'Appreciating God's Love'
A) Most of Israel torn off
I Kin 11:13 "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."
Because of the disobedience of King Solomon, most of Israel was torn off and only the tribe of Judah remained under the rule of the descendants of King David.
Rebellion of King Rehoboam
I Kin 12:1, 13-14 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king... Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!"
Because of the heavy taxes imposed by King Solomon, most ot the Israelites were unhappy. On the installation of his son Rehoboam as king, the people requested him to lower the taxes but King Rehoboam were merciless and rebuked them. Immediately they rebelled to form the new kingdom of Israel under King Jeroboam less the tribe of Judah.
To fulfill his covenant, all these events were arranged by the Lord in order to tear the rest of Israel from the rule of David's descendents.
I Kin 12:15-16 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: "What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!" So Israel departed to their tents.
B) Attack of Rehoboam Stopped
I Kin 12:23-24 "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: "You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." ' " Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.
God stopped King Rehoboam of Judah from attacking Jeroboam and so the Kingdom of Judah was left with only the tribe of Judah.
However, after Jeroboam established the kingdom of Israel, there were continuous warfare between the two kingdoms.
I Kin 15:6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
Descendants Ruled in Jerusalem
I Kin 15:4-5 Nevertheless for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Because of David's obedience to the Lord, the Lord ensured that his descendants would always be on the throne ruling the people of Israel in Jerusalem, until Jerusalem and the temple of God was ransacked by the Babylonians.
God set up All Authorities
Rom 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Since God can set up all authorities on earth and since I have sincerely accepted Him as my Lord and Master, then He definitely is in full control of everything that happen in our life. To God be the glory.
C) Jer 7:25-26 "Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, *I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck*. They did worse than their fathers."
Since the Israelites left Egypt, they had been rebellious though they had seen their deliverances by the numerous signs and wonders of the Lord.
The new generation of Israelites (filled with the word of God while wandering for 40 in the wilderness) were bold, courageous and full of faith in their conquest of Canaan land.
However, the following generation, who were busy fighting during their possession of the Promised land, were not taught the words of God. They displayed their faithlessness in God by being worldly, covetous and idolatorous. God had to continuously send Judges to deliver them.
After the Israelites had rejected God as their King, God accepted their will by establishing kings to rule over them. To prevent these kings from practicing abominations, God sent prophets to guide, admonish and rebuke these kings and the people.
Godly King Asa
I Kin 15:11-13 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron.
Surprisingly most of the kings in the Kingdom of Judah, who were descendants of King David were godly kings. They ruled in Jerusalem where the temple of God was situated and it was built by King Solomon.
The presence of God in the temple of God with the signs and wonders and the teaching of His words in Jerusalem must have strengthened the faith of the kings to trust and fear the Lord and to keep His words.
