and the man Jeroboam was strong and valiant; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
Solomon's kingdom is starting to break apart, and the man who will tear it is not a foreign invader but his own employee. Why did Solomon's eye for talent hand him his rival, and why was ability alone not enough to make Jeroboam a good king?
Jeroboam enters the record with no royal background. One writer sets his rise beside other sudden promotions in Scripture:
Jeroboam is an example of something quite common in the East. A man is raised from a relatively low position in private or public life to the highest, or one of the highest, positions in the land. We have examples of this in Scripture, such as Joseph and Moses, and secular history mentions plenty more.
Earlier in the chapter God stirred up Hadad and Rezon against Solomon. Both were outsiders with old national quarrels. Jeroboam was different:
The Holy Spirit holds back the account of the trouble Hadad and Rezon caused the king until this point. The Spirit Himself presents it as a direct chastening of Solomon's idolatry. And these were not the only ones. They were external. Solomon might say, "Well, we cannot expect anything better. They have private grudges, or national grudges, against our family." But Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite, was no foreigner. This was not a matter of avenging supposed wrongs done to his family or his race.
This promotion is what made the threat serious. Jeroboam knew the kingdom from the inside.
The third enemy of Solomon was the most dangerous, for he was a servant of Solomon, a capable man whom Solomon had entrusted with a responsible position (v. 28). Jeroboam rebelled against the king because of a message God sent to him through the prophet Ahijah. So it is plainly God who raised up this adversary. Jeroboam was from Ephraim, and Solomon set him over all the labour force of the house of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh). He would be fully familiar with the running of the affairs of Solomon's kingdom.
Solomon judged Jeroboam by what he could see — the man's work.
When Solomon was busy fortifying Jerusalem he noticed Jeroboam's industrious ways and promoted him to be in charge of the work crews from Ephraim and Manasseh. But we see that the king was not alone in taking note of this young man. God also took note of his industry and ambition. God's eye is on the ways of man and, more than that, He knows the thoughts and desires of every man's heart.
Industry is a real virtue. The same writer marks its limit:
Jeroboam's industriousness was commendable, but God looks for more than merely commendable human character traits. He looks at the heart and wants hearts wholly committed to Him. So He told Jeroboam, "If you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes… as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house… and I will give Israel to you" (v. 38).
The job put Jeroboam over work gangs drawn from his own tribes. One writer weighs whether their later complaint was fair:
This naturally gave him a place of importance in the eyes of his fellow countrymen, and prepared the way for what was soon to follow. They clearly resented this forced labour. "Your father made our yoke heavy," they later said to Rehoboam… There is no certain evidence that this was true. Their labour served the glory and security of the kingdom, and everyone was meant to share in its prosperity… It is possible, however, that they were set to work on what served only self-gratification; for when men leave the right way, as Solomon did, they soon become oppressive.
God had already promised him the kingdom. He still would not wait for it:
He had secretly longed for power over his brothers. The phrase "all that your soul desires" shows it clearly. He probably chased the fulfilment of Ahijah's prophecy with the feverish haste of pride… Ahijah had said plainly that Solomon should be ruler all the days of his life, and that only out of his son's hand would the kingdom pass to Jeroboam. But like a wilful, impatient child, he could not wait, and had to take the matter out of God's hand and act for himself.
- Noticed. Solomon saw an industrious young man and promoted him. God saw the same man and read his heart.
- Promoted. Charge of the labour force of Ephraim and Manasseh gave him standing at home and inside knowledge of the kingdom.
- Positioned. Hadad and Rezon attacked from outside. Jeroboam was Solomon's own servant, so the chastening came home.
- Promised. God promised him Israel outright, but a lasting house depended on walking in God's ways, as David did.
- Impatient. He had a clear promise and still schemed to hurry it up. Like a wilful, impatient child, he would not wait for God's time.
And it came to pass at that time that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and 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.
An officer Solomon had promoted walks out of Jerusalem alone. On the open road a prophet meets him, and what happens to the coat on his back settles the future of the nation.
The king was meant to hold Israel's link with God. Watch what God does when the king fails.
Now a prophet appears. The ruin of the priesthood raised up Samuel; in the same way, the fall of the kingship now raises up a prophet. As these books go on, he becomes the striking link between the people and God, now that the kingship has failed in its responsibility.
A prophet on the scene is not only bad news.
His appearance proved that the grace and mercy of God could not be destroyed even when everything was ruined.
Jeroboam was no foreign enemy. Solomon had promoted him himself.
Solomon's third enemy was the most dangerous. He was Solomon's own servant, a capable man whom Solomon had trusted with a position of responsibility (v.28). Jeroboam rebelled against the king because of a message God sent him through the prophet Ahijah. So it is plainly God who raised up this enemy.
The coat is not a random object. It is new, and so is what it stands for.
Ahijah met Jeroboam outside Jerusalem, with no one else there to see it (v.29). Ahijah was wearing a new garment. He took it and tore it into twelve pieces, telling Jeroboam to take ten of them. The garment was Solomon's kingdom, newly set up.
