The Divided Kingdom (Part 2)

The Divided Kingdom of Israel

(Part 2)

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. Beginning in approximately 1050 B.C. Saul, David and Solomon each reigned for

    forty years over the united kingdom of Israel. This period came to an end following

    Solomon’s death.

B. Late in his life Solomon turned away from God.

    1. 1 Kings 11:1-6 explains how this happened. “Now King Solomon loved many

       foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite,

       Sidonian, and Hittite women, ² from the nations concerning which the Lord had said

       to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate

       with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held

       fast to these in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred

       concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. ⁴ For when Solomon was old, his

       wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted

       to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ For Solomon went

       after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of

       the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not

       follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.”

    2. Solomon built places of worship to the idolatrous gods of his foreign wives

       according to 1 Kings 11:7-8.

    3. God was angry with Solomon because of his actions (1 Kings 11:9-10) and told

       him, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My

       statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and

       will give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

       a. Because of God’s regard for Solomon’s father, David, He promised He would not  

           do this during Solomon’s life (1 Kings 11:12).

       b. God also promised that He would not tear the entire kingdom away for the sake

           of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:13).

    4. God raised up opposition to Solomon in his later years.

       a. Hadad of Edom (1 Kings 11:14-22).

           1.)  When David’s commander Joab conquered Edom and killed all of the men

                Hadad and his men fled to Egypt (1 Kings 11:17).

           2.) Hadad formed an alliance with Pharaoh in Egypt and married Pharaoh’s

               sister-in-law. He later returned to Edom and opposed Solomon.

       b. Rezon (1 Kings 11:23-25).

           1.) Son of Eliada – vs. 23.

           2.) Rezon became the leader of a marauding band (vs. 24) and ultimately took

               up residence in Aram (Assyria) where he opposed Israel. 

       c. Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:26-40).

           1.) “Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s

                servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against

                the king. ²⁷ Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king:

                Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father

                David. ²⁸ Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon

                saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced

                labor of the house of Joseph. ²⁹ It came about at that time, when Jeroboam

                went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the

                road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them

                were alone in the field. ³⁰ Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was

                on him and tore it into twelve pieces. ³¹ He said to Jeroboam, “Take for

                yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will

                tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes ³² (but he

                will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of

                Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),

                ³³ because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the

                goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of

                the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right

                in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David

                did. ³⁴ Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will

                make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom

                I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; ³⁵ but I will take

                the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. ³⁶ But to

                his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always

                before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My

                name. ³⁷ I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you

                shall be king over Israel. ³⁸ Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I

                command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by

                observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then

                I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I

                will give Israel to you. ³⁹ Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but

                not always.’” ⁴⁰ Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but

                Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in

                Egypt until the death of Solomon.

                a.) Appointed commander over all forced labor (vs.28).

                b.) Received ten pieces of the prophet Ahijah’s torn cloak to represent ten

                     tribes that would be torn from Israel and given to him (vss. 29 -39).

                c.) Solomon sought to put him to death (vs. 40) but Jeroboam took exile in

                     Egypt until the death of Solomon.  

C. Now, let us turn our attention to the dividing of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12.         

I. REHOBOAM’S FOOLISH DECISION.    

    A. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam went to Shechem where all Israel gathered to crown

       him as the new king (1 Kings 12:1).

    B. Jeroboam, in Egypt, heard of Solomon’s death and along with the assembly of

       Israel came to Rehoboam with a request (1 Kings 12:2-4).

       1. “Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your

           father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you” (vs. 4).

       2. Compare this to 1 Samuel 8:11-18 where God warned the people of the heavy

           burdens and consequences that would be theirs if they had a king. Also see

           1 Kings 4:7 – 5:13.

    C. Rehoboam instructed them to return in three days for an answer (vs. 5). During

       this three day period Rehoboam consulted two groups of people.

       1. The elders who had served Solomon replied, “If you will be a servant to this

           people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good

           words to them, then they will be your servants forever” (1 Kings 12:7).

       2. The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam counseled him to say, “My

           little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹ Whereas my father loaded you

           with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips,

           but I will discipline you with scorpions” (1 Kings 12:10-11).

    D. Rehoboam took the counsel of his contemporaries. “The king answered the people

       harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, ¹⁴ and he

       spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made

       your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips,

       but I will discipline you with scorpions (vss. 13-14).

       1. Vs. 15 states that this was a “turn of events” from the Lord.

       2. God was bringing about the fulfillment of the prophecy made by Ahijah to

           Jeroboam.

