< The Riddle of Rehoboam - 1 Kings 11:1-13,26-41; 12:1-24; 2 Chronicles 10-12
This study tries to understand what was going on in Rehoboam's mind back then, and the same kinds of things that can go on in people's minds today, including our own.
1. In 1 Ki 11:1-13, what kind of a father role do you think Solomon was for Rehoboam, teaching him to be a wise king?
2. 1 Ki 12:21-24 and 2 Chr 11:2-4, Since God ordained this division, was Rehoboam powerless (and thus perhaps guiltless) in what he did?
3. In 1 Ki 12:22-24 and 2 Chronicles 10:1-19; 11:1-43, who precisely caused the division: God, Solomon, Rehoboam, or Jeroboam?
4. In 1 Ki 12:22-24, who caused the division to continue?
5. In 1 Ki 12:25-33, who caused the subsequent idolatry from the division?
6. In 2 Ch10:14, how often do you think Rehoboam stayed awake wondering if he had treated anyone unfairly, like King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) did in Esth 6:1-3?
7. In 1 Ki 12:21, do we have any (other) indication that Rehoboam was unintelligent?
8. In 1 Ki 11:26-35, how did Jeroboam enter the picture?
9. 1 Ki 12:6-11, what information (if any) was Rehoboam missing?
10. In 1 Ki 12:6-8, if someone advised "don't do this, or the kingdom will split" why would Rehoboam have rejected that?
11. In 1 Ki 12:6-11, when advisors say conflicting things, how do you tell which advisors are right? – how did Rehoboam?
12. Why did Rehoboam not consult the prophet of God?
13. How do the benefits of a particular choice often cloud our judgment on the downsides of that choice?
14. What would life be like if you imagined that you could never die?
The Riddle of Foolish Decisions - 2 Chronicles 10-12
1. In 1 Ki 12:1 and 2 Chr 10:1, why would Rehoboam go to Shechem?
2. In 2 Chr 10:4 and 1 Ki 12:4, why would the people complain, if they shared in Solomon's wealth?
3. In 2 Chr 10:5, what do you think Rehoboam told them to come back after three days?
4. In 2 Chr 10:6-7, today, what kinds of advisors might be giving good advice, but they are often overlooked?
5. In 2 Chr 10:8-12, today, what kinds of advisors might be trusted, even though they often give wrong advice?
6. In 2 Chronicles 10:11, what are some examples of someone deciding a certain way solely to show how tough they are?
7. In 2 Chr 10:11, when, if ever, should you speak insultingly to someone?
8. In 1 Ki 12:18, why did Rehoboam then send Adoram/Hadoram, the chief of revenue?
9. Today, how do you evaluate the severity of a risk?
10. What are some bad ways that people evaluate risk?
11. In 1 Ki 12:13, how do some people today say, "my little finger is thicker than my father's waist"?
12. Today, how should you evaluate the probability of a bad result happening?
13. What are some foolish ways that people make decisions?
The Riddle of Rehoboam - 1 Kings 11:1-13,26-41; 12:1-24; 2 Chronicles 10-12 – some brief answers
Feb. 20, 2023 version
This study tries to understand what was going on in Rehoboam's mind back then, and the same kinds of things that can go on in people's minds today, including our own.
1. In 1 Ki 11:1-13, what kind of a father role do you think Solomon was for Rehoboam, teaching him to be a wise king?
A: Solomon was a very busy man, setting up the trade alliances, building his palace, God's Temple, also building all those idol temples, and being with all his wives. We don't know if Solomon had any time left to train up his many kids properly. Solomon was very concerned about "his" kingdom; we don't know how concerned Solomon was about God's kingdom, both now and in the future after him.
But that being said, Rehoboam did know something about God. He and the leaders humbled themselves before God in 2 Chronicles 12:6-8. How much do you think Rehoboam respected Solomon's faith in God? After Solomon built all of those idol temples, probably not much.
