◄ 1 Kings 12:22 ►
But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:
Study Bible
But the word of God
This phrase indicates divine communication, a common occurrence in the Old Testament where God speaks directly to His prophets. The "word of God" often signifies a message of guidance, correction, or prophecy. In the context of 1 Kings 12, it underscores the authority and divine origin of the message that follows. This phrase is reminiscent of other instances where God’s word comes to His prophets, such as in Jeremiah 1:4 and Ezekiel 1:3, emphasizing the continuity of God’s communication with His chosen messengers.

came to Shemaiah
Shemaiah is identified as a prophet, though not much is known about him outside of this context. His role here is crucial as he delivers a pivotal message from God. The name Shemaiah means "heard by God," which is fitting for a prophet who receives and conveys God's word. This highlights the importance of prophets in Israel as intermediaries between God and His people, similar to figures like Nathan and Gad in the time of David.

the man of God
This title is often used in the Old Testament to describe prophets and other individuals who are dedicated to God's service, such as Moses (Deuteronomy 33:1) and Elijah (1 Kings 17:18). It signifies a person who is not only a messenger but also lives in accordance with God's will. The use of this title for Shemaiah underscores his authority and the authenticity of the message he delivers. It also reflects the respect and reverence given to those who faithfully serve God, setting them apart as His representatives on earth.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Shemaiah
A prophet referred to as "the man of God." He plays a crucial role in delivering God's message to Rehoboam, the king of Judah. His name means "heard by God" in Hebrew, indicating his role as a divine messenger.

2. Rehoboam
The son of Solomon and king of Judah. His reign is marked by the division of the united kingdom of Israel into two separate kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

3. The Word of God
Represents the divine message or command that is delivered through the prophet Shemaiah. It signifies God's direct intervention and guidance in the affairs of His people.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom, consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, over which Rehoboam ruled after the division of the united kingdom.

5. The Division of the Kingdom
A significant event in Israel's history where the united kingdom under Solomon was divided into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This division was a result of Rehoboam's harsh policies and the people's rebellion.
Teaching Points
The Role of Prophets
Prophets are God's messengers, chosen to deliver His word to His people. They remind us of the importance of listening to God's guidance in our lives.

God's Sovereignty
The division of the kingdom, though a result of human actions, was ultimately under God's control. This teaches us to trust in God's sovereignty even in times of turmoil.

Obedience to God's Word
Rehoboam's response to Shemaiah's message highlights the importance of obedience to God's word, even when it contradicts our own plans.

Consequences of Leadership Decisions
Rehoboam's harsh policies led to the division of the kingdom, illustrating the impact of leadership decisions on a community or nation.

Seeking God's Guidance
In times of decision-making, seeking God's guidance through prayer and His word is crucial for making wise choices.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of Shemaiah as a prophet in 1 Kings 12:22 compare to other prophets in the Bible, and what can we learn from their examples?

2. In what ways does the division of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12 reflect the consequences of ignoring wise counsel, and how can we apply this lesson in our own decision-making?

3. How does the concept of God's sovereignty in the events of 1 Kings 12:22 provide comfort and assurance in our personal lives today?

4. What are some practical ways we can ensure we are obedient to God's word, as demonstrated by Rehoboam's response to Shemaiah's message?

5. How can we seek and discern God's guidance in our lives, especially when faced with difficult decisions, as seen in the events surrounding 1 Kings 12:22?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Chronicles 11:2-4
This passage parallels 1 Kings 12:22, providing additional context to Shemaiah's message and the events surrounding the division of the kingdom.

1 Kings 11:29-31
The prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam about the division of the kingdom, which sets the stage for the events in 1 Kings 12.

Deuteronomy 18:18-22
Discusses the role of prophets and how God communicates His will through them, relevant to understanding Shemaiah's role.
Sermons
The Message of ShemaiahJ.A. Macdonald 1 Kings 12:21-24
An Error that Could not be RepairedJ. Urquhart 1 Kings 12:21-33
People
Adoniram, Adoram, Ahijah, Benjamin, Dan, David, Israelites, Jeroboam, Jesse, Levi, Levites, Nebat, Penuel, Rehoboam, Shemaiah, Solomon
Places
Bethel, Dan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Penuel, Shechem
Topics
Saying, Shemaiah, Shemai'ah
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Kings 12:1-24

     5366   king
     7245   Judah, kingdom of

1 Kings 12:21-24

     7756   preaching, content

Library
How to Split a Kingdom
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt); 3. That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 4. Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Political Religion
'Then Jeroboam built Shechera in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 27. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"This Thing is from Me"
"Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me."--1 Kings 12:24. IT IS VERY DELIGHTFUL to read a history in which God is made prominent. How sadly deficient we are of such histories of our own English nation! Yet surely there is no story that is more full of God than the record of the doings of our British race. Cowper, in one of his poems, shows the parallel between us and the house of Israel, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

How God Works in the Hearts of Men.
1. Connection of this chapter with the preceding. Augustine's similitude of a good and bad rider. Question answered in respect to the devil. 2. Question answered in respect to God and man. Example from the history of Job. The works of God distinguished from the works of Satan and wicked men. 1. By the design or end of acting. How Satan acts in the reprobate. 2. How God acts in them. 3. Old Objection, that the agency of God in such cases is referable to prescience or permission, not actual operation. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
1. When the psalmist says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield" (Psa. 84:11), he means that God is to all his creatures the source of life and blessedness, and their almighty protector; but this meaning he conveys under the figure of a sun and a shield. When, again, the apostle James says that Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath-day (Acts 15:21), he signifies the writings of Moses under the figure of his name. In these examples the figure lies in particular words. But it may be embodied …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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