1 Kings 9-13

Solomon was wise and rich, BUT he was a sucker for foreign women. They led him away from God and he followed Ashtoreth the god of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. Molech was the god that people sacrificed children to. Almost every time he is talked about in the Bible, he's described as detestable. So it says, "The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice". After proof like that, how could he have gone and bowed to a pole? God said that he would tear the kingdom away from him and give it to one of his subordinates, but leave Solomon one tribe. But for David's sake, God said he would not do it in Solomon's lifetime. I can imagine David and God in heaven having a conversation.

"How's my son Solomon been doing lately Lord?"

"Not too good, he's been making me pretty upset. Those women he married are bringing him to Molech and Ashtoreth."

"Women huh? He probably inherited that weakness. What are you going to do?"

"Well, I'll have to do what I said - tear the kingdom away."

"*gasp* The whole thing? Is there no other way? How about a good civil war and he can have half?"

"I've been thinking that, because of the promise I made to your household, I will leave him a tribe or so."

"Why don't you just appear to him and set him straight?"

"I've already done that twice!"

"Oh, but please don't take it away from him!"

"But I said I would so I must."

"Well... how about not doing it during his lifetime? I mean, he's got a son that's been pretty crazy so far. Why not take it then?"

"Hmmm. That may be a plan. Since you spoke up, I will spare Solomon the shame."

Jeroboam was a worker in charge of the house of Joseph, because Solomon was pleased with how he did his work. One day, Ahijah the prophet met him, wearing a new cloak. He cut it into twelve pieces and gave Jeroboam ten of them. He said, "This is what the LORD says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes But for the sake of my sevant Daivd and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes in Israel, he will have one tribe." When Solomon found out, he tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam hid in Egypt until Solomon died - leaving his son Rehoboam as king.

The people came to Rehoboam and said, "Lighten the load your father put on us, and we will serve you." Rehoboam asked the elders what he should say to them, and the elders said, "If you give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." Then he went and asked his friends that he had grown up with what he should say, and they said, "Tell them, 'My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier." It was probably ended with, "Dude, ya gotta tell them that you're in charge, and they gotta do what you say." So 3 days later, the people came for an answer - and Jeroboam was there too. We all know, Rehoboam listened to his friends' advice. So the people yelled,

"What share do we have in David,

what part in Jesse's son?

To your tents, O Israel!

Look after your own house, O David!"

It was the same thing Sheba son of Bicri had yelled when he was leading the rebellion against David. So most of Israel ran, but the tribe of Judah stayed loyal to Rehoboam.

Jeroboam fortied Shechem, and devised a way to snatch Israel up, saying, "If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." So he made to golden calves and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." The same thing Aaron had said when he built the calf and didn't wait on Moses. The people dove right in just like they had then. Jeroboam did not wait on the LORD, and felt like he had to do something to help God along instead of trusting him to fulfill his promise. And therefore did a very wrong thing.

Soon a prophet came to Jeroboam as he was sacrificing and prophesied that a son named Josiah would be born to the house of David, and would pretty much whoop up on everybody who sacrificed to these idols. But after that, Jeroboam STILL didn't change his ways. It says he "appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people." Anybody who wanted to. We'll see tomorrow what happens to him, because he didn't trust God.