1 Kings - Lesson 11

• In our last session we covered the entirety of Chapter 10 which served as an extension of the subtle compromises of Solomon’s heart.

  • It began with the great inquiry of the Queen of Sheba who has heard of the great things that Solomon has achieved by Yahweh’s kindness.

    • Solomon’s achievements weren’t because of His own doing, rather because of God’s promises according to His word.

    • That where there was covenant faithfulness, there would commence covenantal blessing according to Torah.

  • However, in verses 14 onward, we began to see in very obscure ways that Solomon’s attainments went to his head.

    • He forgets that the increase of his wealth was not due to his own charismatic abilities or breadth of wisdom.

    • Rather, these skills and opportunities were made possible by the giver of all good gifts from above, God Himself.

    • Therefore, the results were not a result of Solomon’s goodness, but rather God’s goodness.

  • And what we were able to see here was a biblical principal which is that, God, who is the Creator is the giver of all good gifts and things.

    • And the same applies for believers today, we are not saved because of something we have done, but solely on the merit of Christ alone.

    • Merit does not save us and merit does not keep us – only the grace of God alone through Christ accomplishes that.

  • Therefore, we must be careful not to get beside ourselves in our walk with the Lord, because the moment that we think we have done anything, we boast in the wrong thing!

• Tonight, is the pivotal chapter for 1 Kings. Here is where we see the decline of Solomon’s reign due to the compromise of His heart.

  • And that change occurs not just in a moment, but has slowly been occurring over time.

  • If I were to outline our time tonight, we will see the following:

    • 1. Looking for love in all the wrong places (vv.1-6)

    • 2. A Change of heart (vv.7-12)

    • 3. A Promise held (v.13)

    • 4. God’s instruments of discipline – Hadad (vv.14-20)

    • 5. God’s instruments of discipline – Rezon (vv.23-25)

    • 6. God’s instruments of discipline – Jeroboam (vv.26-39)

    • 7. The death of Solomon and the rise of Rehoboam – (vv.40-43)

  • If I were to put a tag on our text tonight it would simply be: Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places.

    • With that being said, I invite you to meet me in 1 Kings 11 beginning with verses 1-6 for the reading of the word of the Lord.

1 Kings 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
1 Kings 11:2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.
1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
1 Kings 11:4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
1 Kings 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.

• Although the ending of Chapter 10 into Chapter 11 may seem a bit detached regarding relative details, they connect in a broader sense.

  • It was at the end of Chapter 10 that small hints of Solomon’s departure from the law increased all the more.

    • And we find that these small departures from the law give way to the failure of Solomon leading to the eventual division of the Kingdom.

  • Verses 1and 2 begin with Solomon’s fragrant disregard for the Law as it relates to the folly of his eyes.

    • Solomon found himself looking for love in all the wrong places.

    • And this was to be avoided according to the law, according to 2 areas in Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 7:3-4 and Deuteronomy 23:3-4.

    • Check out the text:

Deuteronomy 7:3 “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.
Deuteronomy 7:4 “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.

• And as it relates to nations in which Israel and their king should not associate, we find Solomon’s violation in Deuteronomy 23:3-4.

Deuteronomy 23:3 “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the Lord,
Deuteronomy 23:4 because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

• The reason for Israel and their king to avoid these pagan relationships was because it would result in a “turning of the hearts”.

  • The idea here is that Israel’s inquiry into these other nations would cause their interest to be dissuaded from Yahweh and be given to foreign gods.

  • And indeed in Solomon’s old age, his heart “held fast” to his wife and foreign concubines.

  • The word “held fast” at the end of verse 2 in Hebrew means to cleave or hold to.

    • This is the same word we find in Genesis 2 where Moses wrote that when a man leaves his father and mother that they are to cling to each other.

    • In other words, Solomon’s mind was set upon the affections of these women and their motives and ultimately their gods.

    • What makes things worse in the writer’s record is how many wives and concubines Solomon had.

  • Verse 3 mentions that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines giving a total of 1,000 women. (Harem\Ha-rem)

    • So imagine, Solomon’s mind (heart) is literally pulled in 1,000 directions. Whatever they wanted he provided however they wanted it.

    • Solomon had gotten so entangled in the sin of his flesh that he has now moved to a divided heart.

    • Solomon believes that he could worship Yahweh alongside the false gods around him.

  • And herein lies an important biblical principal: That if we are not careful as to where our affections lie, we give way to being susceptible to our own desires too.

