Do you ever get the feeling that the Kingdom of David will never learn? It’s obvious, and this chapter paints yet another picture of how stubborn we as a people have always been. We even see something from Solomon’s reign that was never pointed out before: he was a harsh ruler. We knew he had slaves and used forced labor to build the Temple and palace and all his infrastructure, but up until this point, we had no idea that these laborers were mistreated, even whipped into submission. Both Rehoboam and Jeroboam’s actions were none too impressive. They proved to be stubborn and rebellious and turned from God’s instruction. The promise God made to King David that someone from his line would sit on the throne always – as long as God remained at the core of their leadership – didn’t even last past one generation! The Israelites already need Jesus! Well, we know from past stories that Jesus was needed long before this time period, actually, but these stories serve as reminders and great foreshadowing of the lengths God will go to in order to stay connected with His people.
Writing prompt: traitors
Explain why you think Rehoboam and Jeroboam did not maintain God’s principles.
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