1 Kings 11:30

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.

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.

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).

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.

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 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'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.