    • Our devotions will either be fully for the Lord, or we attempt to serve two masters.

    • Jesus mentions the same concept but in regard to money which can become an idol for some: Here is what he says in Matthew 6:24.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

• Whether it’s money, possessions, hobbies, etc., whatever you prioritize over the Lord, there your affections reside.

  • Verse 5 mentions that Solomon went after various gods ranging from the Sidonians and the Ammonites.

  • And what becomes well documented is the writer’s disgust of these pagan gods. There is a holy indignation!

  • Ashtoreth was the Canaanite fertility goddess whose worship involved sexual deviance and unbridled lust.

    • And Milcom, also known as Moleck, was the Ammonite god where they practiced human sacrifices, even of children.

    • And although Solomon did not promote this kind of worship, through his actions, he tolerated it.

  • And what this speaks to is that in our lack of guarding our hearts from unbiblical things, it gives way to compromise in our lives and behaviors.

    • The moment that you compromise on your beliefs, it won’t be too far long before you begin to compromise in your behaviors.

    • And this is the compromise that we are seeing in our governments and world leaders today – small compromises over time leading to devastation.

    • These changes did not happen overnight, but rather over time and once they sink in roots, in comes complete corruption.

    • And ultimately, the writer of Kings expresses the reality of Solomon’s small compromises in verse 6.

  • “Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not follow the Lord fully as David his father did.”

• Now, we can look at this and say, well wait a minute, David didn’t do things right all the time either?

  • Sure, however what we do know is that when David fell short of God’s standard, he turned back to the Lord for forgiveness. (Repentance)

    • However, in Solomon’s situation, there seems to be no immediate sense of conviction or violation of the Law within his conscience.

  • And as a note for us all, that becomes a principal by which we should all apply:

    • We must grow in our awareness of our sin-nature by way of maturity in Christ.

    • The more that you grow in your maturation in Christ, the greater your fear becomes of the Lord because your intimacy has grown all the more.

  • Check out what Solomon records in Proverbs 1:7.

    • Perhaps during his later time in writing the proverbs, he came to understand the error of his ways.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

• There has clearly been a change of his heart and a great lack of fear in the Lord, therefore causing a deviation in his ways. Check out verses 7-12.

1 Kings 11:7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.
1 Kings 11:8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
1 Kings 11:9 Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
1 Kings 11:10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded.
1 Kings 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
1 Kings 11:12 “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

• Solomon continues in establishing these “high places” where his wives are able to worship their foreign gods in the land.

  • The writer provides an additional pagan god named Chemosh who was primarily worshipped in Moab and Ebla and this worship consisted of human sacrifices.

    • So, Solomon continues in establishing these “high places” where his wives are able to worship their foreign gods in the land.

  • It’s in verse 9 that the anger of the Lord is kindled against Solomon and rightfully so. Solomon’s heart has become divided.

    • What makes matters worse is that God had warned Solomon about these matters twice before.

    • The first time was in 1 Kings 3:5 and the second time in 1 Kings 9:2.

    • And in both instances, the Lord reminds Solomon of his need to keep his ways before the Lord.

  • So now, the Lord comes to Solomon to lay down the gavel, if you will. And the consequence is that the Kingdom will be “torn” from him.

    • However, all will not be lost based upon the Lord’s covenantal promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7.

    • Check out verse 13.

1 Kings 11:13 “However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

• So, although there would no longer be a United Kingdom of all 12 tribes, the Lord would preserve the tribe of Judah in which would remain in the house of David.

  • Furthermore, the fact that the Lord would not remove Solomon from ruling the Kingdom in his 40-year reign was an act of mercy of the Lord.

  • The principle here being: We are often not given what we rightfully deserve simply because of the lovingkindness and mercy of God.

  • Therefore, Solomon’s servant will be given all the northern tribes of Israel, while Solomon’s son will solely govern Judah and the small tribe of Benjamin in the south.

  • Now what will happen next begins to demonstrate God’s acting providence and sovereignty in human history.

    • Because, as these things are going on, simultaneously, we will witness the Lord raising up instruments of discipline before Solomon’s passing.

    • And it’s important that we pay attention to the language, because what Moses documents in Deuteronomy 31 now begins to set the stage.

    • Check out verses 16-17. This is before the Israelites go into the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 31:16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.
Deuteronomy 31:17 “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’

• The Lord was quite aware of Israel’s defection from His covenant law and worship to surrounding pagan gods.

