that this is what the LORD says: 'You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.'" So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD saysThe phrase underscores the divine authority behind the message. In Hebrew, "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This introduction is a common prophetic formula, indicating that the message is not of human origin but divinely inspired. It calls the audience to attention, reminding them of God's sovereignty and the importance of obedience to His commands. You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites
The directive to refrain from conflict highlights the familial bond among the tribes of Israel. The Hebrew word for "brothers" (אַחִים, 'achim) emphasizes kinship and shared heritage. This command reflects God's desire for unity and peace among His people, even amidst political division. Historically, this was a critical moment following the split of the united monarchy into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The instruction serves as a reminder that internal strife weakens the nation and goes against God's plan for His chosen people. Each of you must return home
This command to "return home" signifies a call to abandon the path of conflict and embrace peace. The Hebrew root for "return" (שׁוּב, shuv) often implies repentance or a turning back to God. It suggests a redirection from a potentially destructive course of action to one that aligns with divine will. The emphasis on "each of you" personalizes the command, indicating that every individual has a responsibility to heed God's word and contribute to the collective peace. for this word is from Me
The phrase asserts the divine origin of the message, reinforcing its authority and the necessity of obedience. The Hebrew term for "word" (דָּבָר, davar) can also mean "matter" or "thing," indicating that this is not merely a suggestion but a decree with weight and consequence. It underscores the belief that God's words are not only commands but also carry the power to shape reality and history. So they listened to the word of the LORD
The response of obedience is crucial. Listening, in the Hebrew context (שָׁמַע, shama), implies not just hearing but also understanding and acting upon what is heard. This reflects a heart posture of submission and reverence towards God. The people's decision to heed the divine command demonstrates faith and trust in God's wisdom and plan, even when it might contradict human instincts or desires. and turned back according to the word of the LORD
The act of turning back signifies a change in direction, both physically and spiritually. It is an act of repentance and alignment with God's will. The repetition of "the word of the LORD" emphasizes the centrality of divine guidance in the life of the nation. This obedience averts potential disaster and maintains the integrity of the people as God's chosen nation, illustrating the blessings that come from following God's commands. Persons / Places / Events 1. RehoboamThe son of Solomon and king of Judah, whose harsh policies led to the division of the united kingdom of Israel. 2. JeroboamThe first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, who led the ten tribes in rebellion against Rehoboam. 3. ShemaiahA man of God who delivered the LORD's message to Rehoboam and the people of Judah, instructing them not to fight against their fellow Israelites. 4. Judah and IsraelThe divided kingdoms after the split; Judah consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, while Israel was made up of the other ten tribes. 5. The LORDThe God of Israel, who intervenes to prevent civil war among His people. Teaching Points Obedience to God's WordThe importance of listening to and obeying God's instructions, even when they counter our own plans or desires. Value of UnityThe significance of maintaining unity and peace among believers, reflecting God's heart for His people. Divine InterventionRecognizing God's sovereignty and His ability to intervene in human affairs to accomplish His purposes. PeacemakingThe call for Christians to be peacemakers, actively seeking to resolve conflicts and promote harmony. Trust in God's PlanEncouragement to trust in God's wisdom and timing, even when His commands seem difficult or counterintuitive. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the response of Rehoboam and the people of Judah to God's command in 1 Kings 12:24 demonstrate the importance of obedience to divine guidance? 2. In what ways can we apply the principle of peacemaking from this passage to conflicts within our own communities or churches? 3. How does the division of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12 relate to the New Testament teachings on unity within the body of Christ? 4. What can we learn from Shemaiah's role as a messenger of God about the importance of delivering and receiving God's word? 5. How does the concept of divine intervention in 1 Kings 12:24 encourage us to trust in God's sovereignty over our personal and communal challenges? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Chronicles 11:2-4This passage parallels 1 Kings 12:24, providing additional context and confirming the divine command not to engage in battle. Matthew 5:9Jesus' teaching on peacemakers can be connected to the LORD's command to avoid conflict, emphasizing the value of peace among brethren. Romans 12:18Paul's exhortation to live at peace with everyone resonates with the instruction given to Rehoboam and the people of Judah. Proverbs 16:9This verse highlights the sovereignty of God in directing human plans, as seen in the LORD's intervention to prevent war. Ephesians 4:3The call to maintain unity in the Spirit aligns with the LORD's desire to prevent division and conflict among His people. People Adoniram, Adoram, Ahijah, Benjamin, Dan, David, Israelites, Jeroboam, Jesse, Levi, Levites, Nebat, Penuel, Rehoboam, Shemaiah, SolomonPlaces Bethel, Dan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Penuel, ShechemTopics Brethren, Brothers, Depart, Ear, Fight, Hearkened, Home, Israelites, Kinsmen, Listened, Obeyed, Ordered, Purpose, Relatives, Return, Returned, Says, Sons, Thus, Turn, WarDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 12:24 5606 warfare, nature of 1 Kings 12:1-24 5366 king
7245 Judah, kingdom of 1 Kings 12:21-24 7756 preaching, content Library How to Split a Kingdom
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt); 3. That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 4. Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScripturePolitical Religion
'Then Jeroboam built Shechera in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 27. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture "This Thing is from Me"
"Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me."--1 Kings 12:24. IT IS VERY DELIGHTFUL to read a history in which God is made prominent. How sadly deficient we are of such histories of our own English nation! Yet surely there is no story that is more full of God than the record of the doings of our British race. Cowper, in one of his poems, shows the parallel between us and the house of Israel, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896 The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6 How God Works in the Hearts of Men.
1. Connection of this chapter with the preceding. Augustine's similitude of a good and bad rider. Question answered in respect to the devil. 2. Question answered in respect to God and man. Example from the history of Job. The works of God distinguished from the works of Satan and wicked men. 1. By the design or end of acting. How Satan acts in the reprobate. 2. How God acts in them. 3. Old Objection, that the agency of God in such cases is referable to prescience or permission, not actual operation. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Figurative Language of Scripture.
1. When the psalmist says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield" (Psa. 84:11), he means that God is to all his creatures the source of life and blessedness, and their almighty protector; but this meaning he conveys under the figure of a sun and a shield. When, again, the apostle James says that Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath-day (Acts 15:21), he signifies the writings of Moses under the figure of his name. In these examples the figure lies in particular words. But it may be embodied …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 12:24 NIV1 Kings 12:24 NLT1 Kings 12:24 ESV1 Kings 12:24 NASB1 Kings 12:24 KJV
1 Kings 12:24 Commentaries
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