but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, -- the ten tribes.
Ahijah the prophet has just torn his new coat and handed ten parts of it to Jeroboam, one of Solomon's servants. Here God names the timing — not Solomon's reign, but his son's — and the man who will receive the ten tribes.
The torn coat was not theatre. It marked a shift in how God kept contact with His people once the throne had broken down.
Now a prophet appears. Just as the ruin of the priesthood raised up Samuel, so the fall of the kingship now raises up a prophet. The king has failed in his responsibility, so the prophet becomes the link between the people and God. Ahijah tears up the new coat 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.
Solomon keeps his throne to the end of his days. The loss lands on the next king. Commentators trace that gap to God's word to David rather than to any easing of the sentence.
Because of His promises to David, God would not take the whole kingdom from David's family. He would not do it during Solomon's lifetime either. God is always faithful to His word. But He is never in a hurry to carry out His righteous judgments.
Rehoboam's own folly triggered the split, yet the shape of that folly was set long before he opened his mouth.
Solomon was the wisest of men. Yet he did not obey the clear instructions of Scripture. He leaned on his own understanding, wrecked his life, and broke up his kingdom. It will never be one kingdom again until Christ comes to reign. So the consequences of his sin come out in the history of his son, to whom he gave a heathen mother. What else could we expect but catastrophe!
The chapter blames Solomon, then blames the people's idolatry, then chapter 12 shows Rehoboam's harshness lighting the fuse. One writer treats all three accounts as true at once.
If we had only 1 Kings 11:11, we would conclude that it all happened because of Solomon's sin. If we had only verse 33 of the same chapter, we would say it was for the sin of the people. If we had only chapter 12, we would be sure to blame the nation's ruin on the harsh rule of Rehoboam. The fact is that the sin of any one of the three was enough on its own to bring all the harm that followed. So the responsibility lies at the door of each. Let me say again, though, that this judgment is only a matter of God's government, and does not always reach into eternity.
What Jeroboam receives here is a gift with no strings. What he does with it is another matter entirely — and the two must not be confused.
God's promise to Jeroboam was plain. The kingdom was his, with no conditions attached... Keeping the kingdom, on the other hand, depended on his obedience... He had only to believe the promise of God. Yet, like Jacob, he felt he needed to work out his own schemes to get what God had promised. 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.
The ten tribes came with no promise of a steady throne. Judah's far smaller share came with something better.
If it began with a rebellious servant, it would not end with him. Many a rebellious servant would rise up against the king of Israel. So the ruling family would change over and over again. Not so with Judah. God calls Judah no more than one tribe, which is the strongest possible way of saying how far their glory had shrunk. Yet there the light will always shine.
Ahijah's message ends by promising affliction to David's line — and then setting a boundary on it.
We must notice the difference between God's ways in government with His people and His ways in grace. Because of their sins and their refusal to repent, the Jews have been under His chastening hand, and they still are. That is His righteous government. But the grace and love of His heart towards them never change. Mark the terms of the covenant: "And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever" (1 Kings 11:39). This principle matters enormously — for Israel, for the church, and for each individual Christian.
- Torn — Ahijah's cut coat announced a kingdom already torn in God's sight. The split only showed itself after Solomon died.
- Delayed — the judgment skipped Solomon's own reign, for David's sake. God keeps His word, but He is never in a hurry to carry it out.
- Shared — Solomon's disobedience, the people's sin, and Rehoboam's harsh rule each carried enough guilt on its own. This judgment belonged to God's government on earth, and did not always reach into eternity.
- Conditional — the ten tribes were a free gift to Jeroboam. Keeping them depended on obedience, and he schemed instead of trusting God.
- Limited — God would afflict David's line, but not for ever. His government chastens, while His grace towards His people never changes.
And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen for myself to put my name there.
Solomon turned to other gods, and it cost him the kingdom. Yet God kept one tribe back, so that David's lamp would not go out in Jerusalem.
God's charge sounds like it is aimed at the whole nation. One writer points to the one man behind it:
"They have forsaken Me," says the Lord, "and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways…" (v. 33). "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. Set before God in a position of responsibility for all the people, his unfaithfulness brought judgment upon Israel.
God spared little, and not for Solomon's sake:
God would leave one tribe to that son, also for the sake of David, not for Solomon's sake. Judah was that tribe, though Benjamin, very small and weak, was included with Judah. Also, this concession was for Jerusalem's sake, for God's choice of that city remained in spite of the failure and disobedience of all Israel.