  • And because of this, the Lord already established means of correction if they did not remain loyal to the covenant.

  • So what we will witness in verses 14-22 sets the stage for Israel’s beginning internal conflict which leads to isolation and ultimately the withdrawing of God’s presence.

  • And what would come of that after Solomon’s reign would lead to Israel being removed from their land by foreign instruments raised up by God.

  • Check out verses 14-22.

1 Kings 11:14 Then the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom.
1 Kings 11:15 For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck down every male in Edom
1 Kings 11:16 (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),
1 Kings 11:17 that Hadad fled to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy.
1 Kings 11:18 They arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land.
1 Kings 11:19 Now Hadad found great favor before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
1 Kings 11:20 The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.
1 Kings 11:21 But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.”
1 Kings 11:22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely let me go.”

• Within the next few moments we will see the Lord, due to Solomon’s divided heart, raise up three adversaries (literally, a satan): 2 external and one internal.

  • We will begin with the first external adversary – Hadad the Edomite.

    • Notice, how these enemies are “stirred or awaken” due to the king’s lack of covenant faithfulness.

  • Hadad was a prince of Edom, an enemy of Israel during David’s reign as king.

    • Hadad was a young boy during the war that broke out between Israel and Edom.

    • As a result, Hadad escaped to Egypt making his way from Midian, which was south of Edom all the way to Paran, in the area of the Sinai Peninsula.

  • As one could imagine, much hostility was built up against David, especially Joab, who ruthlessly slayed every male in Edom.

    • So, as one would expect, Hadad had built a plan against Israel at the right moment.

  • We are told while in Egypt, that Hadad found favor with Pharaoh of Egypt to the point that Hadad was able to marry Pharaoh’s wife, Tahpenes’ sister.

    • From that relationship came forth a child named Genubath. It would seem like life in Egypt was where it would be and there was no turning back.

    • However, when Hadad got word that David had died and that Joab was dead, Hadad requested to go back to his own country.

  • One could gather that Pharaoh was slightly taken aback as he had treated Hadad as his own and there was no need for him to leave.

    • But according to the writer of Kings, Hadad’s mind was set on heading back to his own country after years of being displaced.

  • Now remember, the surrounding nations were at peace with Israel during Solomon’s reign. This means there was nation-state coordination.

    • This type of relationship was possible because the Lord had kept the “satans” away.

    • In other words, while Israel was in obedience, there were no issues in which Israel had to deal with. There was peace on all sides.

    • However, the moment that they broke the law, it gave way for divine discipline to commence.

  • This principle we often want to avoid but it remains true: That sin must always be dealt with. There is no sweeping it under the rug.

    • And as the Lord had made clear and as Solomon’s previous prayer mentioned, “Lord be merciful and forgiving”.

    • But this can only take place when there has been an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and turning from sin.

    • And the beautiful thing is that in Christ forgiveness is found!

    • We now move to the next adversary, Rezon. Look at verses 23-25.

1 Kings 11:23 God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah.
1 Kings 11:24 He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed there, and reigned in Damascus.
1 Kings 11:25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

• Solomon now comes across another enemy in his later years who brings more hostility near the land.

  • This individual is named Rezon who, like David, had fled from his king, Hadadezer, king of Zobah, for safety.

    • So far, we are seeing there is a return of an enemy in the south with Hadad and now enemy from the north in Rezon.

    • And with Rezon, he has gathered a group of men to sabotage and create conflict from the north near Damascus.

    • And this eventually became a pain point for Solomon in his later years. This is why verse 25 says he was a “satan” (adversary) to Solomon.

    • Ultimately, the writer of kings makes known that between Hadad in the south and Rezon in the north, the satans were being brought upon Israel.

  • And if that wasn’t bad enough, we then find that there was an internal adversary that arose within Solomon’s own ranks – a man named Jeroboam.

    • Check out verses 26-39.

1 Kings 11:26 Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.
1 Kings 11:27 Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David.
1 Kings 11:28 Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.
1 Kings 11:29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field.
1 Kings 11:30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.
1 Kings 11:31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes
1 Kings 11:32 (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),
1 Kings 11:33 because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.
1 Kings 11:34 ‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes;
1 Kings 11:35 but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes.
1 Kings 11:36 ‘But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.
1 Kings 11:37 ‘I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel.
1 Kings 11:38 ‘Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
1 Kings 11:39 ‘Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’ ”

• We are now introduced to the third adversary against Solomon and the Kingdom. This time, it is one of Israel’s own, a man named Jeroboam.

