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Context No. 4175 of 4322 · 1 Kings

Context · Reflection

1 Kings 12:17-24: in context

17But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day. 20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed David’s house, except for the tribe of Judah only. 21When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24‘The LORD says, “You shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Everyone return to his house; for this thing is from me.”’” So they listened to the LORD’s word, and returned and went their way, according to the LORD’s word.

When the kingdom of Israel splits after Solomon, and the northern tribes reject Rehoboam, Solomon's son, Rehoboam gathers a great army to fight and reclaim the lost kingdom by force. But God intervenes through the prophet Shemaiah with a clear command: you shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the people of Israel; every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.

And, remarkably, Rehoboam and his army obey; they disband and go home rather than fight. There is something instructive in this obedience. Rehoboam had the power and the will to fight for what he believed was rightfully his. But when God said, do not fight, for this is from me, he submitted, accepting a painful loss because God had ordained it. Sometimes what we have lost, or what has gone against us, is in some way from God, part of his purposes, even when it grieves us. The temptation is to fight against it, to strive to reclaim by force what has slipped away. But there are times when the faithful response is to accept that this is from God, and to submit to his hand even in painful loss.

When I face a painful loss or setback, can I discern whether it may be from God's hand, and am I willing, like Rehoboam, to stop fighting against it and submit to God's providence even when it grieves me, rather than striving to reclaim by force what he has ordained?

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