1 Reis 12
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Reis 12
Spurgeon: Notice also, dear friends, that God is in events which are produced by the sin and the stupidity of men. This breaking up of the kingdom of Solomon into two parts was the result of Solomon’s sin and Rehoboam’s folly; yet God was in it: “This thing is from me, saith the Lord.” God had nothing to do with the sin or the folly, but in some way which we can never explain, in a mysterious way in which we are to believe without hesitation, God was in it all. That (term of purpose) - In other words the writer gives the purpose (or result) of this turn of events from Yahweh. He might establish (NET - bring to pass; ESV - fulfill) His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat - Divine prophetic promises made, prophetic promises kept! As Dale Ralph Davis says "God stirred up the people to revolt from a man who had neither skill nor humanity to govern them. God serves his own wise and righteous purpose by the imprudences and iniquities of men, and snares sinners in the work of their own hands. "He maketh the wrath of man to praise him." (1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly) Rehoboam is fatally responsible even for what God is seen to have already decreed. R S Wallace adds "The writer clearly demonstrates that it was Rehoboam's pride and stupidity that brought about the split in the kingdom. Nevertheless he affirms that God Himself took control of everything that happened and worked His will through it all. Rehoboam did not listen to the people "for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD, that He might fulfill His world." God is always LORD over what happens. He knows and directs the course of events. Yet each person involved has to make real and crucial decisions about his or her own part in what is taking place. God is always ready in His grace to relax and change His own course if His people in their freedom will repent and change their. Rehoboam is fatally responsible even for what God is seen to have already decreed." (BORROW Readings in I Kings : an interpretation arranged for personal and group Bible study with questions and notes, PAGE 80) Tony Merida - Over it all, however, is God. The writer says, “The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the LORD to carry out His word” (v. 15). Thus we see divine sovereignty and human responsibility here (cf. Exod 4:21; 7:3–4; 7:13). This event isn’t “mechanical” (Davis, 1 Kings, 128). God didn’t violate Rehoboam’s will. The young king made his own stupid decision. Yet this whole event happened through a turn of events from the Lord. God isn’t surprised. God is actually accomplishing His purposes. We see this sort of dynamic—sovereignty and responsibility—at work in the cross of Christ (Acts 2:23). In the middle of political and social chaos, we should remember that God sits in the heavens and does as He pleases (Ps 115:3). This should encourage all believers in general and those living under oppressive governments in particular. God will have the last word. God is in charge. We may not be able to answer all of the questions related to divine sovereignty, but that’s not the point. The point is, because God reigns supremely, we should humble ourselves before Him and trust Him. (See Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings) QUESTION - How does God’s sovereignty work together with free will? ANSWER - It is impossible for us to fully understand the dynamics of a holy God molding and shaping the will of man. Scripture is clear that God knows the future (Matthew 6:8; Psalm 139:1-4) and has total sovereign control over all things (Colossians 1:16-17; Daniel 4:35). The Bible also says that we must choose God or be eternally separated from Him. We are held responsible for our actions (Romans 3:19; 6:23; 9:19-21). How these facts work together is impossible for a finite mind to comprehend (Romans 11:33-36). People can take one of two extremes in regard to this question. Some emphasize the sovereignty of God to the point that human beings are little more than robots simply doing what they have been sovereignly programmed to do. Others emphasize free will to the point of God not having complete control and/or knowledge of all things. Neither of these positions is biblical. The truth is that God does not violate our wills by choosing us and redeeming us. Rather, He changes our hearts so that our wills choose Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19), and “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). What are we to do then? First, we are to trust in the Lord, knowing that He is in control (Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s sovereignty is supposed to be a comfort to us, not an issue to be concerned about or debate