After Solomon's death, you have the two kings, Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was not nearly as wise as his father. When the Israelites asked for relief from their heavy tax burden, his response was to listen to the advice of his peers instead of the wiser and more experienced advisers of his father. Was it any wonder that Israel rebelled and sought leadership in Jeroboam?
But Jeroboam was not a wise king either. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with the Levitical priests of the Lord. He rejected them and appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he made. What was a God fearing Israelite to do? Do you choose the king who is going to be easy to follow, the one who says he has your best interest at heart, even if he rejects the God you have known? Or do you follow the king who extracts a heavy price from you to support his kingdom, but who still allows the priests to offer sacrifices to their God?
In the end, the kingdom is divided. Benjamin and Judah remain with Rehoboam. The priests sided with Rehoboam as well. The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and went to Judah and Jerusalem, and those with their hearts set on following the true God, had no choice but to follow the Levites to Jerusalem. While the Kingdom of Judah will eventually fall, it will outlast the kingdom of Israel and those who early on rejected the Lord God.
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