II. JEROBOAM’S SIN.

    A. In 1 Kings 12:16-19, the house of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and the house

       of Judah. 

       1. When Rehoboam sent his servant Adoram, who was in charge of forced labor, to

           them he was stoned to death (vs. 18).

       2. Rehoboam was forced to flee to Jerusalem (vs.19).

    B. 1 Kings 12:20 is a pivotal passage. “It came about when all Israel heard that

       Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made

       him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.”

       1. Rehoboam assembled 180,000 choice fighting men to bring the Israelites back

           into his kingdom (vs. 21).

       2. The word of the Lord through the prophet, Shemiah, came to them, “‘Thus

           says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of

           Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.”’” So they

           listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to

           the word of the Lord.” 

    C. Jeroboam built the towns of Shechem and Penuel (1 Kings 12:25). He became  

       concerned about people returning to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the temple of

       God.

       1. “If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then

           the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah;

           and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah (vs. 27).

       2. To keep this from happening Jeroboam built two places of idolatrous worship. In

           each place he put a golden calf.

           a. The northern site was at Dan.

           b. The southern site was at Bethel.

       3. Jeroboam’s instructions to Israel were, “It is too much for you to go up to

           Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of

           Egypt” (vs. 28).

           a. Compare Jeroboam’s actions to those of Aaron in Exodus 32:1-6.

           b. The repetitive nature of sin is astonishing.

III. THE DIVIDED KINGDOM.

    A. From 930 until 722 B.C. (approximately 208 years) the norther kingdom existed

       until it was conquered by the Assyrians led by Sargon II..

       1. There were nineteen kings in Israel. None of them were righteous.

       2. Prophets of the northern kingdom were: Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Jonah and

           Nahum.

    B. The southern kingdom (Judah) lasted approximately 344 years until it was

       conquered by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.

       1. There were nineteen kings and one queen in Judah. A few of them were

           righteous (Hezekiah and Josiah are two of the most notable ones).

       2. Prophets in the southern kingdom were, Obadiah, Joel*, Zephaniah, Habakkuk,

           Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel.” (*Some scholars place Joel as a “post exilc

           prophet. **Daniel was born in Judah and taken into captivity where he

           prophesied during the Babylonian and Persian empires).

CONCLUSION:

A. Sinful behavior is always divisive. Is it any wonder that Jesus prayed for the unity of

    believers (John 17) and that the apostles admonished early Christians to remain

    united (1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 2:1-4, Eph. 4:1-6)?

B. May we keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and avoid the pitfalls and

    heartaches caused by division.

Never Give Up!

Never Give Up!

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. In 1972 NASA launched a satellite named Pioneer 10. Its  three year mission was to

    photograph the giant planet Jupiter and its moons. Pioneer 10 had a transmitter that

    used only eight watts of electricity. That’s less than a night light in your bedroom. It

    successfully completed its mission but it did not stop. The gravitational forces of

    Jupiter acted as a slingshot hurling the tiny spacecraft into the outer reaches of our

    solar system. It photographed Saturn and its rings along with the planets Uranus and  

    Neptune. Twenty-five years after its launch the little satellite was still transmitting

    radio signals back to earth.

    1. Whether it is a satellite, an automobile or some other piece of machinery we

       appreciate endurance.

    2. The same is true for people. In Ecclesiastes 9:11 Solomon said, “I again saw under

       the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and

       neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability;

       for time and chance overtake them all.”

       a. In the race of life it is endurance that matters. It is not your physical ability. It is

           not your intellect. It is not your background.

       b. It is endurance – the ability to keep on going in spite of the obstacles.

B. Some of you this morning are ready to quit.

    1. Some are ready to quit your job. You’ve run up against difficult circumstances or

       difficult people and you’re tired of fighting those battles.

    2. Some of you are ready to quit your marriage. What began as “happily ever after”

       has turned into heartache.

    3. Some of you are ready to leave the church. Perhaps situations have arisen that

       have challenged your faith. Maybe there has been disagreement or conflict with

       another person. Perhaps you are weary and feel like giving up.     

    4. You may even feel like giving up on God. In the midst of your difficulties you have

       cried out to Him and yet the answers you sought did not come as you desired.

       Does God care? Where is He?

C. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was a leader in the Jerusalem church of the first

    century. He was an eyewitness to the persecution, difficulties and hardships many of

    those early believers faced. James sought to encourage Christians to never give up

    by means of a letter we know as the book of James in the New Testament.

