1 Kings 11:28-3928And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 30And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 31And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 32(But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 33Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: 35But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. 36And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. 37And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 38And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. 39And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. (1 Kings 11:28‑39)
One day a young man who was an overseer of King Solomon’s builders was going out of the city when he met a prophet, who is a man who speaks to people for God.
The young man had on a new coat, perhaps it was what we would call a robe. The prophet did a strange thing, he caught hold of the new garment and quickly tore it into twelve pieces, and told the young man to take ten of the pieces. Why did the prophet do this? Because he wanted to show the man that the nation of Israel was to be divided in a quick, rough way, and that he should have ten parts.
There were twelve tribes in Israel with one king over all, the first, King Saul; the next, King David; and then, King Solon. But the prophet said that after Solomon’s death, ten tribes should be taken away from his son and given to this young man, whose name was Jeroboam.
Perhaps the young man did not like it when his coat was torn, yet when he heard that, instead of being a servant, he was to be king over ten tribes of Israel, he would not feel sorry about the coat, but would plan for the high place.
God also told King Solomon that, because he had made and worshiped idols, ten of the tribes of Israel should be given to his servant. God had given Solomon greater honor, riches and wisdom than any other man. He had twice spoken to him directly to keep His Words, which were kept in the temple, and he must have read, and of which he must also have had a copy (Deut. 17:15-2015Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 16But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 18And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:15‑20)). Yet he so greatly sinned.
What the prophet said came true. After Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam, tried to be king over all Israel, but ten of the tribes made Jeroboam, instead, their king, and only the tribe of Judah with the small tribe of Benjamin was left to Rehoboam.
The city of Jerusalem, with the big temple, was in the country belonging to the tribe of Judah, and Rehoboam lived there. Jeroboam had a great city built at Shechem for the rule of the ten tribes. He did not want the people to go to Jerusalem to worship God at the temple, so he made two calves of gold, which, he was so wicked and foolish as to say, had brought Israel out of Egypt, and the people worshiped those.
So the nation of Israel became what we call two kingdoms, and there were many wars and sorrows in both, for the kings and people did not honor God.
Notice how much alike are the names of the first two kings: Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who ruled two tribes and was called, the king of Judah.
Jeroboam, the man whose coat was torn, who ruled ten tribes and was called, the king of Israel.
ML 02/05/1939