Word Weld

Part 1

Rehoboam

Outline:

1. A Legacy of Sin
2. Rehoboam’s Counsel
3. Rehoboam’s Losses
4. Book Tie-in

1. A Legacy of Sin:

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.²¹ And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.²² For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.²³ And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nation which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.²⁴

– I Kings 14:21-24

Rehoboam is the first King of Judah, and the only son of Solomon mentioned in the Scriptures. His name is mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel in the genealogy of Jesus (chapter 1), where he called “Roboam,” which is how his name is translated into Greek. Not to get too off topic, but since we’re talking about Matthew’s Gospel, it is worth mentioning that Matthew’s genealogy is one of two, the other being given by Luke. Matthew mentions Rehoboam (Roboam), but Luke does not. Instead, Luke goes from David to Nathan, one of Solomon’s brothers, and traces that line to a man named Heli, who is said to be Joseph’s father. In Matthew, a man named Jacob is also said to be Joseph’s father. You will hear this sometimes, if you watch debates between Christian apologists and challengers of various stripes and colors. It is presented as a contradiction between Matthew and Luke in their accounts, where both writers claim different men to be Joseph’s father. However, the apparent contradiction is a linguistic issue, which is what it is in most of the cases of there being an apparent “contradiction” in Scripture.

There are two ways this has been interpreted based on Jewish custom and writings: a) that Jacob and Heli were half-brothers, and that Heli died without children, which caused Jacob (Joseph’s father) to marry his widow and raise his half-brother’s children as his own based on the Mosaic law of Levirate marriage, or b) that Heli was actually Mary’s father, and thus Luke listing him as Joseph’s father-in-law. Either one of these is a perfectly reasonable explanation of the discrepancy, and I think either one could be true based on the evidence. This is kind of an aside, but for one thing, it’s valuable to be at least somewhat familiar with these kinds of questions, as they can come up when witnessing, if not directly from the person but referenced by the person. But I mention it here because it explains why Rehoboam is not found in Luke’s genealogy: Luke traces the line through Mary (or Jacob’s half-brother) back to Nathan, Solomon’s brother. Thus, the line for Jesus diverges at David between his two sons, and then rejoins at Joseph and Mary.

Rehoboam comes into the throne not as a young man. Solomon’s reign was long by any measure. He reigned 40 years. On the whole, Judah’s kings reigned longer, typically, with some kings in the northern kingdom only reigning a few months before being overthrown. Judah had less of this, but there were one or two who reigned under a year. The average length of a king’s reign in the Northern Kingdom was 10 years, while the average in Judah was about 17 years. Rehoboam was right at the sweet spot, reigning 17 years. Given the fact that the text gives Rehoboam’s age as 41 years old, and Solomon reigned 40 years, Rehoboam was born just a year after Solomon became king. We know that David had several wives and we are told that he had many children, and so there is good reason to believe that Solomon, who had three hundred wives and seven hundred other women, had many children as well. However, only three are ever mentioned at all: Rehobom, and two sisters who are mentioned in I Kings 4. I find this to be fascinating, that we have records in Scripture of so many of David’s children, including numerous sons, but only one son of Solomon. Take what you will from that.

Rehoboam grew up watching his father’s reign, and so his reign was notable for being very similar to the reign of his father at the end of his life. I think it is very reasonable to suppose that Rehoboam was directly taught and influenced by his mother. Notice that right off the bat, we see a problem, as Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonitess, one of the many women that Solomon married in defiance of God’s laws. As the son of an Ammonite woman, Rehoboam was very familiar with the worship of Ammonite gods, who Solomon himself served after his heart had been turned. The Ammonites worshiped many gods, including Baal, but their primary deity was Milcom. Scholars have believed up until recently that Milcom was another name for Molech, but now believes otherwise. The Scriptures list them separately, indicating that the Bible was right all along, and that they are in fact different gods. The Hebrew names of both gods refer to “king,” which part of the evidence for why the two gods have been conflated in the past. Archeology tells us that Milcom was a deity themed after the king or the state, which was common in antiquity, whereas Molech is depicted as a bull god associated with fertility. Both are called an “abomination” in Scripture, which is a special modifier adding the concept of being disgusting or filthy or detestable. Remember, the Ammonites were descended from Lot, who had incest with his own daughters, so the fact that his descendants are worshiping gods called filthy or detestable is really very reasonable.

