The Prophecy of Ahijah
First Kings 11: 26-40
The prophecy of Ahijah DIG: How does the LORD show His grace and mercy in these verses? How did Jeroboam learn that he would be the king of the northern kingdom? What amazing offer did YHVH give to Jeroboam? What were the conditions of the offer? Did he obey?
REFLECT: When you think of ADONAI keeping His promises to Solomon, even though the king had a divided heart and committed spiritual adultery, how does that make you feel about your relationship with God? Who can you share that Good News with this week?
Judgment would last for a night, but mercy would come in the morning.
The rise of Jeroboam: The disintegration of Solomon’s empire came at the hand of his enemies, adversaries that Ha’Shem raised against him. Hadad attacked Solomon from Edom in the south, and Rezon the Syrian raided Isra’el from the north (to see link click By – The Fall of the House of David). But the worst enemy of all came from inside Solomon’s own kingdom. Also, Jeroboam the son of N’vat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against the king (First Kings 11:26) . The father’s name is not mentioned, he probably passed away. In 11:11, God said that part of the kingdom would be given to one of Solomon’s servants, and now Jeroboam is declared the servant of Solomon. He was from the tribe of Ephraim, a northern tribe. Thus, he could possibly muster a power base that could rival Solomon’s southern-based coalition. He would have been less of a threat if he were from the king’s own region.
This too was the will of God, for Jeroboam was given a direct prophecy of a future kingdom, which the Bible identifies as the reason he rebelled against the king. Solomon was building the Ophel, or the terraces to fortify the southern slope of the Temple compound, and closing the breach in the wall of the City of David. Now this Jeroboam seemed to have success written all over him, he was a strong (Hebrew: gibbor, meaning mighty or great), energetic young man. The word First Kings uses to describe his ability is the same word that the book of Ruth uses to describe Boaz (Ruth 2:1). He was a gifted leader, a man of wealth and influence. We might also compare him to Joseph, who always rose to the top of any organization. Jeroboam was such a hard worker, and did such excellent work, that despite his youth and inexperience, he was quickly promoted to management.226 And Solomon, seeing how industrious he was, made him supervisor over all the work being done by the tribe of Joseph (First Kings 11:27-28). His ties with the house of Joseph, the northern tribes, will become significant when the rebellion actually occurs. Ironically, Solomon promoted the man who would eventually divide his kingdom.227
The prophecy of Ahijah: The division of Solomon’s kingdom was the will of YHVH, as we know from the strange and dramatic prophecy that changed Jeroboam’s life. And, at that time, when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh spotted him traveling. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in open country. Ahijah suddenly and unexpectedly appeared and did something that must have seemed very strange. Ahijah took hold of his brand-new cloak that he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. The prophets had a way of doing this sort of thing, which might be called a parable in action. Jeremiah did something like this when he smashed a clay jar in front of the people to show how broken they were (see the commentary of Jeremiah Cz – Judah is Like a Broken Jar).
The torn cloak was a sign of God’s judgment. Solomon’s kingdom would be torn apart. Something similar happened to King Sha’ul when he had his tragic downfall. The prophet Samuel told Sha’ul that Ha’Shem had rejected him as king. When the prophet turned to leave, Sha’ul desperately grabbed his cloak, tearing its hem. Samuel interpreted the tear as a sign of God’s judgment, saying to the king, “ADONAI has torn the kingdom of Isra’el from you this day” (First Samuel 15:28).
What Ahijah did with his cloak had a similar meaning: God was tearing away Solomon’s kingdom. This meaning is reinforced by the vocabulary of the passage. The Hebrew word for cloak (salma) is based on the same three consonants as the name Solomon (sholmoh) . . . almost as if the king himself would be divided. According to Ahijah, Solomon’s kingdom would be torn into twelve little pieces. This number is significant because each piece represented one of the twelve tribes of Isra’el, going back to the original twelve sons of Jacob.
In this case, Ahijah’s prophecy would change the course of history. Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself! For here is what ADONAI the God of Isra’el says: I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, and I will give ten tribes to you” (First Kings 11:29-31). Up to this point, the twelve tribes of Isra’el had always been united – even when they were slaves in Egypt. But from this point forward, the kingdom would be divided, north and south. The ten northern tribes would be taken away from Solomon and given to Jeroboam, and thus they would leave the house of David. This was an act of divine judgment, in which Jeroboam served as the agent of God’s justice.228
The remnant of ADONAI: The Good News is that there is also one great promise in this passage, a promise of grace that triumphs over judgment. Contrary to what some people think, this is something we often see in the TaNaKh. The passages that threaten the most severe judgment also contain the clearest promise of saving mercy – like bright stars shining through the blackest night.
First Kings 11 is one of the saddest chapters in the entire Bible. The divided kingdom was a complete catastrophe. The painful consequences of that divinely ordained division lasted for centuries. Eventually the northern tribes were scattered among the nations. But God had not forgotten His promises. He never does! Therefore, even as He was judging His people for their sins, He was also working out their salvation. There were no lost tribes. When the spiritual adultery intensified under Jeroboam in the north, the righteous of the TaNaKh left and went south to Jerusalem and worshiped at the place appointed by ADONAI. The LORD always has a believing remnant, no matter the dispensation (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah).