Rehoboam did learn some things from his father though. Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines according to 2 Chronicles 11:21. By this answer, one might suspect the Rehoboam's overriding concern was not to be in his father's shadow, but to be considered great, like his father,
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.4 p.477 for more info.
2. 1 Ki 12:21-24 and 2 Chr 11:2-4, Since God ordained this division, was Rehoboam powerless (and thus guiltless) in what he did?
A: Of course not. Rehoboam was eager to pursue this foolhardy path. But God not only knew that, and allowed that, but God ordained that Rehoboam would be able to do what he wanted to do.
3. In 1 Ki 12:22-24 and 2 Chronicles 10:1-19; 11:1-43, who precisely caused the division: God, Solomon, Rehoboam, or Jeroboam?
A: Let's first ask a simpler question. Let's say someone is on trial for starting a forest fire. Yes, they admit they carelessly dropped a lighted match, but if it had been a desert instead of a forest it would not have done any harm. Or if God had not made the earth's atmosphere filled with oxygen, there would not be animal life on earth, and the forest fire would not have happened. So he did not really cause the forest fire, it was an act of God. How far do you think he would get with that defense?
Many things have more than one cause, such as air, fuel, and spark for a fire. The air and fuel were prerequisite causes, but the match was the direct "spark", that is the efficient cause that started the fire under the pre-existing, normal conditions. Many things do not have a single cause; they have a causality tree. As an example, For D to happen, first A has to happen, then B, then either C1 or C2, then D will happen.
Jeroboam was the last link the causality tree, right after Rehoboam's foolish answer. But God told Jeroboam to rebel, and God told Solomon that his son would lose the ten tribes, because of Solomon's disobedience in worshipping other gods and building idol temples. Solomon was so wise and so great, that he did not think he had to obey God's command anymore about not worshipping other gods, in 1 Kings 11:7-13. Solomon was the first to order the building of the idol temples, and the consequences his evil leadership would continue to haunt the Israelites until the exile. Solomon probably had no idea how severe and long the consequences of his sin would last.
4. In 1 Ki 12:22-24, who caused the division to continue?
A: God did not tell Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, or anyone else when the division would happen; the prophecy could have been fulfilled at the end of Rehoboam's reign. God did not tell any prophet that the division had to continue; Jeroboam carefully planned to make it permanent. Of course, God knew and allowed that to happen.
5. In 1 Ki 12:25-33, who caused the subsequent idolatry from the division?
A: This is another effect in the causality tree. Once Jeroboam rebelled, he could have said, "God told me to rebel, and I did, and I can rely on God to keep my kingdom separate as long as He wishes." But no, Jeroboam felt he had to take matters into his own hands, and his separate kingdom would not endure unless he made the people change religions and plunge into idolatry. Jeroboam probably was not devoted to the idolatry of the golden calves. Rather, he used idolatry simply as a means to an end, tool to help maintain the division. The sad thing is, that a majority of the people in the northern tribes acquiesced in doing just that.
6. In 2 Ch10:14, how often do you think Rehoboam stayed awake wondering if he had treated anyone unfairly, like King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) did in Esth 6:1-3?
A: Probably never. Esther 6:1-3 is not at all relevant to Rehoboam, and it is sad that it is not. It's not so much that Rehoboam did not ever see that he treated people unfairly, but rather he would not care if he did. His people, in his kingdom, were just a means to an end for him. As one person said about their boss: some people love people and use things; my boss loves things and uses people.
7. In 1 Ki 12:21, do we have any (other) indication that Rehoboam was unintelligent?
A: There is no sign that Rehoboam was stupid or unintelligent. A person can be intelligent and still be very foolish. Being foolish does not mean you are incapable of thinking prudently about something, but rather that you choose not to think prudently about something.
If wisdom is applied knowledge, foolishness could be not having the knowledge, but more often it is having the knowledge, or at least access to that knowledge, and refusing to apply it.
