1 Reis 11

1 Reis 11

MacArthur: In contrast to Hadad and Rezon, who were external adversaries of Solomon, God raised up Jeroboam from a town in Ephraim, as an internal adversary. Jeroboam was from Ephraim the leading tribe of Israel’s northern 10 tribes. He was a young man of talent and energy who, having been appointed by Solomon as leader over the building works around Jerusalem, rose to public notice. (The MacArthur Study Bible: Holy Bible, New ... - Page 493) Iain Provan: A divided heart will lead to a divided kingdom: that was effectively God’s promise to Solomon in 1Ki 11:9–13. This last section on the great king pursues this theme of division. It tells us of still further seeds of destruction that were planted in the earlier part of his reign and have now grown into plants whose shadow looms darkly over the kingdom. It tells of opposition on the edges of the empire, and it introduces for the first time the man who will be the focal point of that same opposition within Israel itself—the man who will eventually become king of the northern tribes in place of Solomon’s son. He is Jeroboam son of Nebat; his name will later echo throughout the book as that of the archidolater. (SEE 1 & 2 Kings (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) - Page 42) QUESTION - Who was King Jeroboam in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim, a servant of King Solomon’s, and the son of a widow. He later became the first king of the divided northern kingdom of Israel. He is first mentioned in 1 Kings 11:26: “Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.” Jeroboam was a skilled worker, and, “when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work,” he placed Jeroboam over the labor force of the tribes of Joseph (1 Kings 11:28). One day, the prophet Ahijah approached Jeroboam with a prophecy. The prophet tore a new cloak into 12 pieces and said, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes’” (1 Kings 11:31). The idol worship of the Israelites caused God to divide the kingdom (1 Kings 11:33). The house of David would retain a remnant of the kingdom, including Jerusalem, because of God’s covenant with David (1 Kings 11:32). After this, “Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt...and stayed there until Solomon’s death” (1 Kings 11:40). Following Solomon’s death, Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king and foolishly threatened to make life more difficult for the people of the land (1 Kings 12:14). This led to a rebellion against Rehoboam, and the ten northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king (1 Kings 12:20). The division predicted by Ahijah came to pass (1 Kings 12:15). Jeroboam had been promised great blessings and a continuing dynasty if he would follow the Lord (1 Kings 11:38). However, Jeroboam did not obey the Lord. Instead, he had two golden calves made for the people to worship in the northern kingdom and made priests and celebrations for them. This idolatry is often referred to as “the sins of Jeroboam” in later chapters of 1 and 2 Kings. King Jeroboam was confronted by an unnamed prophet from Judah (1 Kings 13:1–10). Later, the prophet Ahijah pronounced a severe judgment on Jeroboam and his family because of Jeroboam’s blatant rejection of the Lord: “I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!” (1 Kings 14:10–11). In total, Jeroboam reigned over the northern kingdom of Israel for 22 years, and then “he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.” Nadab reigned over Israel for Israel two years, continuing his father’s idolatry. Then Baasha plotted against Nadab, assassinated him in Philistine territory, and usurped the throne (1 Kings 15:27–28). “As soon as [Baasha] began to reign, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.” The dire prophecy against the house of Jeroboam came true. Though Jeroboam began well, he did not end well. God raised him up as a king, yet as king he plunged the entire nation into sin. His life offers an example of the powerful influence a person can have over others in a negative way. His judgment shows the truth of Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” A little over a century after Jeroboam’s death, another king named Jeroboam ruled over Israel. King Jeroboam II came to power in 793 BC. He also did evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Kings 14:24). However, the Lord granted Jeroboam II military victories against the Syrians and used Jeroboam II to preserve His people (2 Kings 14:27–28). 1 Kings 11:27 Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. ASV And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father. AMP Now this is the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo (fortification) and he repaired and closed the breach of the city of his father David. CSB and this is the reason he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the opening in the wall of the city of his father David. CEB This is the story of why Jeroboam fought against the king: Solomon had built the stepped structure and repaired the broken wall in his father David’s City. CEV Here is how it happened: While Solomon's workers were filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem and repairing the city walls, ERV This is the story about how Jeroboam turned against the king. Solomon was building the Millo and repairing the wall around the city of David, his father. EXB This is the ·story [account] of how Jeroboam turned against the king. Solomon was ·filling in the land [building the terraces/Millo; 9:15] and ·repairing [L closed the gap/breach in] the wall of Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. MSG This is why he rebelled. Solomon had built the outer defense system (the Millo) and had restored the fortifications that were in disrepair from the time of his father David. Jeroboam stood out during the construction as strong and able. When Solomon observed what a good worker he was, he put the young man in charge of the entire workforce of the tribe of Joseph.​​​​ he rebelled: 2Sa 20:21 Pr 30:32 Isa 26:11 Solomon: 1Ki 9:15,24 closed up the breach, Am 9:11 Ne 4:7 Ps 60:2 Isa 22:9 Eze 13:5 the city: 2Sa 5:7 Related Passages: 1 Kings 9:15; 24+ Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. (9:24) As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo. Now this was the reason - Term of conclusion. Often the reason for the conclusion precedes the statement "for this reason" (or therefore), but in this case the reason for the conclusion of why Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon is explained in the following clause. Why he rebelled against (Heb "raised his hand against" - note) the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David - The mention of the Millo and closing the breach suggests that Solomon’s construction projects played a role in Jeroboam’s rebellion. While the following thoughts are somewhat subjective, they may explain why the work on the Millo and breach "catalyzed" Jeroboam's rebellion. Solomon used forced labor (which may have included tribes such as Ephraim, Jeroboam's tribe) to complete the Millo and close the breach. Jeroboam, as an overseer of the workers from Ephraim ("house of Joseph" in 1Ki 11:28), likely saw firsthand how burdensome these projects were and sided with the people’s frustration (Solomon's own son Rehoboam implies that Solomon's yoke on the people was heavy 1Ki 12:14+). The final straw (so to speak) that brought Jeroboam's rebellion to fruition was the prophecy of Ahijah (1Ki 11:29-39) which gave him assurance that God was with him in opposing Solomon. William Barnes on the Millo - Hebrew hammillo' , probably to be translated as "the filling" (the root m-l-' means "to be full, fill"); and presumably signifying a "filled-in" terraced area in the ancient city of Jerusalem. The "Millo" is now usually linked to the Area G "stepped-stone structure" or massive set of stone-covered terraces built on the northern part of the eastern flank of the hill where the City of David was located. Cogan (2001:301) notes that this "Millo" would have to be shored up periodically (11:27; 2 Sam 5:9). (See 1-2 Kings - Page 97) Warren