Melachim | Kings

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
12:1
“Your father made our yoke [of taxation] difficult; now, you alleviate your father’s difficult workload and his heavy yoke that he placed upon us, and we will serve you.”
:4
King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders, who had stood before his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, “How do you advise; what word to respond to this people?
:6
They spoke to him, saying, “If today you become a servant to this people and serve them, and respond [favorably] to them and speak kind words to them, they will be your servants all the days.”
:7
But he ignored the advice of the elders who had counseled him, and he took counsel with the youths who had grown up with him, who ministered before him.
:8
The king responded harshly to the people, he ignored the advice of the elders who had counseled him.
:13
He spoke to them according to the counsel of the youths, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, and I shall add to your yoke! My father chastised you with sticks; I shall chastise you with scorpions!”
:14
The king did not listen to the people, for it was a design from Hashem, in order to fulfill His word that Hashem had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
:15
Thus Israel rebelled against the House of David, to this day.
:19
It happened when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and summoned him to the assembly, and they made him king over all of Israel; no one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.
:20
Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and gathered together the entire House of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand choice warriors, to fight against the House of Israel, to return the kingship to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
:21
Thus said Hashem: Do not go up and fight with your brethren, the Children of Israel; let each man return to his home, for this matter was brought by Me.’” They obeyed the word of Hashem and turned back from going [to war], in accordance with the word of Hashem.
:24
Jeroboam built [up] Shechem in the Mountain of Ephraim and dwelled in it; then he left there and built [up] Penuel.
:25
The king took counsel, and he made two golden calves; and he said to [the people], “It is too far for you to go up to Jerusalem. These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”
:28
He also made a temple of high places, and he appointed priests from the commoners of the people, who were not of the children of Levi.
:31
Jeroboam also innovated a holiday in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the holiday in Judah, and brought offerings on the altar, …
:32
He ascended the altar that he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he had fabricated with his imagination, he made a holiday for the Children of Israel — he ascended the altar to burn incense.
:33

Daily Holy Bible Reading

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
2 And it was when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of this when he was yet in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam had settled in Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam saying,
4 “Your father made our yoke hard. Now you lighten your father’s hard work and his heavy yoke which he placed upon us, and we shall serve you.”
5 And he said to them “Go away for three days, then return again to me.” And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had attended Solomon his father while he was yet alive saying: “What counsel do you give me to reply to this people?”
7 And they spoke to him saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and you will minister to them and you will respond to them and speak kind words to them, then they will be your servants for all times.
8 But He disregarded the counsel of the elders who advised him, and he took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and who were attending him.
9 And he said to them: “What do you advise that we reply to this people who have spoken to me saying, ‘Lighten the burden which your father has placed upon us’?”
10 And the young men that had grown up with him spoke to him saying: “So shall you say to this people who have spoken to you saying, ‘Your father has made our yoke heavy, and you make it lighter for us,’ thus shall you speak to them, My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.
11 And now, where my father did burden you with a heavy yoke, I shall add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I will flog you with scorpions.”
12 Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”
13 The king replied to the people harshly, and he disregarded the counsel of the elders which they had advised him.
14 And he spoke to them as the counsel of the young men saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, and I shall add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, and I shall flog you with scorpions.”
15 The king did not listen to the people, for it was something brought about by the Lord, in order to fulfill His word, that the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
16 And all of Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and they replied to the king saying: “What share do we have in David? And no heritage in Jesse’s son. To your homes, O Israel! Now see your house, David,” and the Israelites went to their homes.
17 [As regards] the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them.
18 And king Rehoboam sent Adoram who was in charge of the tax, and all of Israel pelted him with stones, and he died, and king Rehoboam exerted himself to get up into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel revolted against the House of David until this day.
20 And it came to be when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly, and they made him king over all Israel; there was none that followed the House of David except the tribe of Judah alone.
21 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and he assembled all the House of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to wage war with the House of Israel, to return the kingdom to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.
22 And the word of God was to Shemiah, the man of God, saying,
23 “Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, King of Judah, and to all of the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, saying,
24 “Thus said the Lord: ‘You shall not go up and you shall not war with your brothers, the children of Israel; return each man to his home for this thing has been brought about by Me.’ ” And they heeded the word of the Lord, and they returned to go [home], in accordance with the word of the Lord.
25 And Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountain of Ephraim and lived there, and he went from there and built the city of Penuel.
26 Jeroboam then said to himself, “Now, the kingdom may return to the House of David.
27 When this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the Temple of the Lord, in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will turn to their master to Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to Rehoboam, the king of Judah.”
28 The king took counsel and made two golden calves, and he said to them, saying, “It is far for you to go up to Jerusalem; here are your gods, O Israel, that have brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
29 And he placed one in Beth El and the other he placed in Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin, and the people went before the one even until Dan.
31 And he made the house of high places (i.e. houses of altars) and he made priests of some of the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 And Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month like the festival which was in Judah, and he brought up offerings on the altar; so he did in Beth El to slaughter the calves which he had made, and he placed in Beth El the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 And he brought up offerings on the altar which he has made in Beth El on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he had fabricated from his heart, and he made a festival for the children of Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn the incense.

Exposé | Moral

“The Importance Of Seeking Advice”

The source of advice is very crucial.

In this chapter you will learn the consequence of seeking advice from wrong people.

But there is more…