“And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?”
King James Version (KJV)
David's comment on 2021-08-11 09:39:19:
Rehoboam refused the advice of the elders and chose to add to the burdens of the people. Jeroboam took the other ten tribes and left. God allowed man to do what was in their heart. We can claim to be under God, but if don't know Him, or have no relationship with the Lord and chose to go our own way - evil will befall us.
From the top leadership down to the people themselves, they have forgotten the blessings from God. Many times we believe the blessings from the Lord is of our own doing and therefore forget to thank God and worship Him, or to call on the Lord.
We must keep ourselves near to God by confessing our sins, reading, meditating, praising, worshipping, praying, and remembering His continued goodness. Then we must teach the same to our children less we allow anything to slip. God bless our nation and our leadership. August 2021
Chris's comment on 2020-12-27 18:50:43:
What you're reading in 1 Kings 12:3-5,9, refers to mainly the high taxes that Solomon imposed upon the people. Even though we read in 2 Chronicles 8:7,8, that harsh taxes were imposed on those not of Israel that lived amongst them, we see that all of Israel suffered because of the taxes.
Solomon extracted taxes, goods & services from the people in various ways & these were done primarily for the building of the Temple (though, King David actually had already procured most of the materials for them), but also for the other buildings to house his many wives & concubines. He established twelve districts to sustain the king & his household each month through taxation (1 Kings 4:7); he conscripted labour from Israel (1 Kings 5:13-18); taxed merchants & trade (1 Kings 10:15); and received tribute from other nations (1 Kings 4:21).
And particularly for the common man, such high taxation became a heavy burden to bear, where some did their normal work during the day, then had to contribute their time after work in Solomon's building projects. So the people protested such burdens & appealed to Solomon's successor, Rehoboam to have pity on them. Rather, he raised the taxes even further causing Jeroboam to lead the people in revolt, hence the divisions of the Kingdoms (Judah & Israel): 1 Kings 12:16-27.
It's noteworthy, that Samuel much earlier prophesied about the inevitability of taxation & other demands (1 Sam 8:11-22) as the people demanded a king as the other nations had.
Rick Colombe's comment on 2020-12-27 09:36:00:
According to what I read in chapter 12 Solomon was a harsh king over Israel. Am I missing something here?
Marlin Pals's comment on 2011-11-02 09:47:33:
I like it to be able to read the original text with which I am familiar.