8. In 1 Ki 11:26-35, how did Jeroboam enter the picture?
A: Jeroboam was a good leader that Solomon put in charge of the labor force from Joseph. The prophet Ahijah met Jeroboam and told him that God was going to give him ten tribes of Israel to rule over. Later in 1 Kings 11:40 Solomon learned that Jeroboam was rebellious and tried to have him killed, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt and became friends with the Pharoah. But after Solomon's death Jeroboam came back in 1 Kings 12:1-3.
9. 1 Ki 12:6-11, what information (if any) was Rehoboam missing?
A: Perhaps that God promised Solomon there would be a division. He also probably did not know that a prophet told Jeroboam that he should rebel and that he would be successful.
10. In 1 Ki 12:6-8, if someone advised "don't do this, or the kingdom will split" why would Rehoboam have rejected that?
A: Rehoboam might have said, something like, "I have a lot of wise counselors who say otherwise. I agree that splitting the kingdom would be a bad thing, but the odds of that happening are almost non-existent, as my trusted counselors tell me. The benefits of the building projects and riches outweigh negligible risks."
Rehoboam already had older counselors who gave him good advice. But rather than Rehoboam saying, "I am rejecting your advice to do what I want", he covered himself. He found other counselors who said what he wanted to hear, so he could say he was just following what his counselors said.
A: A right way is to pray, and then weigh the pros, cons, and risk of each decision. Bu what if you don't know for sure (as is often the case). You might weight the confidence you should have in various advisors.
There are a couple of wrong ways, and perhaps Rehoboam was doing both. First, Rehoboam chose based on what he wanted to hear. He could justify his actions based on what the trusted counselors said, if things went wrong.
Second, perhaps Rehoboam did not care very much, because he thought it would work out fine either way. It was not an issue of who was right? – perhaps Rehoboam thought both ways would work. Rather, who did he choose to trust and follow.
A third wrong way to make a decision is solely on familiarity: how have we done it before, and with which way am I more comfortable?
12. Why did Rehoboam not consult the prophet of God?
A: On one hand, perhaps it was understandable if he was not aware of any prophets in Israel. On the other hand, if he were a godly king, he would have wanted to know if there were godly prophets in Israel and have them advise him.
Since the prophet said that the division was caused by the Lord, and the two armies both went home, you might think that Rehoboam and Jeroboam obeyed the prophet. Yet 1 Kings 14:30 and 2 Chronicles 12:15 say that Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought all their days.
God judged Rehoboam for making idols in 1 Kings 14:21-24
13. How do the benefits of a particular choice often cloud our judgment on the downsides of that choice?
A: &&&
We are prone to tunnel vision.
14. What would life be like if you imagined that you could never die?
A: Be careful reading the question. I did not say: imagine you would never die. Rather, imagine that you thought you could never die, and you were greatly mistaken. Some teenagers do it all the time. Drag racing, anyone? Like a TV or movie action hero, you would completely ignore the risk of doing something. Some people might think you very brave, until a catastrophe happens. Then those same people will think you were very stupid.
If you think about it, we have lots of training on how to make decisions, for most of the movies and TV series that we watch. The hero, instead of doing things in a less risky way, takes great risk, often unnecessarily, and luckily always come out ahead due to his or her risky behavior. Even in real life, we look at great heroes, like Ernest Shackelford, who after foolishly getting his ship stuck in the ice, heroically kept his men together so that not one of them was lost. We tend to overlook other explorers, like Roald Amundsen, who actually succeeded in reaching the south pole (as well as the north pole), without making foolish decisions that got his ship stuck in ice, imperiling the crew.
On the other hand, if people evaluated risk and made wise decision, Las Vegas would be bankrupted, reduced to nothing more than a large arcade where people knowingly threw away small amounts of money for fun.