    1. The first thing he says in this letter is, “do not quit.” Listen to James 1:2-4.

       “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that

       the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect

       result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

    2. A young man was playing high school football. In his first game he was a receiver.

       The quarterback took the ball and threw it to him. He turned, looked downfield and

       had an open lane all the way to the goal line. He started running. There was no one

       around. He ran as hard as he could, outrunning the nearest defenders and then

       dove across the goal line. The only problem was when he stood up he realized it

       was the five yard line instead of the goal line. He was humiliated and embarrassed

       because he quit too soon.

D. Listen to the encouragement from James this morning. Never give up!

I. NEVER GIVE UP WHEN YOU ARE TROUBLED.

    A. James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.”

    B. You do not have to become bitter and discouraged when things do not go well in

       your life.

       1. Joseph experienced the scorn and hatred of his brothers, the bondage of slavery

           in Potiphar’s house, the false accusations of Potiphar’s wife and the pain of

           prison. He never gave up on God. Years later he told his brothers, “As for you,

           you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this

           present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

       2. Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi after preaching the Gospel.. In Acts

           16:25 they were singing and praying at midnight and others heard them.

       3. In 2 Corinthians 7:4 he wrote, “I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.”

       4. The writer of Hebrews commended Christians who, “accepted joyfully the seizure

           of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a

           lasting one” (Hebrews 10:34).

    C. Barbara Johnson: “Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional.”

II. NEVER GIVE UP WHEN YOU ARE TESTED.

    A. James continued by writing, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces

        endurance.”

       1. If you want to develop endurance you must have something to endure.

       2. Bumps are what we climb on to reach higher ground.

    B. Do you ever wish there were no problems in life? Do you wish life was always

       smooth sailing with no wind or waves?    

       1. Jesus said that is not going to happen. He said, “In the world you will have

           tribulation (John 16:33).

       2. If there were no obstacles, no difficulties, no challenges, no problems – you

           would never grow.

       3. Why do athletes spend hours conditioning their bodies? The only way to

           develop muscle tone is through resistance. If they want to compete they must

           have put their bodies through the rigors or training.           

.

III. NEVER GIVE UP WHEN YOU ARE TIRED.

    A. James wrote, “Let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect

       and complete, lacking in nothing.”

    B. Endurance produces maturity.

       1. The word “perfect” in this passage does not mean sinless. It means complete or

           mature.”

       2. A mighty oak tree with its strong branches did not grow overnight. It began as a

           little acorn. Someone wrote, “When you’re discouraged and feeling blue, take a

           look at the mighty oak and see what a nut can do.” The mighty oak has stood the

           test of time. It has weathered winter snow, spring storms, summer heat and

           drought. Every autumn it loses all of its leaves but it keeps coming back year

           after year after year.

    C. Endurance requires faith.

       1. When we read of the early church and see their endurance in the face of such

           persecution we need to ask the question, “how did they do it?”

           a. When Peter and John were arrested in Acts 4 and commanded to not preach

               Christ what gave them the stamina to continue?

           b. When Stephen was stoned in Acts 7 what gave him courage to face death with

               confidence and conviction?

           c. When the disciples in Jerusalem began to be persecuted and were scattered

               what made them preach the word wherever they went in Acts 8:1-2?

           d. When James was killed by Herod and Peter was imprisoned in Acts 12 why

               didn’t the other Christians give up?

           e. When Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra (Acts 14)  what prompted

               him to get up and keep preaching Christ?

       2. It was faith! They knew what their mission was. It was like a laser beam that kept

           their faith focused on Christ.

           a. Many people quit and give up their faith because they have never understood

              their mission, their purpose, and passion.

           b. A lack of mission breeds apathy and discouragement in the church.       

CONCLUSION:

A. Have you ever eaten a banana that was ripened on the tree? I have made several

    mission trips to the little island of St. Vincent in the Grenadines. The largest crop in

    St. Vincent is bananas. There is no comparison to the flavor and sweetness of a

    banana that has ripened on the tree to those we get in our stores. The ones in the

    stores are picked when they are green. They were picked before they were mature.

    1. Too many people quit in life before they are ripened by the hand of God.

    2. Perhaps you?

B. Never give up! God never gives up on you. He keeps pleading with you and

    promising you His grace if you’ll accept it and be obedient to Him. If you are in need

    of becoming a Christian today we urge you to come in faith, repent of your sins and

    be baptized into Christ. As a Christian – never, never, never – give up!