Commentaries:
<< 1 Kings 12:3 1 Kings 12:5 >>
1 Kings 12:4
Though Solomon may have been the wisest man who ever lived, his many extensive building projects placed a heavy burden of servitude on the people, and they had had enough. Notice that the people did not ask Rehoboam to remove the load, just lighten it a bit so that they could handle it. It was not an unreasonable request.
When the people had first asked for a king more than a century before this, God had warned them that this would happen. That story is told in I Samuel 8, and in verses 11-18, Samuel tells them that the king would take all the good things for himself and make them his servants. Nevertheless, the people wanted a king "like all the nations" (verse 19-20), so God gave them one. We should always be careful what we ask for; we might just get it.
Ronny H. Graham
Take My Yoke Upon YouRelated Topics: Burden | Burden of Servitude | Loose from Burdens | Rehoboam | Rehoboam's Taxation | Relief from Burdens | Relieving Burdens | YokeOther Forerunner Commentary entries containing 1 Kings 12:4:
Deuteronomy 17:17
1 Kings 10:14-27
<< 1 Kings 12:3 1 Kings 12:5 >>
Join 135,000+ readers
A Verse and a Thought, Every Morning
The Berean delivers one scripture and a short, insightful commentary to your inbox each day — a starting point for reflection and study.