The Riddle of Foolish Decisions - 2 Chronicles 10-12
1. In 1 Ki 12:1 and 2 Chr 10:1, why would Rehoboam go to Shechem?
A: Shechem, the ancient place where God first appeared to Abraham, is squarely in northern territory, though it was just 30 miles north of Jerusalem. Just like David was crowned king of Judah, and king of Israel, Rehoboam went north to accept separately the kingship of the northern tribes too. The Israelites crowning him as king was a foregone conclusion , - or so Rehoboam thought.
Jeroboam had fled to Egypt after rebelling from Solomon. Jeroboam had returned from Egypt specifically because the heads of the northern tribes asked him to come. So if Rehoboam was not going to lighten their load, they were already prepared for that contingency.
After the coronation went all wrong, Rehoboam would not go to Shechem again, because Jeroboam had fortified is in 1 Kings 12:25.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.510 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.4 p.113-114,474 for more info.
2. In 2 Chr 10:4 and 1 Ki 12:4, why would the people complain, if they shared in Solomon's wealth?
A: With all of his trade deals, 2 Chronicles 9:22 and 1 Kings 10:23 said the Solomon became exceeding wealthy, greater than the other kings of the earth. It did not say that the people were any richer, or that the kingdom became wealthy, only that Solomon became wealthy. Perhaps the Queen of Sheba totally missed the point when she said, "Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!" 2 Chronicles 9:7 and 1 Kings 10:8. Perhaps the people were not happy at all to be serving Solomon and listen to his grander and grander building and trade schemes, if these were not getting the benefit. It is all too easy for leaders to come to the conclusion that their followers exist to serve them and build their wealth, and not share with the followers.
When you have people under you in business, you want them to work to make you and your organization prosper. But some people are clueless why their employees are not that way, or quit, because they do not lift a finger to help them prosper.
3. In 2 Chr 10:5, what do you think Rehoboam told them to come back after three days?
A: This shows that Rehoboam was at least somewhat intelligent. Some of the crowd, who did not care so much, would have dispersed after three days. Also, Rehoboam was not sure how to answer them and did not want to be rash. Rehoboam probably had conflicting desires; he wanted to remain in their favor, but he wanted to get out of them all he could too. Are governing officials there to serve the people, or are the people there to serve the governing officials? Rehoboam was at least clear on that; it was the latter.
When you look at government officials, or officials in a religious organization today, do the leaders have the attitude that they are there to serve the people, or do they "Lord over the flock" (1 Peter 5:3).
4. In 2 Chr 10:6-7, today, what kinds of advisors might be giving good advice, but they are often overlooked?
A: As this passage shows, people, left naturally to themselves, often will overlook the advice of advisors when they don't agree with the advice. It is not because they don't agree because they think the advice is wrong; rather they don't agree because they don't want to hear it. If you cannot differentiate between disagreeing because you do not want to hear it vs. you disagree because it is probably incorrect, then you already have a start of great foolishness within you.
Secondarily, people often dismiss advice and advisors out-of-hand because they are not in a position of authority, the advisors are not perfect themselves, everyone else does things the other way, or they heard other advice, and believed it, before hearing the wise advice. These are logical fallacies that we need to recognize and make sure we are not doing ourselves. &&&
5. In 2 Chr 10:8-12, today, what kinds of advisors might be trusted, even though they often give wrong advice?
A: If an advisor cannot even see basic things that should be obvious to a wise person, an advisor has a bad track record (if you have bothered to check), or you know that na advisor has ulterior motives (or commissions, or threat of loss of job) for giving you particular advice, some people would still listen to the advisor anyway, if the advisor says what they want to hear. In that case, they are not really wanting counsel from an advisor. Rather, they merely want to legitimize and confirm to others the decision they have already arrived at themselves.
Finally some people think that even if a person is crooked, they can be trusted as long as they have not seen that the person is crooked towards them -yet. There was a politician in India who went to prison for corruption. After he got out, he ran for office again, and won. Democracy does not mean you get good government; rather (assuming the votes are counted honestly), it merely means you get the government the voters deserve.
