So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Rehoboam's harsh answer at Shechem looks like plain pride in a young king. But the record says the LORD was behind it, keeping the word Ahijah spoke to Jeroboam — so who is to blame for the split?
God Directing the Outcome
Verse 15 explains the refusal from God's side rather than Rehoboam's:
Leslie M. GrantSo the king refused even to consider the needs of the people. But we know that God in His great wisdom was directing matters in this way to carry out the truth of His word to Jeroboam (v.15). It was certainly not pleasing to God that Rehoboam answered the people so cruelly. But God was working sovereignly for His own glory.
The King's Own Heart
No one forced Rehoboam's hand. He asked two sets of advisers, and the ones he chose handed his own thoughts back to him:
H. L. RossierRehoboam abandons the counsel of wisdom and follows that of the young men who had grown up with him and who stood before him (v. 8). They could not be anything other than the mirror and reflection of their master's thoughts... If he had listened to the wise proverbs of his father, he would have known that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Prov. 15:1); that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18)... But no, those who flatter his pride are the ones who win his approval. The counsel of the young men in the end is simply the counsel of his own heart.
Prophecy Is Not Permission
Jeroboam knew what Ahijah had promised him, and the moment to act on it had come:
William KellyJeroboam was in the plot. He was the one who knew well what the prophecy was, and now there was a chance to take advantage of it... Did that excuse Jeroboam? This is a very important principle that you will find constantly in the word of God. A prophecy is in no way a sanction of what is predicted. Prophecy takes in the most disgusting acts that have ever been done by the proud, corrupt, or murderous will of man.
Surface Cause and Root Cause
The kingdom broke in a single afternoon, but the decision was years old:
An Outline of Sound WordsThe obvious and immediate cause of the division was the foolishness of the king in rejecting the counsel of the elders. But the underlying cause was Solomon's idolatry. We read, "And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel... I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant... I will tear it out of the hand of your son" (1 Kings 11:9-12). The kingdom was never reunited, and will not be until the Lord comes.
Guilt Shared, Not Spread Thin
Scripture gives more than one explanation for the split, and no party can hide behind another:
James BoydTen of the tribes of Israel were torn from Rehoboam. In 1 Kings 11:11 we are told it was for the sin of Solomon. But verse 33 of the same chapter says it was for the idolatry of the people. And in chapter 12 we find the immediate cause was the tyrannical spirit in which the overbearing Rehoboam met the people... The fact is that the sin of any one of the three parties named was quite enough to bring about all the damage. So the responsibility lies at the door of each. Let me say again, however, that this judgment is only governmental — God's dealing with people in this life — and does not always reach into eternity.
Bowing to the Hand Behind the Loss
Rehoboam's first instinct was to win the tribes back by force. A prophet told him whose hand had done it, and for once he listened:
H. L. RossierRehoboam flees; nothing but Judah and Benjamin remain to him. To recover what he had so foolishly lost, he gathers together an army of 180,000 men against Israel. But Shemaiah the prophet urges them on God's behalf: "You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me" (v. 24). The king and the two tribes fear the LORD and return according to His word. If only they had continued in this path, which is the beginning of wisdom!
Summary
- Root — Solomon's idolatry settled the split long before Shechem. The rough answer was only the occasion.
- Refusal — Rehoboam chose the advice that echoed his own pride. The loss was not something done to him.
- Hand — God was directing events to keep His word to Jeroboam. The cruelty of the answer still displeased Him.
- Responsibility — Scripture names Solomon, the people, and Rehoboam. No one can shelter behind another, and a prophecy never excuses the act.
- Response — the answer to a loss God has sent is not an army but submission. "This thing is from me" stopped the war, and that path is the beginning of wisdom.