ROOTED - Saturday, March 14, 2026

1 Kings 12:21

18 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of
Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the
house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

Reflection: The Divided Kingdom

Written By:
Pastor Jesse Caro

The death of Solomon was a fundamental time for the children of
Israel. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, would (against the council of his father’s
advisors) decide to make the labor of the people more difficult. Jeroboam, a
spokesperson and leader, advocated with the people for, basically, reforms.
Rehoboam refused. This would cause a chain of events that will impact the rest
of the Old Testament books. The Kingdom divided into the “northern” and
“southern” kingdoms. The Southern Kingdom (Judah) would be where Jerusalem, the
Temple, and the Davidic Line would be… so Rehoboam ruled over two tribes:
Benjamin and Judah. The Southern Kingdom would split off with the remaining ten
tribes… and be ruled, initially, by Jeroboam. A warning (if this is your first
time reading through the Bible in this way)… following along will be tricky
because the narrative in the Old Testament will follow kings from either
kingdom. And as you will read in Chronicles and Kings, each king (with few
notable exceptions) was more wicked than the one before him.

I am struck with the fact that God’s people could survive this 200
plus year division, and the Assyrian (northern kingdom) and Babylonian
(southern kingdom) captivities that would proceed it. The Children of Israel,
in their utter disobedience, would be displaced, persecuted, and hated for
hundreds of years. The New Testament will only heighten this displacement as,
under Roman rule, the People of God will be subdued through Nero, culminating
in the destruction of Herod’s Temple in 70 AD. Fast forward to the last
century, and the evidence of the continued hatred of the Jewish people (I want
to be careful to make distinct the people, from the government) persists. My
personal views about the “end times” is, in part, owing to the miraculous fact
that Israel, despite their past, has had the protection of God on it (again, despite
the hateful historic record) for 5,000 years. In some way that I do not
understand, we must affirm that (as Paul says of the chosen people) “the
promises of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

Prayer

Lord, we are grateful that you have preserved your people, both in
the church and in the people you chose, through Abraham, thousands of years
ago. Your promises are irrevocable toward us.