Jeroboam realised that his subjects would turn back to David’s royal line if they travelled each year to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the LORD, so he placed golden calves at the two extremities of his kingdom for the people to worship. Dan was in the north and the idol there took the people away from Jerusalem, and Bethel was in the south on the the border with Judah and the idol there stopped the people from travelling on to Jerusalem. The northern kingdom of ten tribes referred to as “Israel” (and sometimes “Ephraim” after the major tribe) was soon submerged in all kinds of idolatry and, during the rest of its history, had only kings who were idolaters. The southern two tribes were called “Judah”, after the major tribe, and in its history it had some kings who were faithful to the LORD after the example of David so that the people were blessed by God, but they also had many who turned aside to idolatry and led the people astray. This kingdom however still constituted the kingdom of God, as Rehoboam’s son declared to Jeroboam,2 Chronicles 13:8Waiting for response for 2 Chronicles 13:8 and Rehoboam and his successors sat on the throne of the LORD in Jerusalem.
Verses 1-20
Waiting for response for 1 Kings 12:1-20Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, on becoming king, was immediately faced with the people’s earnest request that the taxes be reduced. Samuel had warned Israel about the high cost of a human king and Solomon proved to be most expensive. Rehoboam foolishly took the advice of his young companions, instead of that of older and wiser counsellors, and rejected their request, even threatening to increase the burden of taxation severely. The consequence was that the ten northern tribes rebelled and appointed Jeroboam, who had been Solomon’s servant, to be their king, leaving Rehoboam with just two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, according to the word of the LORD.