Rending of the Kingdom
55
been so grossly neglected. Rehoboam had received from his mother,
an Ammonitess, the stamp of a vacillating character. At times he
endeavored to serve God and was granted a measure of prosperity; but
he was not steadfast, and at last he yielded to the influences for evil
that had surrounded him from infancy. In the mistakes of Rehoboam’s
life and in his final apostasy is revealed the fearful result of Solomon’s
union with idolatrous women.
The tribes had long suffered grievous wrongs under the oppressive
measures of their former ruler. The extravagance of Solomon’s reign
during his apostasy had led him to tax the people heavily and to
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require of them much menial service. Before going forward with
the coronation of a new ruler, the leading men from among the tribes
determined to ascertain whether or not it was the purpose of Solomon’s
son to lessen these burdens. “So Jeroboam and all Israel came and
spake to Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now
therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and
his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.”
Desirous of taking counsel with his advisers before outlining his
policy, Rehoboam answered, “Come again unto me after three days.
And the people departed.
“And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood
before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel
give ye me to return answer to this people? And they spake unto him,
saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good
words to them, they will be thy servants forever.”
2 Chronicles 10:3-7
.
Dissatisfied, Rehoboam turned to the younger men with whom he
had associated during his youth and early manhood, and inquired of
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
upon us lighter?”
1 Kings 12:9
. The young men suggested that he
deal sternly with the subjects of his kingdom and make plain to them
that from the very beginning he would brook no interference with his
personal wishes.
Flattered by the prospect of exercising supreme authority, Re-
hoboam determined to disregard the counsel of the older men of his
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realm, and to make the younger men his advisers. Thus it came to
pass that on the day appointed, when “Jeroboam and all the people
came to Rehoboam” for a statement concerning the policy he intended