The Way
The Harsh Answer at Shechem
A cry to lighten the yoke
Story
When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam went to Shechem. All Israel had gathered there to make him king. Jeroboam, who had been hiding in Egypt, was sent for and stood before the people too. The people said to Rehoboam, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. Lighten that hard labor, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.”
Rehoboam first asked the elders who had served Solomon. The elders advised him, “If today you will be a servant to this people and answer them with kind words, they will be your servants forever.” Rehoboam rejected their advice and asked the young men he had grown up with. The young men said, “Tell them, My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. Tell them, My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions.”
On the third day Rehoboam answered harshly, just as the young men had told him. The Lord had turned things this way so that the word he had given Jeroboam through Ahijah of Shiloh would come true. The people cried out, “What share do we have in David? To your tents, Israel!” Adoram, the overseer Rehoboam sent to them, was stoned to death, and the king jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
If today you will be a servant to this people, serve them, and answer them with kind words, they will be your servants forever.
My father made your yoke heavy, but I will make it heavier still. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions.
What share do we have in David? To your tents, Israel! Now look after your own house, David!
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Kgs 12:1–20
Background
Shechem was the heart of the northern tribes, where Abraham first built an altar and where Joshua renewed the covenant. From that day on, the ten northern tribes were called Israel, and the south was called Judah.
Pause and Reflect
Do I accept the hard truth I need rather than words that are pleasant to hear?