over. Second, we are to live our lives making wise decisions in accordance with God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:5). There will be no excuses before God for why we chose to disobey Him. We will have no one to blame but ourselves for our sin. Last but not least, we are to worship the Lord, praising Him that He is so wonderful, infinite, powerful, full of grace and mercy—and sovereign. D A Carson - 1 Kings 11:11–13, 29–39; 12:1ff (cf. 2 Chronicles 10:15; 11:4) That the behaviour of Rehoboam was foolish, immature, harsh and unsympathetic cannot be doubted. Nevertheless, the entire event—including Rehoboam’s folly—is attributed to a ‘turn of affairs’ (1 Kgs. 12:15; 2 Chr. 10:15) from Yahweh.12 At least part of the reason for Yahweh’s action is given to us: he was fulfilling his word through Ahijah the prophet (11:29–39). This in turn arose out of Solomon’s idolatry (11:11–13; cf. Exod. 20:5b=Deut. 5:9b), and therefore Yahweh’s action was in part judicial. It functions further to explain why Rehoboam did not fight. But the crucial point to observe is the tension between God’s sovereignty over the event, and Rehoboam’s reprehensible conduct within that framework. The sovereignty-responsibility tension is certainly not eased by the later developments of Jeroboam’s evil (14:6ff.). (Borrow Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility page 12) Related Resource: 13 page article by J I Packer entitled Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility 1 Kings 12:16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel departed to their tents. What portion: 2Sa 20:1 2Ch 10:16 to your tents: 1Ki 22:17,36 Now look after your own house: 1Ki 11:13,34,36,39 2Sa 7:15,16 Ps 2:1-6 76:10 89:29-37 132:17 Isa 7:2,6,7 9:6,7 Jer 23:5,6 33:15,16,21 Lu 19:14,27 Israel: Jdg 8:35 2Sa 15:13 16:11 Related Passages: 2 Samuel 20:1+ Now a worthless fellow happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!” 2 Chronicles 10:16+ When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel; Now look after your own house, David.” So all Israel departed to their tents. THE SECESSION OF THE NORTH FROM THE SOUTH When all Israel (IN CONTEXT = 10 NORTHERN TRIBES) saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying - Rehoboam foolish words have blown it! A heavy yoke and "scorpion whip" convinced them it was time to revolt. Remember that through all of these events is the strong undercurrent of the mystery of God's sovereignty (He had predicted this division) and human responsibility (the northern tribes choose to separate). "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse - This is a strong statement. They utter the cry of Sheba in 2Sa 20:1+. "David" and "Son of Jesse" refer to the House of David, from which Rehoboam descended. The people of Israel (northern tribes) no longer saw themselves as part of the Davidic kingdom. In effect they are now rejecting Rehoboam’s rule. For the remainder of Israel's OT history it would be "a house divided." To your tents, O Israel! This was an ancient battle cry (meaning something like "Every man for himself!") and in this context a call to rebellion and marks the inception of the divided kingdom. The 10 northern tribes are done with the House of David! "Tents" symbolized their families and homes, meaning they no longer recognized Rehoboam as king. What a change from 1 Kings 8:66 when "On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people." Now look after your own house, David!" This was a direct challenge to Rehoboam, essentially saying: "You are no longer our king! Rule over your own people, not us!" And it is also in effect an attack on the Davidic Covenant. Philip Ryken - With these words, Jeroboam and the northern tribes rejected the house of David, and with it, they rejected the way of salvation....To be sure, there were still some people in the northern kingdom of Israel who worshiped the God of Israel. We will meet some of them later in 1 and 2 Kings. But as a nation, they were rebelling against God’s true king. Rather than walking the narrow path of salvation with the royal tribe of Judah, the ten tribes of Israel were heading down the broad highway to destruction. Jeroboam’s rebellion against Rehoboam is reminiscent of the opening words of Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’ ” (Ps. 2:1–3). This is what Jeroboam did: he took counsel against the Lord’s anointed. If only he had heeded the warning from the end of the psalm: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled” (Ps. 2:10–12). (1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly) So (term of conclusion - a very bad one at that!) Israel departed to their tents This signifies the official separation of the northern tribes from Rehoboam’s rule. The ten northern tribes formed their