1 Kings 12

18–20 Rehoboam immediately responded to the rebellion of the northern tribes by sending out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor (1 Kings 4:6), to conscript the rebellious Israelites into his work force. However, the Israelites rose up and stoned Adoniram to death, and they would have done the same to Rehoboam had he not quickly escaped back to Jerusalem (verse 18).

Thus began Israel’s rebellion against Judah and the house of David, a rebellion that was still going on at the time 1 Kings was written (verse 19). The Israelites made Jeroboam their new king; only the tribe of Judah—and part of Benjamin (verse 21)—remained loyal to Rehoboam and the house of David.

21–24 Back in Jerusalem, Rehoboam gathered the forces of Judah and Benjamin to make war against Israel in order to bring it back under his rule (verse 21). But a man of God (a prophet) named Shemaiah received a word from God instructing Rehoboam not to attack Israel. Surprisingly, Rehoboam obeyed God’s word. Christians also would do well to obey this word when they are tempted to go up to fight against [their] brothers (verse 24).

Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan (12:25–33)

25–27 Jeroboam fortified Shechem and lived there; he also built up Peniel (verse 25), an important and historic town east of the Jordan River (Genesis 32:31). Jeroboam felt insecure; he was worried that the Israelites would turn back to Rehoboam. He evidently did not believe Ahijah’s promise to him that if he walked in God’s ways he and his descendants would have an enduring dynasty in Israel (1 Kings 11:37–38).

28–30 Jeroboam’s main fear was that when the Israelites went to the annual festivals in Jerusalem they would be persuaded to rejoin Judah. So to prevent that, Jeroboam established two alternate sites in Israel where the Israelites could offer sacrifices closer to home: one was in Bethel,a historic town in the south of Israel (Genesis 12:8; 28:10–19); and the second was in Dan,in the far north. He had two golden calves made, one for each site. Then he announced to the Israelites: “Here are your gods” (verse 28). In doing this Jeroboam was turning against the Lord and causing his people to sin (see Exodus 20:4–6; 32:4). In his anxiety not to lose his throne, Jeroboam had cast off the one means he had of keeping it: obedience to God’s word (1 Kings 11:38).

31–33 Jeroboam did many other things in violation of God’s word: he built shrines on high places and he appointed nonLevitical priests.⁶² He instituted a festival to compete with the festival held in Judah (verse 32)—the Feast of Tabernacles. In doing all these things, Jeroboam set Israel on a course of increasing disobedience to God’s word, which would eventually result in the Israelites being driven into exile by the Assyrians two hundred years later.