BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Solomon built Israel into a dazzling kingdom. But beneath the veneer of gold and ivory, cracks of disloyalty to Yahweh splinter through the foundation of Solomon’s rule.

Israel’s kings are supposed to trust Yahweh for blessing and security. So why has Solomon been stockpiling Egyptian chariots, using forced labor for his ritzy building projects, and accumulating wives like political poker chips?

Sure enough, all the wealth, women, and warhorses draw Solomon’s heart away from Yahweh. In today’s reading, the king’s folly reaches a breaking point, and the whole glittering facade crumbles. What started out as a new Eden gives way to a new Egypt, whips and all.

So Yahweh raises up a new king. He sends the prophet Ahijah to rip a cloak into 12 pieces, each representing a tribe of Israel. He gives 10 pieces to Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s regional officials, as a prophetic sign that 10 of Israel’s tribes will come under Jeroboam’s rule. Solomon will be left with only Judah. It’s barely been two generations, and already the kingdom of Israel is tearing at the seams.

After Solomon dies, Rehoboam inherits his father’s throne, but not his father’s wisdom. Drunk on his own power and ravenous for more wealth, he spurns the advice of Israel’s elders and tries to implement a forced labor policy on the northern tribes. Just as Ahijah prophesied, the northern tribes break away from Rehoboam and make Jeroboam king instead. Can this fracture be fixed?

Reflection Questions

• Meditate on the regulations for Israel’s kings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. How does Solomon’s behavior stack up against these laws?
• Where else have you seen one of Israel’s leaders make a golden calf for the people to worship? What does this hyperlink tell you about Jeroboam’s rule?