NOTES for Ch2 10:1-19
1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king. |
2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. |
3 And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, |
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, 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, they will be thy servants for ever. |
8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him. |
9 And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us? |
10 And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. |
11 For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more 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 on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day. |
13 And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, |
14 And answered them after the advice 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 the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. |
16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents. |
17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. |
18 Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. |
19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. |
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As soon as Rehoboam becomes king, he brings his state to a split. This proved easy; all it took was to rely on the flatterers among his two groups of advisers and yield to the temptation of simple solutions. Let all my subjects see how tough I am and not dare to protest!
As a result, the strength Rehoboam hoped to display proved to be weakness. It is astonishing how little benefit this bitter lesson has brought, and to this day many politicians continue to act like Rehoboam, harming both themselves and their states. Later, amid the ruins, they come to their senses, but it is already too late: what has been lost cannot be recovered. Even then, however, it is difficult to admit that it was not so much the schemes of enemies as you yourself who brought matters to catastrophe.
Not only the state but also the people divides into two parts. Spiritual unity has been broken, and as a result the weakened national body became more susceptible to pagan diseases. Indeed, the consequences of ill-considered actions too often prove more destructive than even the most sober-minded people could have imagined, let alone the reckless initiators of those actions.
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