About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did. “ ‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes.

King Rehoboam succeeded King Solomon as the next king of Israel.  God fulfilled his threat and split his kingdom into two.  God did it as a punishment for what King Solomon did.  King Solomon worshipped idols instead of worshipping the one, true and living God.

Let us take heed and learn from the pitfalls of King Solomon.  Consequences are dire when we wilfully and unrepentantly sin against God. God kept His word.  He took 10 tribes and gave it to King Jeroboam.

1 King 12:18-24

When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon. But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.

God is a merciful God.  God did not totally destroy King Solomon’s kingdom, but saved two tribes, which would later form the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

In the same way, God will ensure that we will not be totally defeated.  We may falter and at times sin against God.  But our God is a merciful God. He will forgive if we repent and will eventually grant us the victory.  Just as God kept His word in punishing King Solomon, God will also keep His promise to forgive and grant us success and victory to overcome our infirmities. From the tribe of Judah, came our Messiah, Jesus Christ.  God will one day re-establish his eternal kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us not forget that God is a fearful God, who will punish our sins to a thousand generations.  At the same time, let us love God for He is a merciful God!