“Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of this, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. The leaders of Israel summoned him, and Jeroboam and all Israel went to speak with Rehoboam. “Your father was a hard master,” they said. “Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.” Rehoboam replied, “Come back in three days for my answer.” So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. “What is your advice?” he asked. “How should I answer these people?” The older counselors replied, “If you are good to these people and do your best to please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects.” But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers. “What is your advice?” he asked them. “How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?” The young men replied, “This is what you should tell those complainers who want a lighter burden: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’” Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam’s decision, just as the king had ordered. But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!” So the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the Lord’s message to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. When all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded, “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Back to your homes, O Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!” So all the people of Israel returned home. But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. And to this day the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.”
2 Chronicles 10:1-19 NLT
When writing about Rehoboam, there is much that must be taken into account. The first is that of legacy and dynasty. God had promised to David that his dynasty would rule forever. Yet what we see is that under Rehoboam, this rule becomes fractured and degraded. Beyond this, we see that this was done at the will of God. This is because there were two dynasties and legacies at play. The first was an earthly dynasty and the second was an eternal one. Rehoboam cared about the first but not the second one. But this was a grave miscalculation. The earthly only existed because of how it preserved the eternal. So though God did not destroy the kingdom of David, he did cripple it so it would understand its place is to be last, not first. The second thing we must note is that Solomon failed to teach Rehoboam about this legacy. He only taught him about dynasty. Solomon had taught him excess and lavishness and perhaps worst of all, the idea that people are means to an end. When you connect that ideology with the eternal kingdom, it always ends in tyranny. But this is not Gods intent for his kingdom either. In his kingdom, as aforementioned, the first shall be last. And it is led by a servant king who wears the thorn cursed sins of others as his crown. The chain of godly custody had been broken from David to Solomon to Rehoboam. But the ideology can still be traced. David’s census, lead to Solomon extravagance, which lead to Rehoboam’s tyranny. Even at the start of this deviation, God opposed it. Now three generations later, Israel would become fractured to this day because of it. Let us not forget how far the smallest sins of pride can take us.
Rehoboam’s Legacy: Rehoboam’s reign fractured the Davidic dynasty, highlighting the importance of prioritizing God’s eternal kingdom over earthly ambitions.
Solomon’s Failure: Solomon’s focus on teaching Rehoboam about dynasty and lavishness, rather than the importance of humility and service, contributed to Rehoboam’s tyranny.
Consequences of Pride: The deviation from God’s intended path, starting with David’s census and culminating in Rehoboam’s tyranny, demonstrates the destructive power of pride.
JOSH McGARY.COM 