1 Reis 12

1 Reis 12

1 Kings Commentaries Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission 1 Kings Chart from Charles Swindoll THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL 1 Kings 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Rehoboam: 1Ki 11:43 2Ch 10:1-19 Shechem: Ge 12:6, Sichem, Ge 33:18,19 Jos 20:7 24:1,32 Jdg 9:1 Ps 60:6 Ac 7:16, Sychem Related Passages: Joshua 20:7+ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. Joshua 21:20-21+ Then the cities from the tribe of Ephraim were allotted to the families of the sons of Kohath, the Levites, even to the rest of the sons of Kohath. 21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands, Shechem CLICK TO ENLARGE Zondervan Atlas of the Bible: C. Rasmussen (recommended resource - do not reproduce) REHOBOAM'S MISSED OPPORTUNITY Tony Merida - The passage under consideration has it all: political gamesmanship, a stoning, bovine worship, honest preachers, lying preachers, manipulation, deception, stupidity, fear, faith, pronouncements, a withered hand, a destroyed altar, the death of a child, and (oh yeah) a lion mauls a man. Welcome to the part of the Bible few people read! But we should read it, for there’s much to learn here. Over it all is the sovereign God of the universe displaying justice and mercy. We can consider 1 Kings 12:1–14:20 under four headings: division, downfall, disobedience, and death. The kingdom is divided, just as God promised (12:1–24). Downfall happens in every way, most dreadfully perhaps through Israel’s worship of a golden calf (12:25–33). Disobedience persists, even in the prophets’ lives (13:1–34). Death occurs, most vividly with the death of Jeroboam’s child (14:1–20). (See Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings) Then - Time phrase marking progression in the narrative. Solomon has died and Rehoboam is the replacement in 1 Kings 11:43+ "And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place." Rehoboam went to Shechem - Solomon had many sons but Rehoboam was his oldest, by his favorite wife and his choice among many. It is very likely that one of the reasons Rehoboam chose Shechem was to appease the northern tribes and keep the united monarchy. Historically there had always been jealousy and tension between Judah and the northern tribes, so as they say this was "an accident waiting to happen". Of course, it was not truly an accident because the division was the sovereign will of Jehovah. See Shechem on map above just north of the border of the tribe of Ephraim. The map is somewhat misleading in my opinion as it suggests Shechem is north of the borders of the tribe of Ephraim. Shechem was in Ephraim’s tribal land but had deep connections to Manasseh Ephraim’s brother. Joshua 20:7+ and Joshua 21:20-21+ state that Shechem was designated as a Levitical city in the territory of Ephraim, meaning the Levites lived there and it was also a city of refuge. David