Rehoboam went after these gods as well, the gods of his mother. Verse 23 tells us that he greatly expanded the work that Solomon did, building even more high places and groves and filling them with idols to these and other false gods. We’ve discussed the high places a bit, but I wanted to touch on the term “grove.” Some people think that this is a mistranslation in the KJV, but I believe it to be accurate. A grove is a collection of trees planted typically at a regular interval and pattern, for a purpose. The Hebrew word refers to a pagan goddess Asherah, a fertility goddess who was believed to be a consort of the god Baal. Asherah worship involved taking tree trunks and planting them in patterns after stripping them of branches and carved with an image or images, basically making them idols themselves. These were placed around an altar, and these “groves” notice were placed at the high places, and under every green tree, or in forests, essentially. So these high places became centers of the worship of many pagan deities, as you would have altars built to Baal, surrounded by a “grove” of idols to Asherah. Asherah is also though to be distinct from Ashtoreth, a goddess of war also mentioned in Scripture, though they both apparently originated in the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, who represented both aspects.

In addition to his worship of Baal, Ashtoreth, Asherah, Molech, and Milcom, Rehaboam also tolerated homosexuality, as we find in verse 23, where it specifically mentions that there were sodomites in Israel at that time. Keep in mind that the context of all of this was worship of pagan gods. The Hebrew term translated sodomite in our English Bible carries a richer context than our language tells, for the term actually referred to a “sacred person.” In other words, these male prostitutes (there were also female ones) who performed unspeakable sexual acts as worship to the pagan gods mentioned. So we see that sin leads to more sin which leads to even more and more sin, and more shameless and egregious sins. We see it with Rehoboam himself and with the translation from Solomon to Rehoboam, and we will continue to see it get worse and worse as time goes on. Verse 24 goes on to say that these sodomites, these pagan prostitute/priests, did similar acts to those that were performed before the children of Israel inherited their land, harkening back to Sodom and Gamora.

We see this in our society as well. Embracing sin, in whatever context, seems to always lead to sexual degeneracy. In their day, they worshipped gods who were just an outward excuse for them to engage in all forms of depravity, violence, and selfishness. Today, we do the same thing. Homosexuality is promoted worldwide, as is transgenderism. Freedom from all moral boundaries leads to the corruption of the marital bond, which leads to the corruption of love itself, which leads to the corruption of sex, which leads to the destruction of families, and ultimately the slaughter of children. This is why you will see Molech referred to when people talk about abortion, because ultimately all of the lewd sexual acts these temple “priests” and “priestesses” did produced babies, and no one wanted those babies, so they were made to “pass through the fire,” dying horrific deaths in the superheated arms of a bull idol, placed there by the very people who should have loved and cared for them. Now, instead of Molech worshippers, we have abortionists, instead of temple sodomites, we have ordinary Americans so steeped in lies they want to believe that they are also cold to their own children, to the point of justifying their murder. Rehoboam’s reign is history, but we see it playing out in kingdoms and nations long after his came to an end.

2. Rehoboam’s Counsel:

And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were to come to Shechem to make him king.¹ 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;)² That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Isreal came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,³ Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.⁴

– I Kings 12:1-4

Probably the thing most people who have heard of Rehoboam know about him, is about his failure at Shechem. We’re going back a bit to find this story, back to the beginning of Jeroboam’s story, but that’s ok as we can skip around as we sort things out by king.

