1 Kings 11 Rezon and Jeroboam

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
1 Kings 11:23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 When David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered a band of men around him and became their leader; they went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. 25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.

26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.​

This explanation is from enduringword.com.

As a reigning king, Solomon was remarkably successful but he was not a superman. As God allowed an adversary from the south (Hadad, 1 Kings 11:14-22), so God also raised up another adversary against Solomon. God knew that Solomon needed some kind of adversary, and He knew how many adversaries Solomon needed.

Rezon the son of Eliadah: This adversary came from the north. God allowed adversaries to come against Solomon from both north and south. In some ways, men and women are shaped by their adversaries, and especially by their response to those adversaries.

Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite: Jeroboam was different from the two previously mentioned adversaries of Solomon, because he was a fellow Israelite.

This is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David: It is not immediately apparent why these construction projects caused him to rebel against Solomon. Jewish traditions say he opposed the oppressive use of forced labor in these building projects. Since he was the officer over all the labor force, this tradition makes some sense.

According to Dilday, the name Jeroboam means, “may the people be great.” He perhaps was a populist leader.

“Though only presenting the people’s petition, it is nevertheless probable that Jeroboam was not idle, but like an artful politician, busy behind the scenes, till the coveted crown became his.” (Knapp)​

Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: This made him a more dangerous adversary of Solomon.

How about a couple of pictures this morning. I googled the Millo that Solomon had built. I wanted to know if there was some kind of historical site for Rezon's construction site. I found a toilet!

toilet.jpg house-of-ahiel.jpg

So Solomon has three adversaries. He's got Hadad, Razon, and Jeroboam. Hadad had been hidden in Egypt.... growing a hate for Israel his whole life. Razon was a run away slave who became a leader in Damascus, Syria area. He'd been growing a hate for Israel his whole life too. Then the last but definitely not least was Jeroboam, right there in Jerusalem. Jeroboam was a rebel... leading a growing political movement for the throne.

I'm learning more an more about the region's history. Amazing... how these three areas are still in the news today. Family issues???

:coffee:
 
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