The Cracking of a Kingdom Text: 2 Chronicles 10:1-5
Introduction: The High Cost of Foolish Sons
History is not a random series of unfortunate events. It is a story, written and directed by a sovereign God who works all things after the counsel of His own will. And in this story, as in any good story, choices have consequences. Sins have consequences. And the sins of a father, particularly a king, have consequences that cascade down through generations and can crack a kingdom in half.
We come now to the tragic and entirely predictable succession of Rehoboam, son of Solomon. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, ended his life as a fool. He disobeyed every one of the prohibitions God laid out for Israel's kings in Deuteronomy 17. He multiplied horses from Egypt, he multiplied wives who turned his heart to their idols, and he multiplied silver and gold beyond measure. His glorious kingdom was built on the back of a compromised heart, and the bill was about to come due. God, in His mercy, promised not to tear the kingdom away during Solomon's life, for David's sake. But the judgment was set, the prophecy was spoken, and the instrument of that judgment would be Solomon's own son.
This chapter is a master class in political stupidity, but it is far more than that. It is a revelation of the nature of true authority, the wisdom of godly counsel, and the inexorable outworking of God's covenant judgments. Rehoboam stands at a fork in the road. On one path lies the wisdom of his elders, the path of a servant king, the path of covenantal faithfulness. On the other lies the arrogant counsel of his peers, the path of the tyrant, the path of self-aggrandizement. His choice will determine the fate of a nation, and it was a choice that was, in a very real sense, already determined by the folly of his father and the decree of his God.
We live in an age that despises authority and mocks wisdom. We are governed by men who, like Rehoboam, listen to the echo chamber of their own youthful and arrogant ambitions. They think power is a tool for enforcement, not a platform for service. And so, as we watch the kingdom of Israel crack and splinter, we should see a mirror of our own times. The principles at work here are timeless because they are rooted in the character of God and the nature of man.
The Text
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
"Your father made our yoke harsh; but now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you."
Then he said to them, "Return to me again in three days." So the people went away.
(2 Chronicles 10:1-5 LSB)
The Coronation and the Complication (vv. 1-3)
We begin with the political stage being set:
"Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned from Egypt. Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying," (2 Chronicles 10:1-3)
Rehoboam, the legitimate heir, goes to Shechem. This is significant. Shechem was a historic place of covenant assembly and, not coincidentally, a center of power for the northern tribes, particularly Ephraim. He doesn't summon them to Jerusalem; he goes to them. This tells us that the unity of the kingdom is already fragile. The northern tribes are not simply going to rubber-stamp the succession. They see this as a moment of negotiation, a time to air their grievances. Rehoboam has the title by birthright, but he needs the consent of the governed, and he has to travel to their turf to get it.
And right on cue, the complication arrives. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, returns from his political exile in Egypt. We must remember who Jeroboam is. He is not some random upstart. He was a talented and capable administrator under Solomon, from the tribe of Ephraim. More importantly, the prophet Ahijah had already met him, torn his own robe into twelve pieces, and given ten of them to Jeroboam, prophesying that God would give him the ten northern tribes (1 Kings 11). Jeroboam is God's anointed instrument of judgment. His return from Egypt is not an accident; it is a divine appointment. He is the ghost of Solomon's sin, come back to haunt the succession of his son.
The people immediately send for him. He becomes their spokesman, their union representative. This is a calculated political move. They are not just a disgruntled mob; they are an organized opposition with a leader who has a prophetic claim to the throne. The battle lines are being drawn before Rehoboam has even had a chance to sit down.
The People's Plea (v. 4)
The request of the people is laid out plainly in verse 4.
"Your father made our yoke harsh; but now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." (2 Chronicles 10:4 LSB)
Is this a righteous request or a rebellious demand? We must say it is entirely righteous. They are not asking for anarchy. They are not refusing to be governed. They make a simple, conditional promise: "lighten the yoke... and we will serve you." They are asking for a king who will obey the law of God for kings.
What was this "harsh yoke"? It was not just high taxes. It was the entire apparatus of Solomon's imperial overreach. It was the forced labor, the conscription of their sons, the immense cost of maintaining a court with 700 wives and 300 concubines, and the spiritual burden of the idolatry that came with them. Solomon had turned the covenant kingdom of Israel into something that looked a lot more like Egypt, the very place God had delivered them from. A yoke is for beasts of burden, and Solomon had begun to treat his people like cattle. The people are asking Rehoboam to be a shepherd, not a cattle driver. They are asking him to restore the covenantal shape of the monarchy.
Their request is a test. It is a test of Rehoboam's character. Will he be a servant leader, who understands that his authority is delegated from God for the good of the people? Or will he be a pagan tyrant, who believes the people exist for his personal benefit and glory? The health of the entire kingdom rests on his answer.
The Three-Day Delay (v. 5)
Rehoboam's initial response seems prudent, but it is a prelude to his folly.
"Then he said to them, 'Return to me again in three days.' So the people went away." (2 Chronicles 10:5 LSB)
On the surface, this looks wise. He is not making a snap decision. He is taking time to seek counsel. This is what a king should do. Proverbs tells us that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. But the kind of counsel you seek reveals the kind of heart you have. A wise man seeks wise counsel. A fool seeks counsel that will affirm his foolishness.
This three-day period is a parenthesis in the history of Israel. It is a moment of immense, suspended tension. The entire nation holds its breath. Will the new king be a man of wisdom and grace? Will he heed the legitimate cry of his people? Or will he be a puffed-up fool, full of the arrogance of a young man who has inherited power he did not earn?
We should note that there is no record of Rehoboam seeking God's counsel. He asked for three days, but he did not spend them in prayer. He did not consult the prophets or the priests. He did not open the law of God to see what a king ought to be. Instead, as we will see, he turned to men. And when you turn to men, the answer you get depends entirely on which men you turn to.
Covenantal Consequences
What is happening here is the outworking of God's covenant with David. That covenant was unconditional in its ultimate promise: David's line would endure, and his throne would be established forever, culminating in the Messiah. But it was entirely conditional when it came to the blessings and cursings for individual kings. God told David, concerning his son, "If he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the strokes of the sons of men" (2 Samuel 7:14).
Solomon committed iniquity on a grand scale. And now, the rod of men is being brought to bear on his son. The division of the kingdom is a direct, covenantal judgment for Solomon's apostasy. God is sovereign over all of this. 1 Kings 12:15 states it plainly: "So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word."
This does not excuse Rehoboam's foolishness. God's sovereign decree does not negate human responsibility. God uses the sinful and foolish choices of men to accomplish His righteous purposes. Rehoboam is about to make a catastrophically stupid decision, and he is fully culpable for it. Yet, through his folly, God will fulfill His word of judgment against the house of Solomon. God writes straight with crooked lines. He is so sovereign that He can weave even the arrogant blunders of idiot kings into the grand tapestry of His redemptive plan.
This is a warning to all who are in authority, whether in the state, the church, or the home. Authority is a stewardship, not a possession. It is to be exercised with the wisdom that comes from fearing God, not with the bluster that comes from surrounding yourself with yes-men. When a leader's heart is hard, and his ears are deaf to wise counsel, judgment is not far behind.