When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam's return from Egypt, they called an assembly and made him king over all Israel. So only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the family of David. (1 Kings 12:20 NLT)
This kingdom of Israel is now split, just as The LORD had said. The king and people of the south were not pleased with this decision, though. So, they decided to take things into their own hands.
When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin--180,000 select troops--to fight against the men of Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself. (1 Kings 12:21 NLT)
God has a plan. In this case, the plan includes removing most of the kingdom from Solomon’s descendants because of Solomon’s sin, offering the northern tribes to another king, and offering both kings the opportunity to follow, and lead their kingdoms to follow, The LORD. The southern kingdom was about to fight that plan by going to war with the north. God is about to tell them to “Stop it!”
But God said to Shemaiah, the man of God, "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not fight against your relatives, the Israelites. Go back home, for what has happened is My doing!'" (1 Kings 12:22-24a NLT)
How about you? Have you ever been in the back seat of a car bothering the driver with the question, “Are we there yet?” Have you ever fought with a brother or sister or friend in that back seat until the driver finally says, “Stop it or I’ll turn this car around!” Have you ever done that to God?
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