God was not well pleased with David's son, Solomon. Influenced by his many foreign wives and concubines, Solomon became enmeshed in pagan worship. Failing to heed God's warning of the "snare" that foreign wives would become (Exodus 34:11-16), he allowed his wives to turn him to false gods (I Kings 11:6-10). I Kings 11:4 sums up Solomon's unfaithfulness: Solomon's "heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David."

The same chapter tersely tells us what was God's reaction to Solomon's apostasy:

Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David. . . ." (I Kings 11:11-13; emphasis ours throughout)

God tells Solomon that his descendants would not inherit a throne over all Israel. God says He would maintain Solomon's dynasty, however, out of respect for His promise to David that his throne would be established forever (II Samuel 7:16). Under David, the scepter had come to Judah. It was not to depart from Judah, as Genesis 49:10 declares.

When God promised David that He would establish his throne forever, He also stipulated that, if his son sinned, He would "chasten him with the rod of men" (II Samuel 7:14). The word son refers not only to Solomon but also to any of David's descendants who would become king over Israel. Around 975 BC, Solomon died, having ruled Israel in unparalleled splendor for forty years (I Kings 11:42). "And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place" (I Kings 11:43).

Now was the time for chastening. God responded to Solomon's apostasy by committing Himself to ripping a part of his kingdom from his descendants. God appointed Jeroboam, a talented and ambitious Ephraimite whom Solomon had years before placed in charge of Joseph's labor force (I Kings 11:28), as the ruler of the remaining tribes. God, apparently recognizing potential in Jeroboam, made him two promises through the prophet Ahijah:

I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it to you—ten tribes. And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem. . . . So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever. (I Kings 11:35-39)

One of these promises is conditional, while the other is unconditional.

Unconditional Promise: "I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you" (verse 31). God then explains that He will leave one tribe, Judah, under the Davidic monarchy in order "that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem" (verse 36). God did this to honor His promise to David that He would "establish the throne of [Solomon's] kingdom forever" (II Samuel 7:12-13). Christ, the last King, descended from Judah and will sit on that throne forever.

Conditional Promise: ". . . if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you" (I Kings 11:38). This is a remarkable promise. God says that He will establish in Jeroboam a permanent dynasty over ten tribes if he keeps His covenant.

As Solomon undertook more and more grandiose building projects—all those temples for pagan gods!—the taxation and forced-labor system grew increasingly burdensome to "Joe Israelite." Samuel's prophecy concerning the "cost" of supporting a monarchy, recorded in I Samuel 8:10-17, was fulfilled. Upon Solomon's death, Jeroboam seized on the people's unrest to his own advantage. Just before the coronation of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, he hurled at him the following challenge: "Your father [Solomon] made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you" (I Kings 12:4). After consulting with his advisors, Rehoboam countered, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke . . ." (I Kings 12:14). He apparently did not inherit an iota of his father's famed wisdom!

With no relief in sight, certain of the tribes rebelled against the house of David—against the ruling authority of the tribe of Judah. I Kings 12:16 records the parting sentiments of the rebelling tribes: "What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!"

Rehoboam's kingdom took its name from its leading tribe, Judah: the Kingdom of Judah. Because it lay south of most of the other tribes, historians often refer to it as the southern kingdom. Far smaller in size and population than Solomon's consolidated kingdom, it consisted of only three tribes:

Judah: Rehoboam retained control, as God said he would (I Kings 11:13), over his own tribe in order that His prophecy through Jacob would stand: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah" (Genesis 49:10).

Benjamin: The tribe of Benjamin, situated geographically near Judah's inheritance, voluntarily allied itself with Rehoboam.

Levi: Forced to vacate their priestly positions under Jeroboam (I Kings 12:31), the Levites drifted south to Judah. Since Rehoboam's capital remained Jerusalem, they naturally attached themselves to the Temple service there.

Jeroboam's kingdom, properly called the Kingdom of Israel, consisted of the remaining tribes, of which there were ten. Because it lay to the north of Judah, historians often speak of the Kingdom of Israel as the northern kingdom.

So, we can add this point to the list of search criteria: Someone of the tribe of Judah will always rule Israel, but only a part of Israel. There remains another part, under different leadership. The history of this other part, the Kingdom of Israel, took a totally different path from that of the Kingdom of Judah. Next time, we will consider the changes Jeroboam wrought in the northern kingdom—the Ten Tribes of Israel—and see their ultimate result.