And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
The break happens fast: Israel hears that Jeroboam is back, calls an assembly, and crowns him. Two questions hang over the verse: was this rebellion man's doing or God's, and what did the house of David keep?
A king the people wanted
Israel got the leader their own condition called for. One writer traces that choice back to the decline under Solomon. He also links it to an earlier king Israel demanded and then had to live with.
Leslie M. GrantAll Israel had sunk into a far worse condition during the days of Solomon. That was to be expected once Solomon himself sank to the level of worshipping idols. God knew that Israel wanted a king with ability. They were not concerned to have a man of integrity who would put the Lord first in his thoughts, as David did. So God gave Israel the kind of king they wanted, and they made Jeroboam king over all Israel (v.20). Israel had to learn by experience how foolish it was to want a king such as Saul (1 Sam. 8:11-20). In the same way, having a king such as Jeroboam, they would learn by sad experience that they ought to trust the Lord instead of demanding their own rights.
Predicted, not approved
A prophecy had already announced what Jeroboam would gain. Knowing that in advance did not make his grasping for it innocent.
William KellyDid that excuse Jeroboam? This is a very important principle, and you will find it again and again in the word of God. A prophecy never approves what it predicts. Prophecy covers the most terrible acts that the proud, corrupt, or murderous will of man has ever done.
Why only Judah is named
Benjamin also stayed with Rehoboam, yet the record says Judah only. The reason is one of size and naming.
Morrish Bible DictionaryOn the separation of the ten tribes, Judah and Benjamin formed a kingdom under the name of Judah. Benjamin being only a small tribe, the kingdom of Judah is sometimes spoken of as one tribe. No doubt the territory of Simeon was attached to Judah as well, since that tribe was more or less lost in the land.
That one tribe was no accident of politics, and it kept everything that mattered.
The Bible TreasuryJudah stayed loyal to Solomon's son only because of the overruling providence of God. In keeping with His gracious word, God reserved one tribe to the house of David, and He did it to accomplish His purpose — the bringing in of His king. Judah keeps the hill of Zion. Stripped of glory, they still have the temple and the city. God still owns them, and the royal link between the Lord and the kingdom of Judah still stands. With Jeroboam's kingdom there was no outward link. There was no properly ordained priest, and the king was given in judgment... All the symbols of worship appointed by God were with Judah; the ten tribes had not one of them.
The real cause lay further back
The king's own folly set off the split, but it was not the deeper source. God also claimed the outcome as His own.
An Outline of Sound WordsWhen the ten tribes revolted and Israel was divided, Rehoboam tried to unite them by force. But the Lord sent him a message saying, "this thing is from me." The apparent and immediate cause of the division was the foolishness of the king in rejecting the counsel of the elders. The underlying cause was Solomon's idolatry.
A wound still open
The crowning of Jeroboam took a day. Its effects have run on for centuries, and one writer reads the same pattern into the state of Christians today.
Leslie M. GrantJeroboam and his followers announced at once a division among brothers. The division took no time at all, but it has continued through the centuries until now. It will not be healed until the Lord Jesus comes in power and glory at the end of the Great Tribulation. In the counsels of God, Israel is one nation that cannot be divided. In practice the nation has been completely inconsistent with God's plan for her. Sadly the same has been true in the history of the Church of God on earth. There is only "one body" (Eph. 4:4), yet in practical testimony there are many bodies of professing Christians. That is a shameful contradiction of our perfect unity "in Christ."
Summary
- Cause. The split looked like one king's foolish answer to the people. The deeper cause was Solomon's idolatry, and the Lord's own message named the outcome as His doing.
- Choice. Israel wanted a capable king, not a man who put the Lord first. God gave them what they asked for — the same sad lesson Saul had already taught them.
- Excuse. Jeroboam had a prophecy on his side, yet a prophecy never approves what it predicts. Knowing what was coming did not clear him.
- Remnant. "Judah only" means two tribes under one name. It was small, yet it held Zion, the temple, the city and every God-given symbol of worship. The larger kingdom had none of them.
- Result. The kingdom broke in a day and has never come back together. It will stay that way until Christ comes — a warning to a divided people who are, in truth, one body.