Today we are continuing our conversation through the book of 1 Kings, and as we come to chapter 12, everything changes.
We’ve had a few weeks away from this series, so here’s a little review of what we’ve seen so far.
At the beginning of the book, Solomon became king after a not-so-smooth transition of power. David had given his last words of wisdom to Solomon: Be mature, be obedient, be faithful.
After David’s death, Solomon (wisely!) asked God for wisdom, and God gave it. His wisdom became a spectacle to all.
Solomon built the temple and his palace, and what the people had hoped for, worked for, dreamed about, longed for—for generations—was finally there. They had the dwelling place of God—the temple. David had wanted to build it (2 Samuel 7), but God told him that it was not for him to do, but for his offspring.
“The Lord declares to you (David) that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:11-13)
Well, it happened! Solomon did build the temple, and at its dedication, the Lord indwelled it.
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:10-11)
Then Solomon called the people to turn to the Lord—the temple—in difficulty, in plenty, in need, as an insider, or as an outsider: Turn to the temple. Turn to God. This moment in the book feels like a moment of arrival—we finally made it!
But quickly we see Solomon turning from God. We see his heart and attitude turning from God. 1 Kings 10 is the ultimate declaration of wealth, affluence, wisdom, power, position… and then we come to the “fold” in chapter 11.
So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:6)
And now we turn the page to chapter 12. Solomon is dead and Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, is the new king.
Let me tell you right where we are going today: The kingdom of Israel is about to split.
Wait, what? There was so much power and infrastructure and wealth and system. They had the temple and the palace. They had the family line of David. Sure, Solomon was having some struggles, but he was Solomon—wise, revered, powerful, wealthy. This thing is solid. Even if leaders rise and fall, surely the nation will be able to ride it out?
But then the unthinkable happened. Not because of an invasion or because of famine or poverty. Not because of absence of a successor. Not because everything was falling apart. Not even directly from the transition of power. The kingdom divides because of selfish pride. Let me put it another way. The kingdom divides because control replaces humility.
Back in chapter 3, we see Solomon taking the reigns of leadership with humility:
“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:7,9)
This moment will stand in stark contrast to what happens in 1 Kings 12 as Solomon’s son Rehoboam takes the reins of leadership as king.
So today, we will be processing the tension between control and humility, between power and submission, and we’ll talk about how to personally follow the advice to be humble. And to get there we are going to start off with an exercise.
Imagine people giving you advice that you were not necessarily asking for. On the diagram, there are 36 statements of advice. Plot as many of them as you can in the time you have onto the four-quadrant graph.
Plot where these things fall in this four-quadrant chart.
Now I want us to have two conversations from this, to build foundation for where we’re going today and to connect us with each other. With your chart in front of you:
What makes advice effective or ineffective?
How have the things you’re good or bad at been shaped by the advice you’ve received along the way?
Let’s take a look at Mark 9. A lot is happening here. This is at a turning point in Jesus’ ministry—He has already revealed He is the Messiah and begins preparing the disciples for His suffering and death. The Transfiguration had just taken place, where Jesus was revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John, confirming His divine identity. There was a clear moment where Jesus’ authority over evil was on display, when he healed a boy possessed by a spirit when the disciples could not, teaching them about dependence on prayer and faith. And then Jesus, for the second time, tells the disciples He will be betrayed and killed, but they do not understand.
With all of this right under the feet of the disciples, we are about to pick it up in Mark 9:33. They are back in Capernaum, Jesus’ ministry base in Galilee (about 80 miles north of Jerusalem).
So much had happened in this town:
Teaching with authority in the synagogue • Mark 1:21–22
People are astonished because He teaches with authority unlike the scribes.
Casting out a demon in the synagogue • Mark 1:23–28
One of Jesus’ first recorded exorcisms happens here.
Healing Peter’s mother-in-law • Mark 1:29–31
Jesus heals her of a fever in Peter’s house.
Healing the paralytic lowered through the roof • Mark 2:1–12
Jesus forgives the man’s sins and heals him, demonstrating His authority.
