a crisis had come, too weighty to be decided hastily. R4722:6
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| 6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, How do ye advise to return answer to this people? |
King Rehoboam – Recognized as king by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. R4722:6
Consulted – In every enterprise of life we should seek counsel. R4723:4
With the old men – His father's counselors; to know their advice. R4722:6
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| 7 And they spoke to him saying, If this day thou wilt be a servant to this people, and wilt serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever. |
They spake unto him – Their recommendations were good, exactly what the ten tribes desired. R4723:1
If thou wilt be a servant – Proper advice--a ruler should be the servant of his people. R5723:5
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| 8 But he forsook the advice of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men, who had grown up with him, that stood before him. |
He forsook the counsel – The golden rule, laid down by the great head of Christianity, is rejected as impracticable. R5723:5
Consulted with the young – His friends, whom he was disposed to bring into power with himself. R4723:1
His course should have been to seek counsel from the Lord. R2324:4
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| 9 And he said to them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people who have spoken to me saying, Lighten the yoke which thy father put upon us? |
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| 10 And the young men that had grown up with him spoke to him saying, Thus shalt thou say to this people that have spoken to thee saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, and lighten thou it for us, --thus shalt thou say to them: My little finger is thicker than my father's loins; |
Spake unto him – To intimidate, rule with a heavy hand. R4723:1
Shall be thicker – Unwise, boastful, vainglorious language, which no doubt was the abundant overflow of a heart in similar condition. R2324:4
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| 11 and whereas my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, *I* will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but *I* will chastise you with scorpions. |
With scorpions – Whips with metal lumps on the strands. R3384:6, R5723:2
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| 12 And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed saying, Come again to me on the third day. |
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| 13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the advice of the old men which they had given him; |
Answered ... roughly – The young king had not been rightly taught the principles of justice in human affairs. Pride and ambition are dangerous counselors. R4723:1
Wealth, power, influence, gained through oppression and injustice, are unworthy of noble minds. R4723:4
Forsook the old men's – Made an unwise decision and lost the greater part of the kingdom. R4723:1
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| 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but *I* will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but *I* will chastise you with scorpions. |
I will chastise you – The answer was a foolish one and precipitated the separation of the ten tribes from the two. R3384:6, R5723:2
Scorpions – Whip with metal pricks at the ends of the thongs. Drafted men were treated as the veriest slaves, under taskmasters with whips. R4723:1, R2324:3
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| 15 So the king hearkened not to the people; for it was brought about by Jehovah, that he might give effect to his word, which Jehovah spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. |
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| 16 And all Israel saw that the king hearkened not to them; and the people answered the king saying, What portion have we in David? And we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse: To your tents, O Israel! Now see to thine own house, David! And Israel went to their tents. |
All Israel – Ten tribes, and the adjacent kingdom which had been under Solomon's sovereignty. R4723:1
Israel departed – The ten tribes revolted and maintained the title, "kingdom of Israel." The two tribes were called the "kingdom of Judah" for over 500 years. R3385:4, R5723:2
393 years before the overthrow of Zedekiah, corresponding to the division of Christendom into Papacy and Protestantism in the year 1521, when Luther was excommunicated. R3574:1*
Unto their tents – Splits in the nominal mass, and the resulting benefits, do not justify splits among those faithful to the Lord. R2325:4
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| 17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. |
Children of Israel – Refers to the Israelites from all those tribes which dwelt in the cities of Judah who were not moved to join with their tribes in the rebellion. C292; R3385:4, R1341:1
Judah – In which God, through the prophet, had declared that his blessings should come. R3385:4
Reigned over them – Thus loyal to the Lord whose worship centered in Jerusalem, and to the tribes of Judah, from which the promised king was to come; typifying the siftings of spiritual Israel. R3385:2
Spiritual Israelites should notice that the Lord overruled in all the affairs of the typical people for the welfare of the true-hearted and should expect the same. R3385:4
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| 18 And king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the levy; but all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam hastened to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. |
Adoram – Secretary of the treasury, the one having charge over the assessments, etc., same as in 1 Kings 4:6. R3385:4
Stoned him – After the manner of their time. R3385:5
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| 19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day. |
Israel – The ten tribes maintained the title "kingdom of Israel" for over 500 years, until the return from captivity. R5723:2, R3384:6
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| 20 And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, that they sent and called him to the assembly, and made him king over all Israel: none followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. |
Made him king – The ten tribes chose Jeroboam for their king and supported a separate government. R3385:5
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| 21 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem; and he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men apt for war, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. |
To fight – King Rehoboam, loath to lose so large a part of his empire, at first thought to compel the union by putting down the rebellion. R3385:5
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| 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, |
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| 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remainder of the people, saying, |
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| 24 Thus saith Jehovah: Go not up, nor fight with your brethren, the children of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing is from me. And they hearkened to the word of Jehovah, and returned to depart, according to the word of Jehovah. |
Ye shall not – It was part of the divine plan that the nations should be divided. R3385:5
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| 25 And Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. |
Jeroboam – Of the tribe of Ephraim, a man of large natural ability but inclined to be worldly-wise and to neglect his God and his religion. R4723:2
Possessed more of confidence in himself than of trust in God, more of impatience to be king than of loyalty. R4723:3, R3385:3
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| 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David. |
Said in his heart – Decided to take the selfish course. R4723:5
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| 27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. |
If this people go – To worship yearly, they would again draw back to the kings of the line of David. R5732:2
At Jerusalem – By divine order, the center of religious service. R3385:6
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| 28 And the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt! |
Two calves – Probably because the people, while in Egypt, were accustomed to the worship of the sacred bull, Apis, of Egyptian mythology. R2325:5
One of the first arrangements was to break the religious tie. R3386:1, R2325:3
For policy's sake, he led the nation directly into idolatry. R4723:6
Of gold – Probably made of wood, overlaid with gold. R3386:2
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| 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. |
The one in Beth-el – Where Jacob had his dream, and which was therefore somewhat sacred to the minds of the children of Israel. R3386:1
In the southern part of the territory. R5732:3
Dan – In the northern part of the territory. R5732:3
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| 30 And this thing became a sin; and the people went to worship before the one, as far as Dan. |
Became a sin – Because it was contrary to the divine arrangement and led them gradually into idolatry. R3386:2, R5732:3
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| 31 And he made a house of high places, and made priests from all classes of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. |
The sons of Levi – Probably, though not so stated, the Levites refused in the establishment of these unauthorized religious services. Consequently many of them removed to the kingdom of Judah. R3386:3
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| 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. |
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| 33 And he offered upon the altar that he had made in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he made a feast for the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar, burning incense. |
And burnt incense – Similarly the emperors of Rome took to themselves the priestly office that they might the more effectually bind the people to them. R3386:4
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