1 Reis 12

1 Reis 12

Morgan - The old men had counselled Rehoboam to conciliate the people by yielding to their appeal for relief from burdens imposed upon them by Solomon. His folly was manifested in his allowing himself to be influenced by the advice of the hot-headed youth of his court, who counselled him to rule autocratically, and to impose still heavier burdens on the people. The advice of the elders was inspired by desire for true national well-being. The advice of the young men was inspired by selfish passion for place and power. The whole situation was a difficult one. There is no doubt that Solomon had been an autocrat, and had ruled with a hand of iron under the velvet. Some of the worst tyrants the world has ever had have- robbed the people of their rights, and kept them passive by the drug of gorgeous display. So did Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence, and so did Charles I. With the death of Solomon men breathed anew, and discovered their chains. Now was the time for a bid for freedom. Jeroboam returned from Egypt to be the spokesman of this movement. Here was Rehoboam's chance, and he missed it by taking wrongly motived advice. The result was immediate. Ten tribes revolted. The nation was rent in twain, and, judging by human calculation, Judah was on the verge of a war which would have ended in her defeat and subjugation. Then God interfered. No human folly has ever been permitted to continue long enough to thwart His purposes. Shemaiah, a prophet of God, declared to Rehoboam that the revolt was in the Divine plan. He immediately submitted; and the period of the two kingdoms commenced. P G MATTHEW —1 Kings 12:8 In 1 Kings 12, the young king Rehoboam was faced with a major crisis: ten of the twelve Israelite tribes threatened to rebel and break away from his kingdom. Surely Rehoboam needed divine wisdom to avoid a national catastrophe. The king was not without the necessary resources. He knew that the king of Israel was commanded to study God’s word and seek the Lord in prayer, as his father Solomon had done in his youth. Yet Rehoboam failed to do this. Instead, he leaned onto his own understanding, and the country suffered a devastating loss—permanent partition. It appears the king approached his decision with a self-confidence born out of arrogance and pride. Rehoboam came to the elders with his mind already made up, and when their counsel crossed his will, he found younger men who would pamper his ego and rubberstamp his plans. There also were well-known prophets in the land at that time, such as Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, and Shemaiah, the man of God. These men were God’s gifts to the nation to give godly guidance to the leaders responsible for the people’s welfare. Yet we do not see Rehoboam inquiring of these prophets of God. Most importantly, we do not read that Rehoboam sought counsel from the covenant Lord through earnest prayer and serious study of the Scriptures. The king’s disregard for the Bible should not surprise us, for we read in the parallel account, “After Rehoboam’s position as king was established . . . he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD” (2 Chron. 12:1). We all will face important decisions that will impact our family’s and our church’s welfare. If we do not want to repeat King Rehoboam’s grievous mistakes, we must begin by walking in humility and holiness. Then we must earnestly seek the Lord with prayer and fasting, asking for wisdom. Finally, after we have wrestled in honest prayer, we must come to the men of God who have the word of God and accept their counsel so that we may go forward with the assurance that our decision is of God. 1 Kings 12:9 So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 1Ki 22:6-8 2Sa 17:5,6 2Ch 10:9 18:5-7 Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 10:9+ So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” REHOBOAM'S QUESTION TO HIS PEERS So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us - What is sad is there is no mention of either consulting the Word of God or asking the God of the Word His counsel. Ryken - To see how closely the new king identified with these men, we need only notice the pronoun he uses when he addresses them in verse 9: “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” This was the same question that Rehoboam asked in verse 6, only there he had addressed the old men as “you.” Here he uses the pronoun “we.” Even before he makes his decision, we sense that Rehoboam will do whatever his friends tell him to do. There is always a strong temptation to do what our friends tell us to do rather than to do what God says is right. This temptation is especially strong for young people....The danger here is not just for teenagers, however. Even later in life, it is tempting to disregard the counsel of people who are older than we are, assuming that they are out of touch and out of date. Young adults are wise to listen to older Christians, especially in matters of love and romance. Young parents are wise to listen to fathers and mothers whose children have grown up to serve the Lord. Young pastors are wise to consult seasoned, godly elders in the church. At every stage of life, the Lord provides someone to give us good counsel—usually someone who is older and wiser than we are. (1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly) 1 Kings 12:10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! Thus you shall say: 2Sa 17:7-13 My little finger: 2Ch 10:10,11 Pr 10:14 Pr 18:6,7 Pr 28:25 Pr 29:23 Isa 47:6 Related Passages: Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. Proverbs 18:6-7 A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. Proverbs 28:25 An arrogant man stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor. 2 Chronicles 10:10+ The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! FOOLISH ADVICE LEADS TO FATAL CONSEQUENCES The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' - Rehoboam would have been wise to consult the words of his father (see above). These young men likely never experienced the heavy yoke and thus had no compassion for the masses who did. But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins - Their advice is the opposite of that given by the elders. A proverbial mode of expression: "My little finger is thicker than my father's thigh." Rehoboam is saying in essence as much as the thigh surpasses the little finger in thickness (but see Ryken below), so much does my power exceed that of my father; and the use I shall make of it to oppress and tax you shall be in proportion. Foolish, arrogant move to think he was more powerful than his father Solomon! Ryken on My little finger - The language they used to say this was crude, rude, and abusive—an obvious sign of spiritual immaturity. When they talked about Rehoboam’s “little finger,” they actually said “little one,” referring to a different part of his anatomy altogether. (1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly) Iain Provan adds "The Hebrew here is lit. “my little one is thicker than my father’s loins.” If the “little one” is a finger, this is the only place in the OT where it is so. Given the location of the loins in the lower part of the body, and the fact that power and sexual potency were very much associated in the ancient Near East (cf. the commentary on 1 Kgs. 1:1–4), it may well be that the “little one” is in fact the male sexual organ. It is certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility that young men might respond to a challenge by using language containing fairly basic sexual imagery. Whatever is the case, the claim is that Rehoboam is a bigger man than his father—a power to be reckoned with. (See 1 & 2 Kings (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) - Page 58) 1 Kings 12:11 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" I will add: Ex 1:13,14 5:5-9,18 1Sa 8:18 2Ch 16:10 Isa 58:6 Jer 27:11 Jer 28:13,14 scorpions: 1Ki 12:14 Eze 2:6 Rev 9:3-10 Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 10:11+ ‘Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” Figurative Whip with Scorpions Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke ('ol; kloios), I will add to your yoke ('ol; kloios); my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions Bob