1Roboam se odebral do Sichemu, neboť celý Izrael přišel, aby ho prohlásil králem, právě v Sichemu. ( 2Jakmile zpravili Nebatova syna Jeroboama - byl dosud v Egyptě, kam utekl před králem Šalomounem -, vrátil se z Egypta. 3Dali zavolat Jeroboama a on přišel i s celým shromážděním Izraele.) Promluvili takto k Roboamovi: 4„Tvůj otec ztížil naše jho, ulehči nyní tvrdou robotu svého otce, tíži jha, které on na nás vložil, a my ti budeme sloužit!“ 5Řekl jim: „Odstupte na tři dny, potom se ke mně vraťte,“ a lid odešel. 6Král Roboam se radil se staršími, kteří byli ve službách jeho otce Šalomouna, pokud žil, a ptal se: „Jakou odpověď mám podle vaší rady tomu lidu dát?“ 7Odpověděli mu: „Uděláš-li se dnes služebníkem těch mužů, poddáš-li se a obrátíš se k nim s dobrými slovy, pak budou navěky tvými služebníky.“ 8Ale on zavrhl radu, kterou dali starší, a dotázal se mladíků, kteří mu sloužili, svých druhů z dětství. 9Ptal se jich: „Co radíte, abychom odpověděli tomu lidu, jenž ke mně mluvil takto: ‘Ulehči jho, které na nás vložil tvůj otec’?“ 10Mladíci, jeho druhové z dětství, mu odpověděli: „Hle, co řekneš tomu lidu, jenž ti řekl: ‘Tvůj otec přitížil našemu jhu, ale ty náš náklad ulehči,’ hle co jim odpovíš: ‘Můj malíček je tlustší než bedra mého otce! 11A tak můj otec na vás naložil těžké jho, já k vašemu jhu ještě přidám; můj otec vás trestal důtkami, já vás budu trestat biči s železnými bodci!’“ 12Jeroboam šel třetího dne se vším lidem k Roboamovi podle příkazu, který on dal: „Vraťte se ke mně třetího dne.“ 13Král dal lidu tvrdou odpověď, zavrhl radu, kterou mu dali starší, 14a podle rady mladíků k nim promluvil takto: „Můj otec přitížil vašemu jhu, já k vašemu jhu ještě přidám; můj otec vás trestal důtkami, já vás budu trestat biči s železnými bodci.“ 15Král tedy lid oslyšel, byl to Jahvův zásah, aby se splnilo slovo, jež bylo prostřednictvím Achiji ze Sila řečeno Nebatovu synovi Jeroboamovi. 16Když Izraelité viděli, že je král oslyšel, řekli mu na to: „Jaký máme podíl v Davidovi? Nemáme dědictví v Jišajově synu. Do svých stanů, Izraeli! A nyní se, Davide, starej o svůj dům.“ A Izrael odešel do svých stanů. 17A Izraelitům, kteří bydleli v Judových městech, vládl Roboam. 18Král Roboam spěšně vyslal náčelníka nad robotou Adorama, ale celý Izrael ho kamenoval a on zemřel; tu byl král Roboam nucen nastoupit na svůj vůz a prchnout do Jeruzaléma. 19A Izrael se oddělil od Davidova domu až po dnešní den. 20Když se celý Izrael dozvěděl, že se vrátil Jeroboam, zavolali ho do shromáždění a udělali ho králem nad celým Izraelem; k Davidovu domu se připojil samojediný kmen Judův. 21Roboam se odebral do Jeruzaléma; svolal celý Judův dům a Benjaminův kmen, tedy sto osmdesát tisíc vybraných válečníků, aby bojovali s Izraelovým domem a vrátili království Šalomounovu synovi Roboamovi. 22Ale Božímu muži Šemajovi se takto ozvalo Boží slovo: 23„Řekni judskému králi, Šalomounovu synovi Roboamovi, celému Judovu domu, Benjaminovi a všemu zbývajícímu lidu toto: 24Takto mluví Jahve. Nebojujte proti svým bratřím Izraelitům; ať se každý vrátí domů, protože tato událost pochází ode mne.“ Oni poslechli Jahvovo slovo a vydali se na zpáteční cestu, jak Jahve řekl. 25Jeroboam opevnil Sichem v Efraimově pohoří a přebýval tam. Potom odtud odešel a opevnil Penuel. 26Jeroboam si sám k sobě řekl: „Jak věci stojí, vrátí se království Davidovu domu. 27Bude-li chodit lid nadále přinášet oběti do Jahvova Chrámu v Jeruzalémě, vrátí se srdce lidu k jeho pánu, judskému králi Roboamovi, a mne zabijí.“ 28Uvažoval a pak udělal dvě zlatá telata a řekl lidu: „Do Jeruzaléma jste chodili už dost dlouho! Izraeli, zde je tvůj Bůh, který tě vyvedl z egyptské země.“ 29Jedno postavil v Betelu 30a před druhým šel lid v průvodu až do Danu. 31Zřídil chrám výšin a ustanovil kněze, které vzal z obecného lidu, kteří nebyli Leviho syny. 32Jeroboam slavil svátek osmého měsíce, patnáctého dne toho měsíce, jako svátek, který se slavil v Judovi, a vystoupil k oltáři. Hle, takto jednal v Betelu, obětoval telatům, která udělal, a ustanovil v Betelu kněze výšin, které zřídil. 33Vystoupil k oltáři, který udělal, patnáctého dne osmého měsíce, v měsíci, který si libovolně vybral, stanovil pro Izraelity svátek a vystoupil k oltáři, aby přinášel oběť.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 REFUSING THE OLD MEN'S COUNSEL. (
1Kgs 12:1-5)
Rehoboam went to Shechem--He was the oldest, and perhaps the only son of Solomon, and had been, doubtless, designated by his father heir to the throne, as Solomon had been by David. The incident here related took place after the funeral obsequies of the late king and the period for public mourning had past. When all Israel came to make him king, it was not to exercise their old right of election (
1Sam 10:19-21), for, after God's promise of the perpetual sovereignty to David's posterity, their duty was submission to the authority of the rightful heir; but their object was, when making him king, to renew the conditions and stipulations to which their constitutional kings were subject (
1Sam 10:25). To the omission of such rehearsing which, under the peculiar circumstances in which Solomon was made king, they were disposed to ascribe the absolutism of his government.
