Rehoboam

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and an Ammonite woman (1 Kings 14:21). He became king at forty-one. He ruled for seventeen years, from 931 to 913 BC. He is known for causing the division of Solomon's kingdom and for being the first king of Judah, the southern kingdom.

When Solomon died in 931 BC, Judah quickly made Rehoboam king. The ten northern tribes hesitated to support him. They wanted relief from Solomon's harsh policies (see 1 Kings 12:4; 2 Chronicles 10:4). The king's older advisers suggested he agree to their requests, but he ignored them. Instead, he listened to younger advisers who told him to be tougher than his father. The northern tribes rebelled and made Jeroboam, Solomon's former labor official, their king. Rehoboam went to war to control the north, but God sent the prophet Shemaiah to tell him it was useless. The split was God's judgment (2 Chronicles 11:1–4). So, Rehoboam returned to Judah and strengthened his borders (2 Chronicles 11:5–12).

When Jeroboam started a new false religion in the northern kingdom, priests and Levites moved south. They strengthened the spiritual life of the area and helped keep Judah stable (2 Chronicles 11:13–17). However, Rehoboam eventually turned to idol worship too. The people of Judah built high places and pagan sanctuaries across the land, adopting corrupt religious practices from nearby nations (1 Kings 14:22–24). God stopped supporting Rehoboam, leaving him vulnerable when King Shishak of Egypt attacked in 926 to 925 BC and took many valuable items from the temple (1 Kings 14:25–26; 2 Chronicles 12:1–5). Rehoboam then replaced Solomon’s gold shields with bronze ones (1 Kings 14:27). This symbolized the loss of Judah’s glory due to false worship.

Passages for Further Study

1 Kings 12:1–24; 14:21–31; 2 Chronicles 9:31–12:16