It has been said that we make our own judgments: God usually does not intervene in order to punish our wrong actions, but instead allows these actions to have their natural consequences—and that is itself the punishment. Such an understanding may explain what happens in today’s text.

2 Chronicles 10 presupposes that the reader knows of events recorded in the book of Kings. Jeroboam’s flight to Egypt to escape Solomon (v. 2) is explained in 1 Kings: Ahijah prophesied that Jeroboam would rule over 10 tribes of Israel, and Solomon’s response was to seek Jeroboam’s death (1 Kings 11:26–40).

The “harsh labour” and “heavy yoke” that Solomon imposed on the tribes (2 Chronicles 10:4, 11) may refer to the taxation system by which 12 different districts of Israel each supported Solomon’s court for one month in a year (1 Kings 4:7–19). The mention of “forced labour” (2 Chronicles 10:18) can be linked to 1 Kings 5:13–14, where labour gangs are said to have been conscripted from Israel and sent to work in Lebanon during the construction of the temple.

The Chronicler has not mentioned these things in his account of Solomon, but brings them up at the beginning of his account of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son. Clearly, the glorious facade of Solomon’s kingdom has been masking a growing resentment in the hearts of many Israelites. The tribes have not aired their grievances during Solomon’s lifetime, but now they seek a fair settlement.

The very choice of Shechem (in the territory of Ephraim) as the place to make Rehoboam king (2 Chronicles 10:1) sends a message: the tribes will not go to Rehoboam at Jerusalem; he must come to them. Their acceptance of him as king is also not automatic. They invite Jeroboam to join them, and he leads a delegation to meet Rehoboam (vv. 3–4): we will serve you, if you lighten our burden!

Rehoboam asks for time to consider his response, but does not make a good decision. He rejects the advice of his older, wiser advisers in favour of the hot-headed words of the young men he has grown up with (vv. 6–11). He answers the people harshly and arrogantly, apparently believing that his threats will cow them into submission (vv. 12–14). Instead, the people reject him as king: let David’s line now look after itself (v. 16)!

Rehoboam then sends Adoniram to bully the tribes into submission, but the move backfires. Rehoboam has to flee to Jerusalem (vv. 17–18).

So, what caused Israel to revolt against the house of David? The chapter offers two explanations. On the one hand, it describes a seemingly normal chain of events, a series of human choices resulting in a predictable outcome. On the other hand, it tells us that “this turn of events was from God, to fulfil the word the Lord had spoken . . . through Ahijah” (v. 15).

Judgment has fallen. The house of David no longer rules over Israel (v. 19). Will it have anything left to rule over?

See also 1 Kings 12.