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Old Testament Lesson 27: The Influence of Wicked and Righteous Leaders

1. The kingdom of Israel is divided, primarily because of Rehoboam’s harsh leadership.

“Solomon’s kingdom barely outlived him. At his death his son and heir, Rehoboam, sought to ascend the throne of Israel and Judah. There was no difficulty in the south. The elders of Judah were no doubt pleased to anoint another native son to continue the rule which had favored Judah in so many ways. In the north, in Israel, it was a different story altogether. Before there was to be an acclamation of any son of Solomon, there must be some plain talk about certain policies of state which the men of the northern hills and valleys thought discriminatory if not unbearable. Forced labor gangs for royal building projects simply must not continue. Heavy and inequitable taxation favoring Judah would have to be modified. The new king would either have to find other ways to carry out his personal and imperial ambitions or else temper his desires. In any case, the northern tribes were clearly unwilling to bear the brunt of the monarchical burden. Underlying these real grievances was the reviving strength of the tribal elders. Solomon had not completely destroyed their power after all.” (Harry Thomas Frank, Discovering the Biblical World,p. 99.)

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1 Kings 12:7      They will be thy servants for ever

‘The way to insure the obedience of the people is to hold the reins of empire with a steady and impartial hand; let the people see that the king lives for them, and not for himself; and they will obey, love, and defend him. The state is maintained on the part of the ruler and the ruled by mutual acts of service and benevolence. A good king has no self-interest; and such a king will ever have obedient and loving subjects. The haughty, proud tyrant will have a suspicious and jealous people, hourly ripening for revolt. The king is made for the people, not the people for the king. Let every potentate wisely consider this; and let every subject know that the heaviest cares rest on the heart, and the heaviest responsibility rests on the head, of the king. Let them therefore, under his government, fashion themselves as obedient children; acknowledge him their head; and duly consider whose authority he has; that they may love, honor and obey him. Happy are the people who have such a king; safe is the king who has such a people.’ (Clarke’s Bible Commentary)

1 Kings 12:8-11 He forsook the counsel of the old men

‘Rehoboam rejected the counsel which required him to humble himself and to serve others. Instead, he chose to reign over Israel with a very heavy hand, thus causing a great division into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. (See 1 Kgs. 12:20)
For the next 220 years the people generally set aside their sacred covenants, thus wandering in the ways of the world.’ (Spencer J Condie, “Some Scriptural Lessons on Leadership,” Ensign, May 1990, 27)

 1 Kings 12:16. What Does the Phrase “What Portion Have We in David? … See to Thine Own House, David” Mean?

‘Those assembled made it clear that they no longer considered themselves to be part of the house of David (Judah). They rebelled against the dominion of Rehoboam and moved to establish their own kingdom. “To your tents” is an idiom meaning “Let’s go home!” (D. Guthrie and J. A. Motyer, eds., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 337; see also 1 Kings 12:19; 2 Samuel 20:1–2; 2 Chronicles 10:16). The northern tribes withdrew their allegiance from Rehoboam and the house of David and said in essence, “David, you take care of your own house. We will no longer be associated nor have an inheritance with you” (see Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible … with a Commentary and Critical Notes, 2:436).’ (Institute Old Testament Manual)

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2. Jeroboam and Rehoboam lead their kingdoms into idolatry.

1 Kings 11:38      And build thee a sure house

‘He would have continued his posterity on the throne of Israel, had he not by his wickedness forfeited the promises of God, and thrown himself out of the protection of the Most High.’ (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)

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1 Kings 13:33-34 Jeroboam returned not from his evil way

‘As for King Jeroboam, verse 33 confirms that he continued to elevate the dregs of society to leadership positions, and verse 34 makes it clear that his idolatry yielded dire results for him and his family. Fulfillment of the prophecy about the destruction of his idolatrous altar is related in 2 Kings 23:15-18.’ (Andrew Skinner and D Kelly Ogden, Verse by by Verse – The Old Testament)

1 Kings 14:15 the Lord shall smite Israel… and shall scatter them beyond the river
“Jeroboam immediately plunged the kingdom of Israel into enduring wickedness. Fearing that his people would travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple in the kingdom of Judah and thus eventually shift their allegiance there, he made idols for their false worship. (See 1 Kgs. 12:26–33.) Nevertheless, the northern kingdom of Israel endured for another 253 years before the people’s wickedness weakened the kingdom to the point that Assyria conquered it.
“The Assyrian conquest began about 738 B.C. when the armies of Tiglath-Pileser III marched against Menahem, king of Israel, wresting part of his dominion and compelling him to pay tribute. By 733 B.C., all of the northern kingdom except Mount Ephraim was conquered by the Assyrians, including the lands occupied by the tribes of Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun, Issachar, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the region of Galilee, and Reuben, Gad, and the other half-tribe of Manasseh in trans-Jordan.” (See 2 Kgs. 15:29; 1 Chr. 5:26.) (Vern G. Swanson, “Israel’s ‘Other Tribes,’ ” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 26, 28)

3. Jehoshaphat leads the kingdom of Judah to follow the Lord and His prophets.

2 Chronicles 17:9      Had the book of the law of the Lord with them
‘This was their text book: it was the book of God; they taught it as such, and as such the people received it. Its laws were God’s laws, and the people felt their obligation, and their consciences were bound. Thus they were obedient to the laws of the land, on the principle of religion. In this they were encouraged and confirmed by the example of all, both in Church and state. The princes were not only pious, but were teachers of piety; the Levites showed them the worth and excellence of their ritual institutions; and the priests showed them the moral use they were to make of the whole: and thus the people became obedient to God as well as to the king, and kept all the civil ordinances, not merely for the sake of a good king, but for the sake of a good and gracious God. By these means the nation enjoyed peace and prosperity; and all insurrections, seditions, and popular commotions, were prevented. The surrounding nations, perceiving this, saw that there was no hope of subduing such a people, so they made no war with Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 17:10. And they took care not to provoke such a people to fall on them; therefore, it is said, The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms and lands that were round about Judah.’ (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)
2 Chronicles 17:12 Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly
‘We already mentioned how Jeroboam invoked the curse for violating the Law of Moses (see commentary for 1 Kgs. 14:11). Let’s examine how Jehoshaphat reaped the blessings promised for obedience to the Law:
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle…
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store…
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto. (Deut. 28:3-8)
Jehoshaphat and his people reaped all these promised blessings for their righteousness.’ (GospelDoctrine.com)

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