As we’ve stated, Shechem was a place of political significance, and so after Solomon dies, the people are called together at Shechem in order to pass the kingdom on to him. This was supposed to just be a ritual formality, as there was no democracy to speak of in Israel at this time. And Rehoboam believed that it was a simple matter of succession. But remember also that there is a prophecy at this point that Jeroboam will take part of the kingdom. It’s impossible how well-known this prophecy was, but I personally find it unlikely that it was completely between Jeroboam and Ahijah. Anyone might have overheard Ahijah telling Solomon, or Ahijah telling Jeroboam, or Jeroboam might have told other people, but regardless, Solomon immediately turned on Jeroboam, which would certainly lead to questions. Given Solomon’s unpopularity with the people because of his rigorous building programs, it makes sense to guess that the people who gathered at Shechem already had a notion that there might be another possibility than just following Rehoboam. This was then strengthened by Jeroboam’s return, but at this point Jeroboam is not willing to openly challenge Rehoboam. He first becomes the leader of the opposition, framing himself to be on the side of the people. Then he offers a kind of ultimatum. Make our work lighter, and we will serve you. The implication, of course, is that they will not serve him if he doesn’t listen to their demands. It’s like the first labor union dispute in history.

And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.⁵

– I Kings 12:5

Rehoboam had not been expecting this to be a negotiation, clearly. He doesn’t know what to answer them because this is unprecedented. Kings like Saul and David were brought to Shechem and the people made them kings in the past, but Solomon took directly over from David, at David’s own will. It was clearly Solomon’s will that Rehoboam should be king after him, so this idea of the people making demands was a new thing, and Rehoboam needed time to think. And just like most people who don’t know how to deal with a new situation, he seeks counsel. And in Rehoboam seeking counsel, we see a general rule or an axiom if you will that is true for all people throughout all ages.

When I ask for council, do I really want council, or do I want affirmation? When we ask for the opinions of others, do we really want to know someone else’s opinion of the situation, or are we just trying to evaluate how our own position stands? Let’s read on:

And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?⁶ And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.⁷

– I Kings 12:6-7

Rehoboam goes to his father’s counselors, men who had age and experience in governing people. These men could see the handwriting on the wall, so-to-speak. They could see that trouble was brewing. Maybe some of them heard the prophecy, and suspected that Jeroboam’s return could be the fulfillment of the prophecy. Perhaps they had even counselled Solomon against his own rigorous treatment of the people. Regardless, they advise him to endear himself to the people. Give them what they’re asking for, they advise. After all, Solomon’s projects are all finished and the kingdom if flourishing, despite the problems caused by Solomon’s sin. It would make sense for him to grant this request. It wasn’t even a quantifiable request! They just asked for him to lessen the burdens, but did not even specify by what amount or measure. He could conceivably have done five less building projects, or taken more labors from those Canaanite peoples who served under tribute. There were about a dozen ways to make this work. But Rehoboam already had an idea of what he would do, and the counsel of the older men didn’t fit that idea very well.

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:⁸ And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put on us lighter?⁹ And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.¹⁰ And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.¹¹

– I Kings 12:8-11

Now that sounded like a plan. Give the people what they ask for? That’s weak. I want to be a strong king like my father, and strong kings do what they want, regardless of what the people they rule think. They’re there to serve me, not the other way around. What did the old men say, that I should be a servant unto them? Preposterous! I’m going to put them in their place. How dare they ask this of me.

Side note, if you are every using the phrase, either in your mind or mouth: “how dare,” that is pride, 100%. There is a word for this behavior in the Bible, found in Paul’s list of vices in II Timothy chapter 3: highminded. The word in the II Timothy is a Greek word that literally means to be filled with smoke. In English it means to be inflated with oneself, proud, conceited. The visual image is one of a room or container being filled with smoke, expanding and swelling, and yet filled with nothing but choking, repulsive fumes. And Rehoboam was certainly full of himself, something that God knew and used to bring his judgment against Solomon, as we will see momentarily. If you didn’t know, God hates pride, note most, but first, as it is widely accepted that pride is the first sin. It is called Original Sin, because while the first human sin was the sin of disobedience, or possibly disbelief, there was sin before Adam and Eve.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!¹² For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:¹³ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.¹⁴ Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.¹⁵

