Why did the kingdom of Israel split? CQ Kids
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Why did the kingdom of Israel split?
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Our tragic story begins with King Solomon, who started out following God’s laws and commandments like his father David, but eventually worshiped false gods. Of course, this was a HUGE sin against the one TRUE God - there would be consequences for such terrible actions!
A man named Jeroboam was in charge of King Solomon’s workers. They were upset because Solomon made them pay high taxes and forced them to work very hard on city projects.
One day, God’s prophet, Ahijah, brought a message to Jeroboam. He did a very strange thing: he took the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into 12 pieces, and then gave 10 of the pieces to Jeroboam. This action meant that in the future, because of Solomon’s idolatry, God would rip the kingdom into 2 parts: one in the north (called “Israel”) and one in the south (called “Judah”). Jeroboam would become king of the 10 northern tribes. And, IF he would keep God’s laws, God would be with him and build him a lasting dynasty like David's. (see 1 Kings 11:37, 38 BSB)
When Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam, became the new king of Israel.
With a new king in place, Jeroboam and the unhappy workers asked Rehoboam to lighten their workload. Rehoboam said he would take 3 days to think about it.
During this time, two groups offered advice. One was an older group of men, wise with experience, who had previously counseled Solomon. Their advice was this: “...If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” (1 Kings 12:7, Berean Standard Bible)
In other words, they advised him to lighten their
