To your Tents oh Israel

Have you ever heard somebody say, "To your tents, O Israel"?

Maybe a meeting has scattered. Maybe food has finished at the party. Maybe people have argued until there is nothing left to discuss, and somebody suddenly shouts, "Abeg, to your tents, O Israel!"

Everybody laughs and begins to go home.

But my people, that expression did not begin as a joke.

It came from the day an entire kingdom looked at its new king and said, "We are not doing again. Everybody, pack your load!"

This is the story of two kings: Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

Please, do not confuse them. Their names sound like two brothers whose parents wanted everything to rhyme, but they were not related.

Rehoboam was Solomon's son.

Jeroboam was one of Solomon's officials.

One grew up inside the palace. The other was discovered while doing his job.

One inherited a kingdom. The other received one through prophecy.

But one was controlled by pride, and the other was controlled by fear.

Now, before Solomon died, he had turned away from God. Because of this, God said most of the kingdom would be taken from his family.

One day, the prophet Ahijah met Jeroboam on the road. He removed the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces and gave ten pieces to Jeroboam.

Imagine standing on the road while a prophet tears his perfectly good cloth in front of you.

Jeroboam must have wondered, "Sir, is everything all right?"

Then Ahijah told him, "God is giving ten tribes of Israel to you. If you obey Him, He will establish your house."

When Solomon heard about it, he tried to kill Jeroboam. Jeroboam quickly ran to Egypt and remained there until Solomon died.

After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam travelled to Shechem to be crowned king.

The people came to him with one request.

"Your father made our burden heavy. Please reduce it, and we will serve you."

They were not trying to remove him. They were simply tired.

Rehoboam told them to return in three days, then he went to ask the elders for advice.

The elders told him, "Listen to the people. Speak kindly to them. Serve them today, and they will serve you faithfully."

Very sensible advice.

But Rehoboam did not like it.

Maybe it sounded too gentle. Maybe he thought kindness would make him look weak.

So he left the elders and went to meet the young men who had grown up with him.

His guys.

His palace crew.

His day ones.

They told him, "Do not reduce anything! Tell the people your little finger is thicker than your father's waist. Tell them your father disciplined them with whips, but you will discipline them with scorpions!"

You can almost hear them shouting, "Give them pressure! Show them who is in charge!"

Three days later, the people returned.

They were probably expecting good news.

Instead, Rehoboam looked at them and said, "My father made your burden heavy. I will make it heavier. My father disciplined you with whips. I will discipline you with scorpions."

Ah!

The people asked for mercy, and this young king gave them threats.

That was when Israel answered:

"What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel!"

In other words, "Meeting don scatter! Everybody, go home!"

Ten tribes turned their backs on Rehoboam and left.

Just like that, the kingdom was divided.

No foreign army attacked him. Nobody invaded the palace. Rehoboam used his own mouth to lose most of the kingdom he had inherited.

The ten tribes made Jeroboam their king.

Now, Jeroboam had exactly what God promised him. You would expect him to obey the God who brought him from an ordinary official to the throne.

But Jeroboam began to overthink.

The temple was still in Jerusalem, inside Rehoboam's territory.

Jeroboam thought, "If the people keep travelling to Jerusalem to worship, they may return to Rehoboam. They may reject me. They may even kill me."

Fear entered his heart and began holding meetings.

Instead of trusting God, Jeroboam made two golden calves. He placed one in Bethel and the other in Dan.

Then he told the people, "Going to Jerusalem is too much trouble. You can worship here."

Jeroboam created his own shrines, appointed his own priests and established his own festival.

Everything looked religious, but it was not obedience.

The same man who received a kingdom from God was now creating idols to protect it.

Did you hear that?

Jeroboam believed he had to disobey God to keep what God had given him.

Rehoboam was afraid of appearing weak.

Jeroboam was afraid of losing power.

Rehoboam listened to friends who fed his pride.

Jeroboam listened to thoughts that fed his fear.

One had the right family name but lacked wisdom.

The other received a genuine prophecy but lacked trust.

Rehoboam eventually lost the treasures of the palace when Egypt invaded Jerusalem. Even the gold shields Solomon made were taken away, and Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields.

Gold had gone, but they kept polishing bronze and carrying it around as if nothing had changed.

Jeroboam also received warning after warning, but he refused to turn back.

So there they were.

Two kings sitting on two thrones in one divided nation.

Rehoboam protected his ego and lost ten tribes.

Jeroboam protected his position and damaged his legacy.

The greatest enemy of Rehoboam was not Jeroboam. It was the pride inside Rehoboam.

And the greatest enemy of Jeroboam was not Rehoboam. It was the fear inside Jeroboam.

Sometimes, the most dangerous enemy is not the person standing outside the palace.

Sometimes, it is the thing hiding inside the person sitting on the throne.

Before you ask God for influence, ask Him for wisdom.

Before you ask for a platform, ask Him for character.

And if God gives you something, do not allow fear to convince you that disobedience is the only way to keep it.

Because one foolish decision can turn an inheritance into a memory.

And one arrogant answer can make an entire nation shout:

"To your tents, O Israel!"

This is Stories by Kemmy, where Scripture comes alive, one unforgettable story at a time.