– Isaiah 14:12-15

Now, it is unclear from Genesis when the angels were created. As has been stated by many wise preachers, the Bible is not a book of angels, and does not explain everything about them. Indeed, it doesn’t really explain anything about them. It does not tell when they were created, what their true nature is, what the limits of their power and ability is, or anything specific like that. And Christians should be cautious about putting too much thought into angels. They are not explained for a reason, and we are not going to find anything out regardless. Delving too much into “angelology” ultimately ends up in a bunch of myths invented by Jewish writers in legends that are no where found in Scripture. But we are told things about certain angels and angels in general as it pertains to humanity. Isaiah shares a glimpse of the world of angels when he speaks about Lucifer, Satan, whose chief sin was his pride, his highmindedness. It seems clear that angels do have free will, for Satan was able to sin, just like Adam was, but it happened before, and angels are not apparently tied to this physical world like mankind was, for his sin did not curse all of creation. Revelation tells us another snapshot of this, in chapter 12 talking about an event somewhere before Adam’s sin, wherein Satan, attempting to literally overthrow God Himself, leads a rebellion, leading one third of the angelic host and being defeated. This occurs sometime after the creation in Genesis, as the earth exists, and it says that Satan is exiled to it, and presumably then goes on to tempt Eve in the form of the serpent.

But imagine being prideful enough to believe that you could overthrow God. Or that even after being defeated and exiled out of Heaven, imagine continuing to try to oppose an all-powerful being. Pride that is truly blinding.

And pride is blinding. It blinded Satan, and it blinded Rehoboam, and it blinds us. When we, humble as we are, start behaving as if we are something we are not, then we are close to a fall, just like Satan, and just like Rehoboam.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.¹⁸

– Proverbs 16:18

Pride cost Satan his station, and his place in Heaven, and it cost Rehoboam his kingdom, but how much has it cost us? What are some practical ways in which our pride costs us in our daily life? What are some ways that our pride can cost us in our spiritual walk? What trouble have we endured because of pride, and what damage is done daily by people whose highmindedness controls them? There is no sin I can think of, besides the love of money, which so quickly leads to other sins.

I also noticed, as I was reading this, that the sequence of events, starting in verse 6 is very telling. Notice that he goes to his advisors, the counselors that his father knew, and asks them for advice. Then they give it. After he hears their advice, you would think that it would then read that he went to the young men who were a part of his court, and then that he chose to follow their advice. But it doesn’t. Instead, it says that he consulted then old men, and then verse 8 tells us that he immediately forsook it. He didn’t even wait to hear what the young men said.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because we talked about this also with Jeroboam and his own problem. Just as Jeroboam “took counsel,” Rehoboam also “took counsel.” It seems they were more alike than they would likely care to admit. And in both cases, they already knew what they didn’t want to do. They already had decided: well, not this. Do we not do this also? I’ve done it. How many preachers have you met whose testimony includes, “I told God I’d serve Him, but that I wouldn’t preach.” How many times do we say it without saying it? In our minds we tell ourselves that there’s nothing we aren’t willing to do for Him, but in practice there are clear boundaries already in place.

As I said, I’ve done it. Lord, don’t give me a job in Oregon, I couldn’t handle that. Lord, I don’t think we can handle one more baby. Lord, I don’t think I’m good at going witnessing, I don’t think I can confront people. I don’t think I can give this offering, Lord, I don’t think I can afford it. Oh, I’ll cut the grass at the church, but don’t ask me to be in the choir, or sing a special, I can’t sing and you know it. There are so many practical ways we tell God “no” without even realizing that’s what we’re doing. This is why I believe that most Christians who respond to invitations, do so because they are not fully surrendered in some area of their life, and the Spirit is telling them it is time to let that thing go. One of the greatest lessons I learned in this regard was at college. I remember, as a student at PCC, I wanted to please God and do what He wanted me to do, but I didn’t know what that was. I was in school for electrical engineering, and attending church and chapel services every week. Many speakers came through, and most of them behaved in various degrees like recruiters. They wanted you to become a preacher, or a missionary, or a church planter, or part of a singing group, or a dozen other things. I found myself wondering how I could be all of these things, and there was just no way. I asked the Lord what I was supposed to get out of this, and the answer came back remarkably clearly: “I want you to be willing.”