The tearing is not a forecast of something God will do later.
He tears the new garment he is wearing (the kingdom itself was still quite new), and gives ten parts to Jeroboam. At that very moment the kingdom is torn out of Solomon's hands, though people only see it later. One tribe is left to the house of David, because grace freely chose David and Jerusalem.
God gives His reason in the message: "they have forsaken me." One writer asks who that "they" really was.
"They" was Solomon, the king! No doubt, all the people later followed that same path, but at this moment one man had sinned — the king. God had set him in a position of responsibility for all the people, and his unfaithfulness brought judgment on Israel.
The charge is spelled out in full. It was also a warning to the man who heard it.
God's reason for breaking up the kingdom is stated very clearly. Israel had forsaken the Lord and had sunk to worshiping all kinds of false gods and goddesses, ignoring God's statutes and judgments (v.33). God plainly hated that guilt, and Solomon led the way into it. It should have made a deep impression on Jeroboam's conscience, so that he took care never to copy such practices. But soon after he was raised up as king of the ten tribes, he fell into the same evil ways.
One tribe looks like a scrap next to ten. Watch what happens to each kingdom afterwards.
What mercy — a light always! Judah was greatly reduced, cut down in size and glory, yet one thing marked it off sharply from the ten tribes. Their kingdom began with a rebellious servant, and it would not end with him. Rebellious servant after rebellious servant would rise up against the king of Israel, so the ruling family was changed over and over and over again. It was not so with Judah. God calls it only one tribe, and still the light will always be there.
God had put the matter in His own hand, and told Jeroboam the outcome. Jeroboam would not leave it there.
But like a stubborn, impatient child, he could not wait. He had to take the case out of God's hand and handle it himself.
What God asked of him was simple trust.
The kingdom was his. He had only to believe the promise of God for that. Yet, like Jacob, he felt he had to work out his own schemes to get the promise fulfilled. Are we not ourselves sometimes guilty of the same mistake?
- Failure — kingship broke down, so God raised up a prophet as the link between Himself and His people.
- Sign — the new garment stood for the new kingdom. Tearing it settled the split that day, though no one saw it yet.
- Cause — the reason was idolatry. One man held responsibility for all, and his sin brought judgment on the nation.
- Mercy — God kept one tribe for David's sake. Its light would always burn, while the ten tribes changed ruling families again and again.
- Warning — the kingdom was already his by God's promise. He would not wait. He schemed for what he only had to trust God for.
Then Ahijah seized the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces;
Ahijah stops Jeroboam on the road outside Jerusalem. No one else is watching. He takes the new coat off his own back and tears it into twelve strips. The act says more than a speech could: Solomon's kingdom is about to come apart, and God Himself is doing the tearing.
The scene marks a shift in how God deals with His people. The king has failed, and God does not leave His people without a voice.
Now a prophet appears. Just as Samuel came at the time when the priesthood was ruined, so the fall of the kingship now raises up a prophet. He becomes the link between the people and God when kingship in responsibility has failed. We shall see this so strikingly through these books. Ahijah the prophet meets Jeroboam outside Jerusalem. He tears the new garment he is wearing (and indeed the kingdom was still quite new), and gives ten parts to Jeroboam. At that very moment the kingdom is torn out of Solomon's hands, though this fact is only realized later.
The detail that the coat was new is not decoration.
Ahijah was wearing a new garment. He took it, tore it into twelve pieces, and told Jeroboam to take ten pieces. The garment was the kingdom of Solomon, newly established.
The tearing is not politics. Ahijah gives a reason for it.
But God's reason for breaking up the kingdom is stated very plainly. Israel had forsaken the Lord. They had sunk to the level of worshipping various idolatrous gods and goddesses, and they ignored God's statutes and judgments (v.33). God plainly hated such guilt on Israel's part, and Solomon was the leader in it. This ought to have impressed Jeroboam's conscience deeply, so that he would make sure he did not follow such practices himself. But it was not long after he was raised up as king of the ten tribes that he fell into the same evil ways (ch. 12:29-33).
Ahijah tears twelve pieces, but hands over only ten. What stays behind matters as much as what is given.
The the message of the Lord through Ahijah also declared His faithfulness to David. The Lord still speaks of "David my servant"; he is to have a lamp always before Him in Jerusalem, the city He has chosen to put His name there. The house of David in the middle of all the evil is not forgotten. There will be affliction, "but not forever" (verse 39). And Jeroboam also has the opportunity of having a house "as I built for David," on the condition of obedience. But ambitious Jeroboam did not keep the statutes and commandments of the Lord.
Why does the kingdom not change hands at once?
Because of His promises to David, He would not entirely take the kingdom from David's family, and He would not do this during Solomon's lifetime. While God is always faithful to His word, He is never in a hurry to carry out His righteous judgments.
Ahijah's message also carried a timetable.
Ahijah had clearly said that Solomon should be "ruler all the days of his life." Only out of his son's hand would the kingdom be taken and given to Jeroboam. But like a wilful, impatient child, he could not wait, and had to take the case out of God's hand and act for himself.