Temple tax miracle (coin in the fish’s mouth) • Matthew 17:24–27
Now here they are, feeling that they are going to be part of something great. A revolution, maybe? Certainly they feel God was with them and they have His blessing, favor, power, authority. Sure, Jesus said something about betrayal and death, but that could never happen, right?
So as they are in this familiar place, Capernaum, they start to bicker with each other. Something great is going to happen, and when we get to Jerusalem, things are going to change. Jesus is not going to be some obscure rabbi anymore. And then—hey, I’ll be His number two!
I can hear them…
Peter • I was the first to recognize Him as the Messiah.
James • I left everything to follow Him before anyone else did.
John • He likes me the most.
Andrew • Shut up Peter! I brought you to Him.
Philip • I am good at explaining His teachings to people.
Matthew • I left my lucrative job to follow Him.
Thomas • I am always seeking the truth and He needs someone like me.
Bartholomew (Nathanael) • I am honest and loyal.
James the Less • I work quietly and steadily.
Thaddaeus (Jude) • I stand by Him even when others doubt.
Simon the Zealot • I am willing to fight His enemies.
Judas Iscariot • I am the only one that understands the accounting of this whole thing.
But when Jesus approached, they all got quiet!
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33-34)
Jesus sat down with them and offered these words that are simple, but if lived out, change everything:
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:35-37)
You are arguing about being the greatest. I am about to tell you something that is the opposite of what is going through your heads as you bicker. I am telling you that the pathway to greatness is being a servant to all. It is not about going to Jerusalem and meeting with the so-called important people, but it is about welcoming and seeing total value in a child like this.
So this is Jesus’ advice: Serve and see value in all.
What would need to change internally for the disciples to embrace the advice that Jesus was giving?
What are some of the challenges you struggle with in taking Jesus’ advice to heart?
Let’s return to Kings. Solomon died. Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) went to Shechem and all of Israel made him king. Jeroboam (eventual king of Israel after the kingdom divided) went to Rehoboam to make a request for the people: don’t be as harsh as your dad.
“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” (I Kings 12:4)
Rehoboam asked for a few days to consider how he was going to lead. First, he went to the elders, the men who had been Solomon’s advisors, and asked them what he should do.
They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” (1 Kings 12:7)
But Rehoboam rejected that advice. Then he went to his friends, other young men like himself.
The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” (1 Kings 12:10-11)
So Rehoboam took the advice of the young advisers.
he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” (1 Kings 12:14)
Why do you think being a harsh leader appealed to Rehoboam?
It didn’t work out well for Rehoboam. The people turned against him, with only Judah staying on his side.
When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. (1 Kings 12:20)
There was even a civil war looming, but then the word of God came to Shemaiah.
“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered. (1 Kings 12:23-24)
Rehoboam had a choice to make about how he would lead, how he would relate to the people.
And he made a choice, and consequences came. But what if he had chosen the other way?
How does someone become gracious, kind, selfless, a servant?
Jesus shares a different world view. He gives different advice. In Matthew 5, He moves blessing from being an external reality to being an internal reality.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:3-12)
Rehoboam felt blessing was about not needing God, getting his own way, being in charge. Blessing meant they would plead for mercy and bow in fear of him and honor him.
And the kingdom divided because of selfish pride, because control replaced humility.
Rehoboam received good advice. It didn’t matter. He did what he wanted.
Jesus has great advice for us. What are we going to do?
How does Jesus’ view of blessing differ from our cultural view of blessing?
What does it take for Jesus’ view on blessing to “make sense”?
Does it need to make sense in order to live it out?
Take it Deeper Questions:
Read Mark 9:33-37.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
How does our culture define greatness?
How does Jesus redefine what it means to be great?
What would it look like practically for you to welcome others the way Jesus describes in this passage?
How are you challenged, focused, encouraged, and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan:
Philippians 2 • The Humility of Christ
Matthew 18 • Greatness Like a Child
Luke 22 • The Greatest Serves
James 3 • Wisdom vs. Ambition
Proverbs 22 • Humility Brings Honor
John 13 • Servant Leadership (Foot Washing)