God keeps coming back to David as the reason for what He spares. One writer weighs grace against glory:
In verse 34 God, ever coming back to the grace He had shown to David, adds: "And to his son I will give one tribe, that David My servant may have a lamp always before Me…" (v. 36). Grace is more in God's eyes than all glory, or rather, grace is the most precious part of glory, for it is, so to speak, at the head of all divine perfections.
The word "always" carries the promise. One writer sets Judah's line beside the northern kingdom:
What mercy! "a light always." The kingdom was greatly reduced — smaller in size and in glory. But here is the sharp difference from the ten tribes, the much larger part that went to the other king. They would change rulers from time to time. The family that governed kept changing, and one man after another rose up. … Not so with Judah. Judah was reduced to what God calls only one tribe — His way of saying as strongly as possible how far their glory had shrunk. Even so, there the light will be always.
(Older translations render the word as "light" rather than "lamp"; the sense is the same.)
The lamp appears in other passages too, joined to anointing and to light:
In the Old Testament we find anointing and the lamp together: "There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for My Anointed" (Ps. 132:17). David himself was spoken of as "the light of Israel" (2 Sam. 21:17); and, in a far higher sense, our Lord Jesus declares Himself "the Light of the world" (John 8:12).
The lamp had to keep burning until the promised Son came, and an enemy had every reason to put it out:
For this future Son to be "the offspring of David," David's line had to continue until He appeared. That is why God had promised David "to give to him always a lamp, and to his sons" (2 Chron. 21:7). Now, how was this lamp going to shine in the royal house until the appearing of the promised Son? How was it to pass through man's poisoned air and moral darkness without going out? If it went out, David's true Heir could never appear. Satan understood this. If he could succeed in extinguishing the lamp, all of God's counsels concerning the "Just Ruler over men" would come to nothing.
The city was God's own choice. One writer traces that choice forward:
From 1 Kings 11:36 we know that the place referred to in Deuteronomy was Jerusalem. Psalm 78:68 shows us that God chose Mount Zion, which He loved, to place His Sanctuary there. Further on we see (verse 7) that God made this place known in connection with His servant David. David is a picture of the Son of David, who in Matthew 18:20 speaks about the place connected with His Name, where He wants to be among His own.
So where does the lamp shine today? One writer answers:
If it is asked, where does this lamp shine now? Not on earth, for Jerusalem, the place of its earthly display, is "trampled underfoot by the Gentiles." But the eye of faith can see it shining with undimmed brightness "in the true tabernacle." There it will keep shining "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." And then… the blessed lamp will come out from the place where it now shines, and cast its cheering rays on the dark path of the oppressed and sorrowing remnant.
- The sin — the failure was Solomon's own. He held the throne, so his unfaithfulness brought judgment on the whole nation.
- The sparing — God kept back one tribe, Judah, with small, weak Benjamin joined to it. He did it for David's sake and for the city He had chosen, not for Solomon's.
- The grace — God keeps coming back to the grace He showed David. Grace stands at the head of all His perfections.
- The lamp — a light that would burn always. The northern throne changed hands again and again. Judah's lamp had to keep burning until David's true Heir appeared.
- The shining — no one sees the flame in Jerusalem today. Faith sees it burning elsewhere, ready to come out again and light the dark path of a suffering people.
And I will take thee, that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth, and thou shalt be king over Israel.
Solomon still sits on the throne when the prophet Ahijah tells Jeroboam that God will make him king over ten tribes. Two questions follow: how much of that promise was certain, and why did Jeroboam wreck what God handed him?
The verse opens with God's own action: "I will take you." Solomon had already promoted this hard-working young man. But the promotion that mattered came from higher up.
When Solomon was busy fortifying Jerusalem, he noticed how hard Jeroboam worked. He put him 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.
The promise gave Jeroboam wide room to rule. It did not give him room to ignore God.
God favoured Jeroboam by putting the ten tribes of Israel into his trust. A good and wise king had plenty of freedom to act. But God also demanded obedience to His statutes and commandments.
The two verses say different things. The kingdom itself was not up for negotiation; keeping it was.
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." Whether the kingdom lasted, on the other hand, depended on his obedience. "If you will listen … walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight … I will be with you, and build you a sure house." The kingdom was his. He had only to believe the promise of God 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? 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.
One writer finds a clue to Jeroboam's heart in that phrase. He wanted power over his brothers before he was ever told he would have it.
But Jeroboam knew nothing of faith. He had secretly wanted power over his brothers. The expression "over all that your soul desires" shows it clearly. He probably tried to hurry Ahijah's prophecy along with the feverish haste of pride, and that is why he had to run to Egypt for shelter… Ahijah had plainly said that Solomon should be "prince all the days of his life." God would take the kingdom only out of his son's hand and give it to Jeroboam. But, like a stubborn, impatient child, he could not wait. He had to take the case out of God's hand and act for himself.
