So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Israel's break with the royal line of David becomes permanent here. The verse raises two questions the commentators keep returning to: who caused this, and can it ever be undone?
A king who listened to flatterers
The king's own harsh words set off the break. One writer traces that back to a son who never learned his father's wisdom and gave his ear to flatterers.
H. L. RossierRehoboam abandons the counsel of wisdom to follow that of the young men who had grown up with him and who stood before him. They could only be the mirror and reflection of their master's thoughts. If he had stood before his father and heard his wise proverbs, he could have passed some of that wisdom on to others. He would have known what suits a king. He would have known that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." He would have known that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." But no — those who flatter his pride are the ones who win his approval.
The root of the division
The king's folly was not the whole story. One commentator digs for the root, and finds two failures.
Hamilton SmithHere then we discover the root of division in Israel and, may we not say, the root of all divisions that have taken place among the people of God. First, unjudged worldliness that robs the people of true devotedness, and second, disobedience to the Word of God.
God's hand behind a man's folly
It would be easy to blame the split on one king's bad judgment. The same writer says that misses what God was doing.
Hamilton SmithIt was true that Rehoboam's folly was the immediate cause of the division. But the word of God in judgment had gone out long before the violent words of the king. The mighty hand of God in discipline was behind the feeble hand of the king. The holy government of God was tearing the kingdom apart, and behind the discipline of God was the low condition of the people.
"To this day" — a wound that stayed open
The verse ends by saying the rebellion was still going on. One commentator treats it as the first bitter harvest of a crop sown earlier.
William KellyAnd that rebellion was never healed. Sadly we shall find greater evils than this. But here the bitter fruits of wrongdoing were beginning to show themselves. The one who had sown the wind had to reap the whirlwind.
Still brothers, not enemies
God forbade Rehoboam to fight the tribes that had left. One writer applies that command to divisions among God's people now.
An Outline of Sound WordsAlthough the folly of King Rehoboam brought about the division of the kingdom of Israel, the cause was the idolatry of his father Solomon. The consequences of the division were very sad. Instead of brothers living together in unity, "there were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam." … Instead of fighting with brothers, we should pay attention to God's word to Rehoboam when the division happened: "Thus says the LORD, you shall not go up or fight against your relatives… for this thing is from me." God has allowed the divisions among His people because of our sin and folly, and it is for us to bow our heads and hearts before Him in shame.
Who can mend it
Every later effort to put the nation back together failed. One writer sets those efforts beside what the Son of God will do.
Samuel RidoutHow beautiful it is that in God's day, when the Lord takes up the staff of Israel and of Judah, it will be reunited in His hand. It will be one, as it has never been since the division. All efforts in the past have been useless. King Rehoboam might fight to bring back the tribes that had revolted, but it was completely impossible. The same was true of the efforts of other kings. Hezekiah might send out a gracious invitation for Israel to come back to the God of their fathers. A few people might be restored, but it is only a temporary, partial thing. But when the mighty Son of God takes hold of His people, that broken staff will be reunited and become one.
Summary
- Root — The division did not start with Rehoboam's rudeness. Under it lay unjudged worldliness and disobedience to God's Word.
- Trigger — Pride and flattery lit the spark. A harsh word stirred up anger where a soft answer would have turned it away.
- Government — Behind the king's feeble hand was God's mighty hand. His word of judgment had gone out long before the king's violent words.
- Fruit — "To this day" records a wound never healed — the one who sowed the wind reaped the whirlwind.
- Hope — No king could force the pieces back together. When the Son of God takes up the broken staff, the two will become one in His hand.