November 1, 2015: Kingdom Divided

1 Kings 12:1-7, 25-29

Rehoboam went to Shechem where all Israel had come to make him king. ² When Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, heard the news, he returned from Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon. ³ The people sent and called for Jeroboam, who along with the entire Israelite assembly went and said to Rehoboam, ⁴ “Your father made our workload^[a] very hard for us. If you will lessen the demands your father made of us and lighten the heavy workload he demanded from us, then we will serve you.”

⁵ He answered them, “Come back in three days.” So the people left.

⁶ King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “What do you advise?” Rehoboam asked. “How should I respond to these people?”

⁷ “If you will be a servant to this people by answering them and speaking good words today,” they replied, “then they will be your servants forever.”

⁸ But Rehoboam ignored the advice the elders gave him and instead sought the counsel of the young advisors who had grown up with him and now served him. ⁹ “What do you advise?” he asked them. “How should we respond to these people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the workload your father demanded of us’?”

¹⁰ The young people who had grown up with him said to him, “This people said to you, ‘Your father made our workload heavy; lighten it for us!’ Now this is what you should say to them: ‘My baby finger^[b] is thicker than my father’s entire waist! ¹¹ So if my father made your workload heavy, I’ll make it even heavier! If my father disciplined you with whips, I’ll do it with scorpions!’”

¹² Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had specified when he said, “Come back to me in three days.” ¹³ The king then answered the people harshly. He ignored the elders’ advice ¹⁴ and instead followed the young people’s advice. He said, “My father made your workload heavy, but I’ll make it even heavier! My father disciplined you with whips, but I’ll do it with scorpions!”

¹⁵ The king didn’t listen to the people because this turn of events came from the Lord so that he might keep the promise he delivered through Ahijah from Shiloh concerning Jeroboam, Nebat’s son. ¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king wouldn’t listen to them, the people answered the king:

“Why should we care about David?
    We have no stake in Jesse’s son!
Go back to your homes, Israel!
    You better look after your own house now, David!”

Then the Israelites went back to their homes, ¹⁷ and Rehoboam ruled over only the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.

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Introduction

There is a scene in the musical Fiddler on the Roof where a group of Jews from the village of Anatevka are debating an important issue: how much should they care about the world outside of their small village?  Will caring about politics and economics and other major forces make any difference? One character doesn’t think they should spend their time worrying about what will happen: “Why should I break my head about the outside world?” He says, “Let the outside world break its own head!” After quite a bit of laughter from the group, Tevye (the main character) says, “He’s right! As the good book says, ‘if you spit in the air, it lands in your face.’” But not everyone agrees, a young student named Perchik replies, “Nonsense! You can’t close your eyes to what’s happening in the world.” Tevye takes a long pause, points at Perchik and says “He’s right.” One of the other men in the crowd says, “He’s right and he’s right?” pointing at the two different speakers, “They can’t BOTH be right!” Tevye pauses yet again and says, “You know, you’re also right.”

Our lesson today continues an ongoing debate within Israel: is the monarchy a good thing or a bad thing? Kings can bring stability and prosperity, but they can also bring oppression.  Are kings God’s representative appointed to protect (to “shepherd”) the people, or are they a sign that the people don’t trust God enough to protect them and want to be like all of the other nations. Both sides in this ongoing debate have good points and things are never quite solved… and the conversation never really ends.

“Kings are good!”  “Kings are bad!”  So, which one is correct?

“He’s right and he’s right? They can’t both be right!”

“You know, you’re also right.”

The Technical Stuff:

Those who say that having a king is a good thing can point to many different places: the Book of Judges tells story about a destructive and bloody war between the Tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel where thousands upon thousands of people died. At the end of the book it says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; each person did what they thought to be right.” (Judges 21:25) The idea is, kings can bring about order and keep bloody chaos like this at bay.

The pro-monarchy crowd can also point to 2 Samuel 7 where God makes a promise to David saying, “Your dynasty and your kingdom will be secured forever before me.  Your throne will be established forever.” (2 Sam. 7:16) One of the reasons for this was so that the people of Israel will have a place where they can live and not be disturbed and “cruel people will no longer trouble them, as they had been earlier…” (2 Sam. 7:10) David’s son Solomon will build a glorious Temple for the worship of God and will be known far and wide for his power and prestige.  “The people of Judah and Israel…lived securely under their vines and fig trees throughout the day of Solomon.” (1 Kings 4:25) The Kings bring protection, prosperity and glory for the nation. What’s the problem?

Kings don’t only protect the people, they take from them as well. When the people of Israel clamored to the prophet Samuel for a king in 1 Samuel 8, the LORD tells him “Comply with the people’s request…because they haven’t reject you. No, they’ve rejected me as king over them.” The LORD equates their request for a king as the same as abandoning him and worshipping other gods. The LORD also tells Samuel to warn the people of how a king will rule them: “He will take your sons, and will use them for his chariots…he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks or bakers…he will take your best fields, vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants…he will take one-tenth of your flocks, and then you yourselves will become his slaves!” (1 Sam. 8:11-18)

And experience seems to bear this out: once David was king, he misused his power in committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah. (2 Sam. 11).  Solomon built a glorious Temple, but he did it with drafted laborers who did not have a choice in the matter. (1 Kings 5) In our lesson for today, the people of Israel come to Solomon’s son, King Rehoboam, and beg that they have their labor lessened.  The older, wiser advisors urge the king to agree to this, but his younger confidants say the opposite. I don’t think anyone would react well to being told, “I’ll discipline you with scorpions!” And so the nation of Israel is divided. 

What Does This Say to Us?

Of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Judah is by far the largest and most powerful, but the others band together to form the northern kingdom of Israel.  These two nations will share a culture and heritage, but they will also squabble and fight amongst themselves. If God gives us a Promise, Relationship, and Life (see the title page), then we humans seem to find all sorts of ways of denying or working against God’s plan.  We like to dominate other people, push them around and get our way.  If we have a certain amount of power, it can “go to our heads” and we can act like Rehoboam, threatening to discipline others “with scorpions.”

The advice of the elders is all about relationship and life: “If you will be a servant to this people by answering them and speaking good words today,” they replied, “then they will be your servants forever.”  But Rehoboam will have none of it. The Bible attributes this to the LORD’s doing so that a promise could be kept and because the people of Judah had not remained faithful to God, but usually kings and people in power need little prodding or encouragement when it comes to pushing others around.

There is an exception though. We follow a king who does not disciple with scorpions, who cares about good relationships and who tells those who are beaten down, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) Unlike Rehoboam, Jesus uses his power for the benefit of others, giving his life so that we might live.

Are kings good or bad? I suppose it depends on the king.

Which kind do you want to follow?