Read 1 Kings 12 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
12:1-17 {p} Rehoboam answered the people roughly, and Israel rebelled against him
12:18-19 {s} Israel stoned Rehoboam’s enforcer/ in rebellion against the house of David to this day
12:20-21 {p} Israel made Jeroboam king/ Rehoboam armed Judah for war against Israel
12:22-24 {s} Thus says YHVH, “You shall not fight against Israel, for this thing is of Me.”
12:25-33 {p} Jeroboam made two gold calves and non-Levitical priests/ feast of the 8th month
The Strong themes:
11:26-12:17 {sx4+p} Jeroboam’s rebellion against Solomon/ Israel’s rebellion against Rehoboam
12:18-21 {s+p} Israel stoned Rehoboam’s tax collector and made Jeroboam king/ Judah armed for war
12:22-33 {s+p} The division of the kingdom is of God, but Jeroboam turned Israel from serving Him
1 Kin 11:1-12:33 Chiastic Structure:
Jeroboam set up two gold calves (reminiscent of Israel’s sin in the wilderness, Exo 32), not because he believed they were real gods instead of YHVH, but because of political expediency. He didn’t want Israel to return to the house of David as king. Do not fail to notice that kingship in the Davidic line is tied to the true worship of YHVH. In order to make the divorce from David permanent, he had to introduce a divorce from David’s God.
Now, Jeroboam even used the same phrase when setting up his gold calves:
And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” Exo 32:4
So the king sought counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to them, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 1 Kin 12:28
I am sure it is just a coincidence that both events happened upon a recent departure from Egypt. But this is the Teaching Tool of Common Theme. And what is the teaching? Just as the original sin in the wilderness was a rejection of YHVH as God over them (including a rejection of His Law, for it happened as Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the two tablets of stone engraved with the Ten Commandments), Jeroboam’s sin was likewise a rejection of YHVH as God over them—a rejection of the very God who gave Jeroboam the kingship—which, it must be said, included a rejection of YHVH’s tabernacle/ temple; priesthood; and feast days.
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
1 Kings 11 and 12, The division of the kingdom – Christine Miller
The one house (formerly the two houses) – Christine Miller
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