Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.—1 Kings 12:20
This passage brings sorrow to my heart because it marks the beginning of centuries of division between the Northern Kingdom (Israel - Jeroboam) and The Southern Kingdom (Judah - Rehoboam). In the Bible these are just words on a page but behind these words is the reality of the split’s impact on the countless lives of those involved...death, destruction, broken hearts and broken lives.
This split did not occur overnight. The seeds of disunity can be seen in the book of Judges namely in the tribal jealousies between Ephraim of the North and Judah of the South. Before God gave Israel her kings, the Judges ruled, and the majority of religious worship was centered in Ephraim. When Solomon built the temple, Jerusalem became the center. This eventually brought the tribal rivalries to a breaking point.
Division always brings hurt feelings and grief because at the root of the division is the sin of selfishness. One party or both parties are not getting what they want.
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?—James 4:1
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.—James 3:16
The same kind of division that occurred nationally in Israel is played out in friendships, marriages, familial relationships and in communities on a daily basis all over the world. Where there are people there will always be evidences of disunity because people are inherently selfish. It is only by the Spirit of a God that they can rise above their base responses and desire what God wants. If both parties are right with God and desirous of His will, there will be no conflict. If one party or both are self-seeking, division will occur. Tragically, the consequences of sin do not just affect the one who sinned. The effects of sin can and do extend to those around us. Both the innocent and the guilty suffer. One sin alone can cause generations of division and with it, the resulting grief and despair. Oh, how much better to do it God’s way and walk in the beauty of obedience.
Beloved, each one of us need to turn our own hearts over to our God and surrender to His will and His Spirit in our lives. We need to obey our God from the deepest part of our beings and purpose to allow Him to show us all of the pride that comes between us and His love. As long as self is at the center of our life...as long as we are our first concern, our unity will always be in need of repair. As we allow God to perfect our relationship with Him, our earthly relationships will reflect this change. The giving up of self is painful and difficult but this is where our joy will be full.
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.—Isaiah 58:8-12
