Bible Talks: 1 Kings 12:16-24.

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When the people saw that Rehoboam was determined to seek his own interests and not the good of the people, the ten tribes turned away from him and went back to their tents. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin followed Rehoboam. After this Rehoboam sent Adoram to collect the taxes, but the men of Israel stoned him to death, and Rehoboam had to flee for his life to Jerusalem. The ten tribes then set up Jeroboam as their king, fulfilling the word of the prophet Ahijah. How sure are the words of God, and His government upon those who forsake Him! We cannot escape it.
Rehoboam then gathered Judah and Benjamin together to fight against the ten tribes, in an attempt to bring them back to his kingdom, but the Lord sent a prophet commanding him not to do this. He must submit to the government of God in the matter, for God had allowed it. There is a great lesson in this for us. Sometimes God may bring His government upon us because of our failure, and then we try to escape it. We fight against it, as it were, but it is no use. Although God’s grace never changes — and here it was His grace that left the tribes of Judah and Benjamin with Rehoboam for David’s sake — but this does not alter His government. In times like this we need to look to the Lord for grace to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, for only by humbling ourselves can we cast our cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:6, 76Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:6‑7)). The word of the Lord was, “This thing is from Me”— precious words of comfort when our own failure has brought down the rod!
There is also a principle here as to any attempt being made to heal divion among the people of God by han efforts. Neither force nor compromise will do in these things, for in reality the ten tribes as a whole never returned to God’s center, nor to God’s king at Jerusalem. We know that indiduals came back in the time of Asa (2 Chron. 15:9, 109And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. (2 Chronicles 15:9‑10)), and also in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chron. 30:5-125So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 6So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. 10So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. 11Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. 12Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 30:5‑12)), but never a whole tribe or tribes. Nertheless it is encouraging to see that faith always recognized the twelve tribes as one, even in their darkest days (Ezra 8:3535Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord. (Ezra 8:35); Acts 26:77Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. (Acts 26:7)). In the future millennial day they will be united again, never to be divided into two kingdoms any more (Ezekiel 37:2222And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: (Ezekiel 37:22)). This has its lesson its us in this church period too. What sad divisions there have been among the people of God in our day, but we are not told to look for a healing of them. Yet we believe that God still has a center, as He did in Israel’s day even after the division, and individuals are exercised from time to time to be restored, and gathered there. In God’s center the Lord is in the midst, and His authority according to His Word is owned. Human efforts to heal divisions have always led to compromise, for divisions do not come by chance they are allowed in the government of God, and are the result of the giving up of some principle of truth. It is not enough therefore, for different companies to just come together, as though there were not a cause, for it is God’s assembly, and His unity is never maintained at the expense of His truth.
No doubt these tribes that went off under Jeroboam could say that they were offended, and stumbled by Rehoboam’s ways, but this did not make it right for them to reject God’s center and authority. If we have our eyes upon men we are sure to be misled, but with our eyes upon the Lord, all is well. It is only in His light that we see light for our path (Psalm 36:99For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:9)).
ML 03/11/1956