12:1 Rehoboam was made king at Shechem, about 35 miles north of Jerusalem. It would have been normal to anoint the new king in Jerusalem, the capital city, but Rehoboam saw trouble brewing with Jeroboam and went north to try to maintain good relations with the northern tribes. He probably chose Shechem because it was an ancient location for making covenants (Joshua 24:1). When the kingdom divided, Shechem became the capital of the northern kingdom for a short time (12:25).
12:6-14 Rehoboam asked for advice, but he didn’t carefully evaluate what he was told. If he had, he would have realized that the advice offered by the elders was wiser than that of his peers. To evaluate advice, ask if it is realistic, workable, and consistent with biblical principles. Determine if the results of following the advice will be fair, make improvements, and give a positive solution or direction. Seek counsel from those who are more experienced and wiser. Advice is helpful only if it is consistent with God’s standards.
12:15-19 Both Jeroboam and Rehoboam did what was good for themselves, not what was good for their people. Rehoboam was harsh and did not listen to the people’s demands; Jeroboam established new places of worship to keep his people from traveling to Jerusalem, Rehoboam’s capital. Both actions backfired. Rehoboam’s move divided the nation, and Jeroboam’s turned the people from God. Good leaders put the best interests of the “followers” above their own. Making decisions only for yourself will backfire and cause you to lose more than if you had kept the welfare of others in mind.
12:20 This marks the beginning of the division of the kingdom that lasted for centuries. Ten of Israel’s 12 tribes followed Jeroboam and called their new nation Israel (the northern kingdom). The other two tribes remained loyal to Rehoboam and called their nation Judah (the southern kingdom). The kingdom did not split overnight. It was already dividing as early as the days of the judges because of tribal jealousies, especially between Ephraim, the most influential tribe of the north, and Judah, the chief tribe of the south.
Before the days of Saul and David, the religious center of Israel was located, for the most part, in the territory of Ephraim. When Solomon built the Temple, Jerusalem became the religious center of Israel. This eventually brought tribal rivalries to the breaking point. (For more information on tribal jealousies and how they affected Israel, see Judges 12:1ff; 2 Samuel 2:4ff; 19:41-43.)
12:28 All Jewish men were required to travel to the Temple three times each year (Deuteronomy 16:16), but Jeroboam set up his own worship centers and told his people it was too much trouble to travel all the way to Jerusalem. Those who obeyed Jeroboam were disobeying God. Some ideas, though practical, may include suggestions that lead you away from God. Don’t let anyone talk you out of doing what is right by telling you that moral actions are not worth the effort. Do what God wants, no matter what the cost in time, energy, reputation, or resources.
12:28, 29 Calves were used as idols to symbolize fertility and strength. Pagan gods of the Canaanites were often depicted as standing on calves or bulls. Jeroboam shrewdly placed the gold calves in Bethel and Dan, strategic locations. Bethel was just 10 miles north of Jerusalem on the main road, enticing the citizens from the north to stop there instead of traveling the rest of the way to Jerusalem. Dan was the northernmost city in Israel, so people living in the north far from Jerusalem were attracted to its convenient location. As leader of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam wanted to establish his own worship centers; otherwise his people would make regular trips to Jerusalem, and his authority would be undermined. Soon this substitute religion had little in common with true faith in God.
12:30 Jeroboam and his advisers did not learn from Israel’s previous disaster with a gold calf (Exodus 32). Perhaps they were ignorant of Scripture, or maybe they knew about the event and decided to ignore it. Study the Bible to become aware of God’s acts in history, and then apply the important lessons to your life. If you learn from the past, you will not face disaster as a result of repeating others’ mistakes (Isaiah 42:23; 1 Corinthians 10:11).
12:32, 33 Jeroboam’s feast was probably an imitation of the Feast of Tabernacles, a harvest celebration. Jeroboam set the feast one month later because the harvest was several weeks later in the far north than in the south. More importantly, Jeroboam wanted to differentiate Israel’s worship from Judah’s. He hoped his new feast would replace the feast in Jerusalem and encourage his people to stay in their own land and worship. His real motives were political, not religious. Don’t rush to support everything “religious.” Leaders today still use religious customs for political advantage.
12:32, 33 Early in Israel’s history, the city of Bethel was a symbol of commitment to God because there Jacob had rededicated himself to God (Genesis 28:16-22). But Jeroboam turned the city into Israel’s chief religious center, intending it to compete with Jerusalem. Bethel’s religion, however, centered on an idol, and this led to Israel’s eventual downfall. Bethel developed a reputation as a wicked and idolatrous city. The prophets Hosea and Amos recognized the sins of Bethel and condemned the city for its godless ways (Hosea 4:15-17; 10:8; Amos 5:4-6).