And so the story of the divided kings begins.  Today’s reading is the beginning of the Kings Cycle, the stories of Israel and Judah as they progress down the line of Kings.  There are many notable differences between the stories of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and the stories of Judah, the Southern Kingdom.  Sadly however, there are also marked similarities as well.  It would be really nice to say that the Kingdom of Judah did what was right in the sight of the Lord while the evil Northern Kingdom headed by the usurper to the house of David, only did evil.  Unfortunately, that is only partially true.  As we read through the stories of the Kings of Israel, you will notice that not a single one of them does what is right in God’s eyes.  They are all evil, every single one of them.  While the depth of their evil deeds may vary a bit, not a single one of them is said to have done what is even remotely right in God’s eyes.  Israel is dead-set on a path to destruction, which is prophesied about here in today’s reading.

English: Jeroboam was the first king of the northern Israelite Kingdom of Israel after the revolt of the ten northern Israelite tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Jeroboam’s wife goes to the prophet Ahijah to inquire about the fate of his son, a grim prophecy is made.  Not only will his son die, but his entire family will be cut off from the kingly line of Israel.  Further more, because of the sins of Jeroboam, because he did not walk in the way of the Lord after God gave him the throne which he took away from Solomon, “the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.  And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”  This is a direct prophecy of the coming total destruction of the Northern Kingdom.  This will happen much later, but this is where we see the prophecy is made that the Northern Kingdom will go into Exile… and never return.

The Kings of Israel and Judah
Photo Credit: http://kencarlson.org/bible/those-confusing-kings/

Rehoboam, I would love to say, was exactly the opposite of Jeroboam.  However, that is not the case.  He did evil and his son did evil too, as we read.  Yet Scripture tells us that “Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem,  because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”  I think that this is an amazing show of faithfulness by God to the Covenant He made with David.  The promise was to David’s family forever, that His throne would be established forever; and to this promise God remains faithful.  Really, this has the overtones of Election written into it once again.  Clearly God has chosen this people to be His people… and here it is clear that it is not because of any merit that they had, have, or will have.  These people sin constantly, they are no better than any of those around them, yet God continues to be faithful to them, even when they refuse to obey or follow the Law.

It isn’t until King Asa, Rehoboam’s grandson that things get put relatively back on track.  Scripture says that “the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days” dispite the things that he didn’t do to right the path of Judah.  This is another part of the Kings Cycle that we will see.  With Israel it is all bad all the time.  However, with Judah things go up and down, back and forth.  Unfortunately the trend is still downward.  Yet God remains faithful, often times only for the sake of the Covenant He made with David…

Spiritual State and the Kings of Israel
Photo Credit: http://www.flester.com/blog/2008/03/14/the-kings-of-israel-and-judah

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