own kingdom, which would be led by Jeroboam. QUESTION - Why was Israel divided into the Southern Kingdom and Northern Kingdom? ANSWER - Throughout their history in the Promised Land, the children of Israel struggled with conflict among the tribes. The disunity went back all the way to the patriarch Jacob, who presided over a house divided. The sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel had their share of contention even in Jacob’s lifetime (Genesis 37:1-11). The enmity among the half-brothers continued in the time of the judges. Benjamin (one of Rachel’s tribes) took up arms against the other tribes (Judges 20). Israel’s first king, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin. When David was crowned king—David was from the tribe of Judah (one of Leah’s tribes)—the Benjamites rebelled (2 Samuel 2–3). After a long war (2 Samuel 3:1), David succeeded in uniting all twelve tribes (2Sa 5:1-5). The frailty of the union was exposed, however, when David’s son Absalom promoted himself as the new king and drew many Israelites away from their allegiance to David (2 Samuel 15). Significantly, Absalom set up his throne in Hebron, the site of the former capital (v. 10). A later revolt was led by a man named Sheba against David and the tribe of Judah (2Sa 20:1-2). The reign of David’s son Solomon saw more unrest when one of the king’s servants, Jeroboam, rebelled. Jeroboam was on the king’s errand when he met the prophet Ahijah, who told him that God was going to give him authority over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. God’s reason for the division of the kingdom was definitive: “Because they have forsaken me . . . and have not walked in my ways.” However, God promised that David’s dynasty would continue, albeit over a much smaller kingdom, for the sake of God’s covenant with David and for the sake of Jerusalem, God’s chosen city. When Solomon learned of the prophecy, he sought to kill Jeroboam, who fled to Egypt for sanctuary (1 Kings 11:26-40). After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam was set to become the next king. Jeroboam returned from Egypt and led a group of people to confront Rehoboam with a demand for a lighter tax burden. When Rehoboam refused the demand, ten of the tribes rejected Rehoboam and David’s dynasty (1 Kings 12:16), and Ahijah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to King Rehoboam. The northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam made plans to mount an assault on the rebel tribes, but the Lord prevented him from taking that action (vv. 21-24). Meanwhile, Jeroboam further consolidated his power by instituting a form of calf worship unique to his kingdom and declaring that pilgrimages to Jerusalem were unnecessary. Thus, the people of the northern tribes would have no contact with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kings 12:19). The northern kingdom is called “Israel” (or sometimes “Ephraim”) in Scripture, and the southern kingdom is called “Judah.” From the divine viewpoint, the division was a judgment on not keeping God’s commands, specifically the commands prohibiting idolatry. From a human viewpoint, the division was the result of tribal discord and political unrest. The principle is that sin brings division (1 Corinthians 1:13, 11:18; James 4:1). The good news is that God, in His mercy, has promised a reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms. “He will raise a banner for the nations / and gather the exiles of Israel; / he will assemble the scattered people of Judah / from the four quarters of the earth. / Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, / and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; / Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, / nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim” (Isaiah 11:12-13). When the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ—reigns in His millennial kingdom, all hostility, jealousy, and conflict among the tribes will be put to rest. GotQuestions.org 1 Kings 12:17 But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. sons of Israel 1Ki 11:13,36 2Ch 10:17 11:13-17 Related Passages: 1 Kings 11:13+ (JEHOVAH SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO SOLOMON) “However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” 1 Kings 11:36+ (JEHOVAH SPEAKING THROUGH HIS PROPHET ABIJAH) But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 2 Chronicles 10:17+ But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Divided Kingdoms REHOBOAM REIGNS OVER JUDAH But - Term of contrast. The contrast is with the action of the 10 northern tribes versus the loyalty of Judah. As for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them - Just as God had stated (1Ki 11:13) He would leave one tribe for Solomon's son.