  • Jeroboam’s name means “May the People be great”, and his name becomes a tell-tale sign of his motives.

    • We are told that Jeroboam was an Ephraimite and the Ephraimites were the leading tribe of the northern tribes.

    • And the writer provides a back story in which Jeroboam’s mother, Zeruah also rebelled against King David during his reign.

    • What makes the rise of this adversary even worse, besides being a fellow countryman, was that Jeroboam was a part of Solomon’s court.

    • The writer of kings provides us even more background regarding how Jeroboam rises to the ranks of leadership in Solomon’s court.

  • It was when Solomon built a terrace and filled in some gaps in the wall of the city of David that Solomon saw Jeroboam was a good worker. (1 Kings 11:28)

    • We are also told that Jeroboam was a valiant warrior.

    • Perhaps this becomes an identifier to Solomon of Jeroboam’s leadership strength.

    • And if that is the case, it leads Jeroboam to lead the forced laborers over the house of Joseph.

    • From there, it is as if the scene switches and we are now thrusted towards a new character, the prophet Ahijah.

• What we are told regarding Ahijah from scripture is that he was a Shilonite which means he was from the region of Shiloh.

  • And the region of Shiloh was within the tribe of Ephraim as seen in the map provided.

    • And it is this prophet that the Lord will use to demonstrate to Jeroboam the coming results of the Kingdom of Israel.

  • The writer records that as Solomon’s external adversaries began to arise that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem.

    • And it was there that Ahijah met him on the road.

    • Ahijah, wearing his new cloak, representative of the firmly established Kingdom of Israel, now tears this cloak into 12 pieces.

  • Ahijah then takes these 12 pieces and tells Jeroboam to take 10 pieces for himself and proceeds to tell him that the Lord will tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands and give him 10 tribes.

    • This would mean that Solomon’s descendants would be left with only two tribes to govern.

    • Now notice, verse 32 says that only one tribe would be given –  understand that because Benjamin’s tribe was so small it was regarded as one.

• So, what we are seeing is that as the Lord told Solomon, because of his sin of idolatry, he would tear the kingdom from him and give it to his servant.

  • And without fail, the Lord uses his prophet to meet with Jeroboam and explain what the result of Solomon’s judgement is.

    • Imagine for a moment: This was not an easy thing to hear as Jeroboam was an employee of King Solomon.

    • But now, because of Solomon’s failure to obey the law, someone underneath him will now become an instrument of disruption.

    • Yet at the same time, the internal disruption regarding rule over these tribes is none other than a Jew (fellow countryman).

  • The next thing that we come to see within this text is the theological realities that emerge from this situation.

    • In one sense, although Solomon has failed drastically, it does not null the Davidic covenant.

  • In other words, not only does David’s descendants continue to reign over Judah but the headquarters of the Davidic dynasty will remain in Jerusalem. (Mt. Zion)

    • This is where the Lord has always made known that he will richly dwell in, and that wouldn’t change regardless of the failures of the Judean kings.

    • What this also shows us is that God is faithful to His word even when we fall short.

  • Therefore, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, who we will be introduced to at the end of this chapter, will continue as king but over the southern kingdom.

    • What becomes an interesting detail, which speaks to the theological significance of this book, is verse 36b regarding the lamp burning before the Lord.

  • The “lamp” signifies the standing promise of God’s covenant with David, being that David is God’s chosen king and that Jerusalem is his chosen city. (2 Samuel 21:17)

2 Samuel 21:17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”

• We see a similar expression in Psalm 132:11-18:

Psalm 132:11 The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
Psalm 132:12 “If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”
Psalm 132:13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.
Psalm 132:14 “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
Psalm 132:15 “I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.
Psalm 132:16 “Her priests also I will clothe with salvation, And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
Psalm 132:17 “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.
Psalm 132:18 “His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon himself his crown shall shine.”

• So not only is David Yahweh’s choice, but Jerusalem is the place in which Yahweh has chosen to reign from.

  • And His word will not “turn back”, meaning will not return void.

• The second thing that we pick up from the text theologically is that sin divides.

  • In this sense, we see a literal manifestation of that truth, however, applicationally speaking, we know that sin causes disfellowship with the Lord.

    • That where our sin encroaches and takes root, it brings about a separation in fellowship.

