◄ 1 Kings 12:23 ►
"Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people
Study Bible
Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and the grandson of David, inheriting the throne of Judah. His reign marks a significant turning point in Israel's history, as it was during his rule that the united kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This division was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Solomon due to his idolatry (1 Kings 11:11-13). Rehoboam's harsh response to the people's request for lighter burdens led to the secession of the ten northern tribes (1 Kings 12:14-16). His kingship over Judah reflects the continuation of David's line, which is significant in biblical prophecy concerning the Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

all the house of Judah and Benjamin
The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah. Judah was the largest and most influential tribe, from which the Davidic line descended. Benjamin, though smaller, was strategically located and had historical ties with Judah (Judges 1:21). The alliance between these two tribes was crucial for the survival of the southern kingdom. This division also fulfilled Jacob's prophecy regarding the scepter not departing from Judah (Genesis 49:10). The tribe of Benjamin's inclusion highlights the complexity of tribal relationships and loyalties in ancient Israel.

and the rest of the people
This phrase refers to those who remained in the southern kingdom after the division. It includes not only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin but also Levites and others who were loyal to the Davidic dynasty and the worship practices centered in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 11:13-17). The "rest of the people" signifies those who chose to align themselves with Rehoboam's rule, despite the political upheaval. This remnant is significant in biblical narratives, often representing those who remain faithful to God's covenant promises. The concept of a faithful remnant is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, pointing to God's preservation of His people and His ultimate plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Rehoboam
The son of Solomon and king of Judah. His reign marks the division of the united kingdom of Israel into two separate kingdoms: Judah and Israel.

2. Solomon
The father of Rehoboam, known for his wisdom and building the Temple in Jerusalem. His reign was marked by prosperity, but his later years saw idolatry and disobedience to God.

3. Judah
The southern kingdom, consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with Jerusalem as its capital. It remained under the rule of the Davidic line.

4. Benjamin
One of the tribes of Israel, which aligned with Judah during the division of the kingdom.

5. The Rest of the People
Refers to the remaining Israelites who were part of the southern kingdom under Rehoboam's rule.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
The division of the kingdom serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments. Solomon's idolatry and Rehoboam's harshness led to a fractured nation.

Leadership and Wisdom
Rehoboam's failure to listen to wise counsel highlights the importance of seeking and heeding godly wisdom in leadership.

God's Sovereignty
Despite human failure, God's sovereign plan unfolds. The division was part of God's judgment but also His plan for Israel's future.

Unity in the Body of Christ
The division of Israel serves as a cautionary tale for the Church today, emphasizing the need for unity and reconciliation among believers.

Listening to Godly Counsel
Rehoboam's account encourages believers to seek and value the counsel of those who are spiritually mature and grounded in Scripture.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Rehoboam's decision-making process in 1 Kings 12 reflect the importance of seeking godly wisdom, and how can we apply this in our own lives?

2. In what ways does the division of the kingdom illustrate the consequences of disobedience to God's commands, and how can this serve as a warning for us today?

3. How does the account of Rehoboam and the divided kingdom connect with the New Testament teachings on unity within the Church?

4. What lessons can we learn from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin's loyalty to the Davidic line, and how does this relate to our loyalty to Christ?

5. How can we ensure that we are listening to and valuing godly counsel in our personal and communal decision-making processes?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 11:11-13
This passage provides context for the division of the kingdom, as God tells Solomon that the kingdom will be torn from his son due to Solomon's disobedience.

2 Chronicles 10:1-19
This parallel account of Rehoboam's reign provides additional details about the events leading to the division of the kingdom.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20
These verses outline the laws for kingship in Israel, which Solomon and Rehoboam failed to fully adhere to, leading to the kingdom's division.
Sermons
The Message of ShemaiahJ.A. Macdonald 1 Kings 12:21-24
An Error that Could not be RepairedJ. Urquhart 1 Kings 12:21-33
People
Adoniram, Adoram, Ahijah, Benjamin, Dan, David, Israelites, Jeroboam, Jesse, Levi, Levites, Nebat, Penuel, Rehoboam, Shemaiah, Solomon
Places
Bethel, Dan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Penuel, Shechem
Topics
Benjamin, Judah, Rehoboam, Rehobo'am, Remainder, Remnant, Rest, Saying, Solomon, Speak
Dictionary of Bible Themes
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 Scripture

Political 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

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