A promised crown tests a man before he ever wears it. David faced the same test and passed it.
How unlike David, the man after God's own heart! The prophet Samuel had anointed and chosen him to replace Saul. Even so, David would not harm a hair of the condemned king's head, or lift a finger to bring the kingdom to himself. David was a man of faith; and faith — that precious "gift of God"! — always waits on God — waits for His time and way to fulfil His promises.
God's word was enough to build a reign on. Jeroboam wanted something he could arrange for himself.
He had only to let God act in his favour, to obey Him, and he was assured of reigning over all that his soul desired (1 Kings 11:37).
But the promises of God were not enough for this man. He reasoned on a purely human level.
- Taken. The reign starts with God's move, not Jeroboam's record. God saw his hard work and the desires of his heart.
- Given. God promised the kingdom outright. Jeroboam had only to believe Him for it.
- Kept. The sure house of the next verse was the part that hung on obedience: wide freedom to reign, and a plain demand to walk in God's ways.
- Grasped. Instead of waiting as David waited, he tried to force the promise through, and had to flee to Egypt for it.
- Forfeited. He would not rest on God's plain word. Human reasoning cost him the sure house, and left him known as the man who made Israel to sin.
And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, in keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with thee, and build thee a lasting house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.
Solomon's unfaithfulness cost his family ten of Israel's tribes. God handed them to Jeroboam and promised him a dynasty as lasting as David's — and that promise hangs on one word: "if."
God puts two different things before Jeroboam. The throne is a gift. Whether it lasts depends on Jeroboam.
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." But whether the kingdom lasted 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 had only to believe the promise of God for that. Yet, like Jacob, he felt he needed to work out his own schemes to get what was promised. Are we not 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 obeying God's Word.
God does not set an unreachable bar. He points Jeroboam to a life already lived.
God assured Jeroboam of blessing if he sought the Lord's interests as David did. This was not beyond Jeroboam, for God was only asking for what David had already shown.
A king still had wide freedom. One writer puts both sides plainly: "There was plenty of liberty of action for a good and wise king. But there was also God's demand for obedience to His statutes and commandments" (An Outline of Sound Words).
The promise gives Jeroboam a house as sure as David's, but it stands on a different footing. The next verse also sets a limit on how far David's line will suffer.
A new responsibility now rests on Jeroboam. God was giving him a privileged position. His house was to be as sure as David's, if he would listen to the commandments of the Lord. But God makes one reservation: "And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever" (v. 39). In due time the grace that founded David's kingdom would claim its rights again. God established Jeroboam's kingdom — and Solomon's too — not on grace but on responsibility. God never takes back His promises; He delights in grace.
Jeroboam had God's word for his security. Instead of resting on it, he weighed the odds and set up a religion of his own.
Events unfold without him having to interfere. But he does not trust, and says in his heart: "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David." He has no confidence in God, so he weighs up the probabilities and stops there. Faith never stops at probabilities. I would even say that it feeds on impossibilities and is the better for it. His unbelief in God's promise and his indifference to the worship of the Lord produced a national religion of his own, separate from the worship God had established at Jerusalem.
God let his reign run its full course. The dynasty was another matter.
Despite his wickedness, the Lord allowed Jeroboam to reign twenty-two years. The Lord had used him to discipline the guilty house of David. But his own evil course made it impossible for him to establish a new dynasty. He knew Solomon's sins, and God had encouraged him to do well. The "sure house" mentioned in 1 Kings 11:38 could not be, for Jeroboam had led the people far away from their God.
Two kings held the throne on these terms. Both failed. That leaves a question the verse itself does not answer.
The Lord gave Jeroboam rule over the ten tribes because Solomon had been unfaithful. He told him that if he would listen to His commandments, walk in His ways, and do what was right in His sight, He would be with him and build him "a sure house" (1 Kings 11:38). But who can God trust except the Lord Jesus? Solomon was unfaithful; so was Jeroboam.
- Given — God handed Jeroboam the ten tribes outright. Only the lasting of his house hung on the "if" of obedience.
- Gauge — the standard was "as David my servant did" — a life already lived, so not beyond Jeroboam's reach.
- Ground — his kingdom stood on responsibility; David's stood on grace. God would afflict David's line, "but not forever."
- Grasping — Jeroboam did not trust the promise. He weighed the odds, set up a religion of his own, and lost the sure house.
- Guarantee — both kings failed. The sure house rests at last on the one Man God can trust.