1 Reis 12
Spurgeon - “Here is one Shemaiah, – some of you never heard of him before, perhaps you will never hear of him again; he appears once in this history, and then he vanishes; he comes, and he goes, – only fancy this one man constraining to peace a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, warriors ready to fight against the house of Israel, by giving to them in very plain, unpolished words, the simple command of God… Why have we not such power? Peradventure, brethren, we do not always speak in the name of the Lord, or speak God’s Word as God’s Word. If we are simply tellers out of our own thoughts, why should men mind us?” Warren
1 Reis 12
Spurgeon - So far, so good. There was some degree of the fear of God in the minds of men when, at the bidding of a single prophet, a king would disband his troops, and cease from war. Here are some "takeaways" from this episode with the prophet Shemaiah... ✅ God is in control of history – The division of Israel wasn’t random; it was God’s plan. ✅ Obedience to God’s word brings peace – Rehoboam avoided war by listening to Shemaiah. ✅ True prophets speak even in difficult times – Shemaiah spoke God’s word boldly, even when addressing a king. 1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. Then Jeroboam built: 1Ki 9:15,17,18 15:17 16:24 2Ch 11:5-12 Shechem: 1Ki 12:1 Jdg 9:1,45-49 built Penuel: Ge 32:30,31 Jdg 8:8,17 Related Passages: 1 Kings 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Map Showing Possible Location of Penuel (Source: ESV Global Study Bible) KING JEROBOAM'S EARLY BUILDING PROJECTS Then - Time phrase. Then marks progression in the narrative, here moving us from the events in the Southern Kingdom to the events in the Northern Kingdom. Given that First Kings is a very historical narrative with frequent shifts between the northern and southern kingdoms, it should not be surprising that we encounter over 150 uses of THEN in the First Kings record. Tony Merida makes an interesting observation - Before taking a quick look at that event, we must realize how often this tragic downfall is referenced in the book of Kings. The writer constantly refers to Jeroboam’s idolatry as Israel’s characteristic sin that eventually leads them into exile (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 109; e.g., 1 Kgs 15:26, 34; 2 Kgs 17:20–23). This is a tragic downfall. Several application questions emerge from this story. We need to consider this account since we too are prone to sink into the pit of idolatry. Three causes of Jeroboam’s false worship are (1) his lack of trust in God, (ED: HE HAD A CLEAR PROPHETIC PROMISE FROM GOD - 1Ki 11:31-39!+) (2) his lack of love for God, and (3) his lack of the fear of God. Provan adds "In spite of the clear prophetic word of Ahijah in 1Ki 11:31–39, he is not prepared to leave it to God to maintain his hold over the northern tribes. He fears that the presence of the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem (12:27) will be a more decisive factor in this matter than his own obedience (11:38). It is this inability to trust that is his downfall, for he must now strive for security by himself. In his thinking, religion becomes simply an aspect of political control; such faulty thinking about the place of God in the universe, combined with advice (v. 28) just as flawed as that given to Rehoboam, inevitably leads him to sinful actions. (See 1 & 2 Kings (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) - Page 60) Patterson writes that "The people, however, must be cared for not only administratively but also religiously. Here Jeroboam miscalculated and substituted human wisdom for divine direction. Although God may have allowed the kingdom to be divided politically, he intended no theological schism." (See 1 Samuel - 2 Kings - Volume 3 - Page 743) Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. As discussed in detail in the notes on 1Ki 12:1 Shechem was a major historical and political city in Israel located in Ephraim which was one of the strongest northern tribes. Jeroboam was seeking to make it a "new (or alternative) Jerusalem." It is ironic that Rehoboam had journeyed there from Jerusalem to be crowned king, but now King Jeroboam makes that his capital. Of course Shechem was centrally located, making it a strategic capital, was in his own tribal territory (Ephraim), giving him support and was a symbolic city so that he was taking control of a city with deep national history (see notes). Bob
1 Reis 12
Spurgeon - “Men are willing to worship God if they are allowed to have a ritual and symbols which they have themselves devised” 1 Kings 12:29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Bethel: Ge 12:8 28:19 35:1 Ho 4:15 Dan: Ge 14:14 De 34:1 Jdg 18:29-31 20:1 2Ki 10:29 Jer 8:16 Am 8:14 Related Passages: Deuteronomy 12:5-6+ “But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. 6 “There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. SEE DAN IN FAR NORTH, BETHEL (BETEL) IN SOUTH IDOLS CONVENIENTLY PLACED SOUTH AND NORTH He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan Jeroboam's false religious centers were (in his deceived mind) strategically placed in the southern portion of the kingdom at Bethel and the northern portion at Dan in the far north. Note that this is a clear violation of Dt 12:5+ which states Israel was to "seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come." And of course that place was His Temple in Jerusalem. Click to take a walk through Tell Dan! Ponder the consequences of sin unhinged! Henry