There are reminders of ADONAI’s saving grace throughout this passage. Almost every other verse in Ahijah’s prophecy contains a promise of God’s faithfulness to the house of David. The first reminder comes in verse 32, which stands as a kind of parenthesis. Yes, it is true that Jeroboam will get ten tribes. But God promised Solomon that he would keep one tribe (Benjamin, which was too small and insignificant to mention, was merged with Judah) for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the City I have chosen from all the tribes of Isra’el. I will do this because they have abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites and Molek the god of the Ammonites. They haven’t lived according to my ways, so that they could do what was right in my view and obey my regulations and rulings, as did David his father (First Kings 11:32-33).
There is another gracious promise in verse 34. Even this act of judgment would not happen right away. Solomon would remain in power until the day of his death. It would only be after his lifetime that his kingdom would be divided. Notice why YHVH showed Solomon that favor; He did it for David’s sake. Nevertheless, I will not take the entire kingdom away from him; but I will make him prince as long as he lives, for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose, because he obeyed my statutes and ordinances. However, I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten tribes of it to you. ADONAI not only chose David, but He also chose Jerusalem. His purpose there was to glorify His Name through unified and committed worship at the Temple.229
The next promise is even more reassuring: To his son I will give one tribe, so that David my servant will always have a burning lamp before me in Jerusalem, the City I chose for Myself as the place to put My name (First Kings 11:34-36). God already said that Solomon would get one tribe, Judah (the tribe of Benjamin being so small it was considered to be one tribe with Judah), the tribe that the Messiah would come through. So here the promise is extended out into the future. Even after Solomon’s sin – the divided heart that divided the kingdom – ADONAI would not turn His back on the promise He made to David. The flame of David’s lamp would never be extinguished. In biblical times, the lamp was a symbol of life. To die was to have one’s lamp put out (Job 18:5-6; Proverbs 20:20); to live was to keep shining like a light on a lampstand (Second Samuel 21:17). When the LORD said that David would always have a burning lamp before Him, it meant that David’s kingdom would endure forever.
As for Jeroboam, YHVH shockingly promised him a kingdom, a dynasty as enduring as the one He had built for David! Jeroboam was not the legitimate heir to Isra’el’s throne. He did not belong to the house and line of David. Yet, God offered him the blessings of David nonetheless. He promised to be with Jeroboam and to establish his kingdom. I will take you, and you will rule over everything you want; you will be king over Isra’el. But notice how those blessings were contingent on Jeroboam’s obedience. Now if you will listen to all that I order you, live according to My ways and do what is right in My sight, so that you observe my regulations and mitzvot, as David my servant did. If only Jeroboam would be obedient, he would experience the full blessing of God in ruling over Isra’el. Then I will be with you, and I will build you a lasting dynasty, as I built for David; and I will give Isra’el to you. For this offense I will trouble David’s descendants, but not forever” (First Kings 11:37-39). Judgment would last for a night, but mercy would come in the morning.
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being so merciful! Sometimes we get so caught up in enjoying Your great love for the world by Your Son being the sacrifice for the sins of those who love You (First Corinthians 5:21), that we lose sight of our responsibility to love You back and confessing Your name as our Savior, even when it is hard (Rom 10:9-10).
Obedience is Not an option to be done if convenient; rather obedience shows that our belief in You is real belief from our heart. You liken obedience to genuine love. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him (John 14:21).
Your Word says: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding yourselves (James 1:22). Thank you for saving us by your grace thru our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Please help us to remember that faith is not a mere mental thank You; but it is a heartfelt love that desires to obey You. So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself (James 2:17). How wonderful that my love for You opens the door of my heart for You to enter and live within me! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). I delight in loving You and obeying Your Word, for You are such a wonderful Father. In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
If Jeroboam had obeyed ADONAI the way he was told, there would have been two nations that followed YHVH, not just one: Isra’el in the north and Judah in the south. Yet, Jeroboam had little interest in serving God. He decided to serve his own interests instead, and soon he became king of false worship. If David served as the royal standard for kingship in Isra’el, then Jeroboam is consistently held up as the negative example: the king who decided not to follow God.230
Ahijah’s prominence in this story begins the prophet’s role as a major player in the history of Isra’el. Of course, earlier prophets impacted Isra’el’s story, such as Samuel and Nathan, but the prophetic movement now becomes even more significant. In the rest of First and Second Kings, the prophets speak for God as anointers of new kings, as miracle workers, and as Isra’el’s overall covenant conscience. It is difficult to conceive of an Israelite nation without them.231
When Solomon heard about Ahijah’s prophecy, he did everything he could to stop it from ever coming true. Just as Sha’ul had once tried to kill David, Solomon tried to assassinate Jeroboam. But by then it was too late. Jeroboam then fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and stayed in Egypt until the death of Solomon (First Kings 11:40). He found refuge in Pharaoh Shishak’s court, a fact that alerts readers to changes in Egypt’s leadership. Shishak was not as friendly to Solomon as his predecessor had been. Perhaps this new Pharaoh resented paying Solomon’s tolls, or perhaps he attempted to build a new power base that would serve his own interests. Either way, the Davidic lineage was in trouble. Jeroboam had a following in Northern Isra’el, a significant foreign ally, and God’s promise to place him in power.232 YHVH had spoken: the kingdom would be divided. So Jeroboam waited for the day when he would rule over Isra’el.
All these promises find their fulfillment in Yeshua Messiah, the greater Solomon of the kingdom of God. The reason God said that David’s son would have a tribe – and the reason He kept saying this over and over again – was that He had a plan for our salvation that depended on the house of David. One day He would send a Savior to be the King of His people forever. In order to keep that promise, God had to preserve the tribe of Judah until the coming of Yeshua Messiah, the Son of David. He is the light of the world (John 8:12) whose lamp still burns in the house of God (Revelation 1:12-13).233
Leave A Comment