Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statues which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to my servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom. For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom; (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom): That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child. And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country. Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise. And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah: And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus. And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

Yesterday we took a look at the climate of the situation which led to the schism between the Jews and the Samaritans. It could be said that it may really have stemmed from the disobedience of Solomon in a way, since it was his disobedience and falling away from purity of worship which led to the situations that occurred in the reading today, and in turn, these situations led to the rise of the man called Jeroboam. But I am getting ahead of myself here. We left off yesterday where God was attempting to appeal to Solomon to mend his ways. Sadly, Solomon was too far gone. He had enveloped himself in a lifestyle of comfort and the pursuits of his fleshly appetites and God had to take the measures that He did in the opening verses of the reading today. In cursory terms, God told Solomon that He would take the kingdom from him—not during his lifetime, but after, but for the sake of His servant David—and for the sake of Jerusalem. One tribe would remain. As I read the text for today I was overcome with the absolute and limitless mercy that God exercises when He could fix things much faster by just eradicating the disgusting, rebellious creatures that we are from off planet earth. God spoke to Solomon’s father, David, through the prophet Nathan much earlier. We would be silly if we thought that God didn’t see the backsliding of Solomon coming a long ways off. Speaking of Solomon to David, God speaks of His mercy to David’s successor.

"I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee." 2 Samuel 7:15 (KJV)

Do you get the distinct impression that God was dealing with Solomon in this manner and yet still working out the plan that He had started after the expulsion of the first man and his wife from Eden? First, He is saving a remnant for David. One tribe, which would later be joined by cast off members of the other tribes, He would save them and the remnant would give rise to Messiah some many centuries later. It about blows me away when I think of how many times I’ve read the books of the Kings before and never realized this! It is like a light that shines right through the book of Kings and it is amazing. God says that he is not going to wrest the throne away from David’s descendants as He had with Saul. You might remember that Saul died and all his sons died with the exception of Mephibosheth, who was the son of Jonathan. The kingship of Israel would remain with the line of David. Why? It is because God said so. He promised this to David, and God is not like man, He makes promises and keeps them no matter what. Look at the very next verse from 2 Samuel 7.

"And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever." 2 Samuel 7:16 (KJV)

God would keep the remnant for the sake of Jerusalem.

"Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord." Deuteronomy 12:11 (KJV)

God’s message here is so clear that I’m embarrassed that I didn’t see this before. He saves a remnant for the sake of David and the place that He’s set aside for Israel to worship. No matter what else happens or who else might backslide, God is going through with His glorious plan! What good would the plan be without the line of David’s royalty and the place where that royalty would someday rule? Hallelujah His plan was still in operation!

So God "stirs up" opposition to Solomon and the opposition isn’t even from his own reign. A surviving relative of the royalty that was deposed and destroyed by Joab under the kingship of David became a thorn in the side of Israel once he discovered that David and Joab, the captain of his armies, were both dead. Then God "stirred up" another adversary by the name of Rezon. Here was another dispossessed and bitter enemy from his father’s reign. Oh do you not think that God turned His head and wept when He had to set these circumstances into operation? Do you think it did not hurt for Him to see Solomon in such a state of uncleanness? Do you think He was unaffected by those judgments that He was forced to make?

Mishpochah, there are many life’s lessons in this chapter of Kings. We’d do well to look and learn. May God keep those lessons very near our hearts and minds so that our spirit will rule over our souls and bodies until Messiah returns! Tomorrow—enter Jeroboam and the direct person to our question as stated day before yesterday. Why was there such schism between the Jews and Samaritans?

Meanwhile, our best wishes go out to Surfside while they celebrate their Seder.

"Pesach" - Hebrew for "Passover". The Festival of Redemption, in which the Jewish People, who had been captives and slaves in Egypt for more than two hundred years, were freed from the "House of Bondage." This Redemption was proof of many of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. It was proof of the Existence of G-d, that G-d was concerned about the world, that He would and could intervene in human history in order to establish His moral order in the World. Passover represented Physical Redemption. The real goal was Spiritual Redemption.." (Judaism 101)

As we celebrate the ritual of physical redemption from Egypt we also celebrate the spiritual redemption from the power of sin which the Seder is a "shadow" and "type". Why is this different from all nights? It is because never so clearly do we see the natural world eclipsed by the spiritual.

And the adventure continues…