Rehoboam’s Early Reign

Because Solomon had turned from obeying God to worshipping other gods, God had caused the nation of Israel to split into two countries.  The trigger for the split had been Rehoboam’s greed and his determingtion to prove he was king, by insisting on raising taxes.  As a result the ten Northern tribes formed the nation of Israel while Rehoboam retained the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, as I Kings 14:21 describes.  “And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.”

Rehoboam’s efforts to prove he was king had been advised by other men about his own age, who had grown up alongside him and had never known anything but the prosperity under Solomon,  As a result, they had no understanding of the struggles the common people experienced, much like the majority of our political figures today, even though they were in their early forties.  When the people rebelled, Rehoboam decided to show them who was king, but God stopped him, as II Chronicles 11:1-4 describes.  “And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.  But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.”

Warned not to fight Israel, Rehoboam began building strong defenses according to II Chronicles 11:5-12 describes.  “And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.  He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, And Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam, And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities.  And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.  And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.”

At the same time, many people in Israel were upset about Jeroboam’s changes, and especially his starting his own religion.  As a result many of those who wished to serve God moved to Judah, as II Chronicles 11:13-17 describes.  “And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.  For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.  And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.  So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.”

For the first three years of his reign, Rehoboam and the people of Judah followed much the same patterns they had followed under David and Solomon.  For Rehoboam, this included getting many wives and siring a huge family, as we see in II Chronicles 11:18-23.  “And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.  And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.  And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)  And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.  And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many wives.”