Shechem--This ancient, venerable, and central town was the place of convocation; and it is evident, if not from the appointment of that place, at least from the tenor of their language, and the concerted presence of Jeroboam [
1Kgs 12:3], that the people were determined on revolt.
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous--The splendor of Solomon's court and the magnitude of his undertakings being such, that neither the tribute of dependent states, nor the presents of foreign princes, nor the profits of his commercial enterprises, were adequate to carry them on, he had been obliged, for obtaining the necessary revenue, to begin a system of heavy taxation. The people looked only to the burdens, not to the benefits they derived from Solomon's peaceful and prosperous reign--and the evils from which they demanded deliverance were civil oppressions, not idolatry, to which they appear to have been indifferent or approving.
5 he said . . . Depart yet for three days--It was prudent to take the people's demand into calm and deliberate consideration. Whether, had the advice of the sage and experienced counsellors been followed, any good result would have followed, it is impossible to say. It would at least have removed all pretext for the separation. [See on
2Chr 10:7.] But he preferred the counsel of his young companions (not in age, for they were all about forty-one, but inexperienced), who recommended prompt and decisive measures to quell the malcontents.
11 whips . . . scorpions--The latter [instruments], as contrasted with the former, are supposed to mean thongs thickly set with sharp iron points, used in the castigation of slaves.
15 the king hearkened not unto the people, for the cause was from the Lord--That was the overruling cause. Rehoboam's weakness (
Eccl 2:18-
Eccl 2:19) and inexperience in public affairs has given rise to the probable conjecture, that, like many other princes in the East, he had been kept secluded in the harem till the period of his accession (
Eccl 4:14), his father being either afraid of his aspiring to the sovereignty, like the two sons of David, or, which is more probable, afraid of prematurely exposing his imbecility. The king's haughty and violent answer to a people already filled with a spirit of discontent and exasperation, indicated so great an incapacity to appreciate the gravity of the crisis, so utter a want of common sense, as to create a belief that he was struck with judicial blindness. It was received with mingled scorn and derision. The revolt was accomplished, and yet so quietly, that Rehoboam remained in Shechem, fancying himself the sovereign of a united kingdom, until his chief tax gatherer, who had been most imprudently sent to treat with the people, had been stoned to death. This opened his eyes, and he fled for security to Jerusalem.
20 JEROBOAM MADE KING OVER THEM. (
1Kgs 12:20-33)
when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again--This verse closes the parenthetical narrative begun at
1Kgs 12:2, and
1Kgs 12:21-24 resume the history from
1Kgs 12:1. Rehoboam determined to assert his authority by leading a large force into the disaffected provinces. But the revolt of the ten tribes was completed when the prophet Shemaiah ordered, in the Lord's name, an abandonment of any hostile measures against the revolutionists. The army, overawed by the divine prohibition, dispersed, and the king was obliged to submit.
25 Jeroboam built Shechem--destroyed by Abimelech (Jdg. 9:1-49). It was rebuilt, and perhaps fortified, by Jeroboam, as a royal residence.
built Penuel--a ruined city with a tower (
Judg 8:9), east of Jordan, on the north bank of the Jabbok. It was an object of importance to restore this fortress (as it lay on the caravan road from Gilead to Damascus and Palmyra) and to secure his frontier on that quarter.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David--Having received the kingdom from God, he should have relied on the divine protection. But he did not. With a view to withdraw the people from the temple and destroy the sacred associations connected with Jerusalem, he made serious and unwarranted innovations on the religious observances of the country, on pretext of saving the people the trouble and expense of a distant journey. First, he erected two golden calves--the young bulls, Apis and Mnevis, as symbols (in the Egyptian fashion) of the true God, and the nearest, according to his fancy, to the figures of the cherubim. The one was placed at Dan, in the northern part of his kingdom; the other at Beth-el, the southern extremity, in sight of Jerusalem, and in which place he probably thought God was as likely to manifest Himself as at Jerusalem (Gen. 32:1-32;
2Kgs 2:2). The latter place was the most frequented--for the words (
1Kgs 12:30) should be rendered, "the people even to Dan went to worship before the one" (
Jer 48:13;
Amos 4:4-
Amos 4:5;
Amos 5:5;
Hos 5:8;
Hos 10:8). The innovation was a sin because it was setting up the worship of God by symbols and images and departing from the place where He had chosen to put His name. Secondly, he changed the feast of tabernacles from the fifteenth of the seventh to the fifteenth of the eighth month. The ostensible reason might be, that the ingathering or harvest was later in the northern parts of the kingdom; but the real reason was to eradicate the old association with this, the most welcome and joyous festival of the year.
31 made priests of the lowest of the people--literally, "out of all the people," the Levites refusing to act. He himself assumed to himself the functions of the high priest, at least, at the great festival, probably from seeing the king of Egypt conjoin the royal and sacred offices, and deeming the office of the high priest too great to be vested in a subject.