    • Plainly put, sin impacts our relationship with God! And the only thing that puts us back into right fellowship is repentance (lower case r).

  • So from the sin of idolatry, it leads Solomon and the nation into this coming state of apostasy and now the Lord provides a condition to Solomon’s servant.

    • And the Lord gives similar conditions to Jeroboam in that if Jeroboam follows the ways of the Lord, he will build him an enduring house.

    • Notice however the differences in these conditions: David’s promise is unconditional yet Jeroboam’s isn’t. The covenant is with David!

  • So even, if Jeroboam was to follow the Law as David did, it would not cancel God’s covenant promise with David regarding the Davidic covenant.

    • So this meant that, for a time, the Davidic descendants would be humbled.

  • Friends, what we are seeing is that there would come a future day in which the Messianic promise of a Davidic descendant would come about.

    • And as we know that reality was realized through the person of Jesus Christ.

    • And furthermore, Christ as King will be actualized in His Second Coming.

    • We now come to our last four verses for tonight, verses 40-43.

1 Kings 11:40 Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
1 Kings 11:41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
1 Kings 11:42 Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

• Now, as one could imagine, Solomon getting word regarding this tearing of the Kingdom from his hands put him in a rage. Like what Saul did to David

  • • So, to escape this impending threat of death, Jeroboam flees to Egypt until Solomon dies.

    • And we find that the ruling Pharaoh that Jeroboam confides in and finds refuge under is Shishak of Egypt.

  • And knowing that Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter shows that there has been some change in leadership.

    • And with any major change in leadership means that alliances also shift if not further confirmed.

  • Ultimately, Solomon and his descendants would have to endure the coming discipline of the Lord by way of disrupting neighboring nations.

    • That where there once were allies of Israel, they would now become enemies of Israel.

    • A theme that seems to become quite evident in the Kings narrative is God’s Sovereignty at work.

    • His discipline and dealing with a disobedient Israel does not exclude them from His promises for them, it simply readies them to accomplish His good pleasure.

    • Paul makes mention of God’s Sovereign work throughout all circumstances in Romans 8:28:

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

• As we get to the ending of Chapter 11, we come to find that Solomon’s life ends rather tragically.

  • This great king who was given great wisdom beyond all kings has now found himself the very cause of the division of the kingdom.

    • The question that comes to mind for some is how could a man with so much wisdom come to the end of his life so foolishly?

    • The short answer to this is: When our affections become misplaced by the blessings we possess rather than the one who has Blessed us, we too will fall.

  • Solomon’s fall was not a matter of having failed once and consequences ensue – no! There were several decisions made over time that led to this end.

    • And even with all the wisdom given, Solomon failed to apply the wisdom of God accordingly that he might prosper.

    • It’s one thing to have a knowledge of the word of God, but to see the blessing of God, that word must be applied.

  • God has graciously allowed Solomon to rule over Israel a total of 40 years, from 971 to 931 BC).

    • And now Solomon would be buried with his fathers in the city of David.

    • But as we previously saw, although the Lord brings about judgement towards Solomon, He remains faithful to His promise towards David.

    • And so this will now lead to the rise of a new character in this narrative who was not previously introduced up until now – Rehoboam.

    • And what we will see from this point on is that the following choices of the kings, except for a few, will lead to utter disaster.

  • As we continue in the Kings narrative, you are going to see a rise in the prophetic voices from the prophets.

    • And the goal of the prophets is simple: To bring the people back to the obedience of the Law.

    • These men will be threatened, mocked, experience highs and lows, and mostly be ignored by the kings of the Kingdoms.

  • There will be both prophets from the north and south, yet they are giving the Israelite people the same message, in essence. Get back to Torah!

    • The only way in which the Lord would bless the nation is if they returned to His Law.

    • And their failure to do so would ultimately result in their removal from the land and the withdrawing of his presence in the temple.

  • Therefore, the kings would need to make a choice, and for the most part the kings continued in their independence from God and continued in idolatry.

    • Yet what becomes such a beautiful reminder in all of this, is that God has not forgotten Israel.

    • And if I might bring in present application: He has not forgotten you!

  • The leadership of the world will fail, the policies will continue to reflect the God-less society of men and women that are creating these rules.

    • And the results of those decisions always lead to the decline of a nation.

    • So like the prophets, we must pray, trust in the Lord, and know that He is faithful to Himself and therefore faithful to His word.

    • And those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!

    • Let’s Pray.