God said two different things to Jeroboam that day.
God's promise to Jeroboam was plain. The kingdom was his unconditionally. "You shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel." The continuing of the kingdom, on the other hand, depended on his obedience. "If you will listen… walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes… I will be with you and build you a sure house." The kingdom was his. He only had to believe God's promise for that. Yet, like Jacob, he felt he needed to work out his own schemes to get the promise fulfilled. Are we not sometimes guilty of the same mistake? So often we are not content with God's clear promise. We try by our own efforts to get what we want, sometimes at the cost of obeying God's Word.
- Torn — the new garment pictures Solomon's new kingdom. God Himself tears it; this is no palace revolt.
- Why — the stated cause is idolatry: Israel forsook the Lord and served other gods, with the king leading.
- Kept — ten pieces go to Jeroboam, but one tribe stays with David's line. David keeps a lamp in Jerusalem. The affliction is real, yet "not forever."
- Timed — God is faithful to His word but never hurried; the sentence falls in the son's reign, not Solomon's.
- Forfeited — the kingdom was a gift, but keeping it depended on obedience. Jeroboam schemed for what God had already promised, and lost the house he was offered.
and said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee;
Solomon received the kingdom whole. Now God is about to tear it in pieces, and the news comes through a prophet who meets Jeroboam outside Jerusalem. Why did God tear away ten tribes, why did He leave anything at all, and what did Jeroboam do with the promise he was handed?
Ahijah's appearance is itself part of the message. Prophets appear in Israel's story where the appointed order has broken down.
When the king failed in his responsibility, it was really the people's relationship with God that suffered. But then something happened that lasted through the whole life of the kingdom, and even after it: the prophet came on the scene. His appearance proved that the grace and mercy of God could not be destroyed even when everything was ruined.
The garment Ahijah tore was new. That detail carries the meaning of the sign.
Ahijah the prophet meets Jeroboam outside Jerusalem. He tears the new garment he is wearing (the kingdom was indeed still quite new), and gives ten parts to Jeroboam. At that very moment the kingdom is torn out of the hands of Solomon, although people only realize this later.
God does not leave the cause in doubt.
But God's reason for breaking up the kingdom is most clearly stated. Israel had forsaken the Lord and had sunk down to the level of worshiping various idolatrous gods and goddesses, ignoring God's statutes and judgments (v.33). Solomon was the leader in that guilt. God's plain hatred of it ought to have struck Jeroboam's conscience, so that he would keep clear of such practices. Yet soon after he became king of the ten tribes, he fell into the same evil ways.
Rossier stops on the word "they" in that charge.
"They" was Solomon, the king! No doubt all the people later followed that same path, but at this moment one man had sinned — the king. God had set him in a position of responsibility for all the people, and his unfaithfulness brought judgment on Israel.
Ten pieces go to Jeroboam. The reason the rest stays is not Solomon's worth.
"However," God said, "I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand" (v.34). He would allow Solomon's son to keep the tribe of Judah (which included Benjamin) for David's sake, not for Solomon's sake. God also made it plain to Jeroboam that He had chosen Jerusalem to put His name there (v.36).
What is left to David's line is small, but the light in it never goes out.
What mercy! "a light always." Judah was greatly reduced — reduced in the extent and glory of the kingdom. But there was this marked difference from the ten tribes, the much larger part that passed to the other man. They would shift their loads from time to time. Their ruling family changed again and again, and one man after another rose up. Not so with Judah. Judah was reduced to what God calls only one tribe — the strongest possible way of stating their complete loss of glory. Still, there the light shall be always.
The difference between Jeroboam's kingdom and David's was not size but foundation.
David's kingdom stood on grace, and in due time that grace would assert its rights again. Jeroboam's kingdom, and Solomon's own, stood not on grace but on responsibility. God never takes back His promises; He delights in grace. So the future kingdom of the true King of Glory will rest on a new covenant — a covenant of grace, where God alone is under obligation.
Jeroboam had a plain promise. He still went to work to secure it himself.
God's promise to Jeroboam was plain. The kingdom was his, with no conditions attached. Keeping it in his family, on the other hand, depended on his obedience. The kingdom was his. He had only to believe the promise of God for that. Yet, like Jacob, he felt he had to work out his own schemes to get the promise fulfilled. Are we not ourselves sometimes guilty of the same mistake? So often we are not content with God's clear promise, but try by our own efforts to get what we want, sometimes at the cost of obedience to God's Word.
- Cause. The torn garment is judgment, not politics. Israel turned to other gods, and Solomon led the way.
- Restraint. God did not take the whole kingdom — one tribe was kept back, and kept for David's sake, not Solomon's.
- Light. The small portion carried a promise of light that would never go out, steady while the ten tribes changed one ruling family for another.
- Foundation. Jeroboam's kingdom rested on his obedience. David's rested on grace. That is why the coming kingdom rests on a covenant where God alone is under obligation.
- Waiting. The kingdom was already Jeroboam's by promise; he schemed for it anyway — the warning is against helping God keep His word.