Both Rehoboam and his young advisors apparently had no idea of the strength of feeling of the ten northern tribes. Today if someone stops caring about other people, for long enough, eventually they will be unable to tell how other people fell.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.466 for more info.
6. In 2 Chronicles 10:11, what are some examples of someone deciding a certain way solely to show how tough they are?
A: Rehoboam did not have to answer their request so insultingly. Rehoboam could have said, "I recognize that it can be hard to do all these building project, but I want you to understand that this is necessary for at time to build up our defenses", or something like that. But Rehoboam was trying to "lead by intimidation" here. He was not interested in showing them that he cared about them or even understood them. Rehoboam had no concern that they understand the good reason (if there was one) for doing all the building. All Rehoboam cared about was showing how tough he was, and that perhaps by building more he would not be considered in his father's shadow.
By the way "whipping them with scorpions was not literal scorpions, but a particularly brutal kind of whip that had sharp pieces of metal. Is this the kind of imagery you want to dictatorially threaten the people the people you are supposed to be caring about, and shepherding like a flock?
Today people can start wars, or refuse to end wars, for similar reasons. A warring military should ask, "whom am I fighting for." Is to really helpful to the people in the country that I am fighting, and do I think that when I conquer them the result will be people who love me and would want to serve in my army? Would I trust them? Or am I fighting for the people in my country, that they would be worse off, than if they were dying in battle invading another country. If it is neither, when why am I fighting, unless it is just for my own pride, and hatred of admitting that I can be wrong.
If you make an investment, and it is starting to lose money, perhaps due to conditions you did not foresee, do you have a tendency to stick with it, no matter what, because baling out would be an admission that you were wrong. To what extent should your ego drive your investment decisions? Should what extent should your ego drive any of your decisions?
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.511 for more info.
7. In 2 Chr 10:11, when, if ever, should you speak insultingly to someone?
A: You might do so if you want to burn bridges, destroy relationships, and make enemies. But if you don't want to do those things, it is pretty rare time when you should be insulting. If you can say something funny, at the risk of hurting a relationship, you should want to be unfunny.
8. In 1 Ki 12:18, why did Rehoboam then send Adoram/Hadoram, the chief of revenue?
A: We don't know why Rehoboam sent Adoram. The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.4 p.115 thinks that Rehoboam wanted to test their decision by sending an authority to collect the taxes. However, given all of Solomon's wealth Rehoboam might not have needed more tax revenue. Perhaps it was for Adoram to promise to give them money to remain loyal.
On the other hand, perhaps Adoram as in charge of the forced labor, and since they listened to this master authority before, Rehoboam foolishly thought they might listen to him again.
But at this point, they did not care about a little more money, Adoram, Rehoboam, or remaining a united kingdom for that matter. Once Rehoboam gave his answer, their mind was made up.
See The Expositor's Bible Commentary vol.4 p.475 for more info.
9. In 1 Ki 12:18, today, how do you evaluate the severity of a risk?
A: Two things to evaluate are severity and probability of something happening. Imagine the worst-case scenario, and count the cost in terms of money, time, career, lost opportunities, and future constraints on your direction. Some people do that, but they forget to also evaluate the severity of harm or loss of relationships, reputation and good name. If the severity is low enough, then people often just ignore it. But if you can eliminate it completely, and it does not take much cost, then why not? If the consequences of a risk ar severe, and you cannot eliminate it but only mitigate it, and you can lower the risk, why not? For example, just how much am I harmed, or how much less do I look in th eyes of others, if I wear a seat belt before I start driving, both to prevent serious injury? If there is no cost, then why not do it every time, even if the law did not say you had to?
So, for example, if you are an older person, at what point is the severity and probability of a skiing accident not worth the risk of going skiing? It might depend on how good a skier you are, and what kind of slopes (green, blue, black, double-black) you are attempting.
People might wrongly evaluate the severity of a risk, but more commonly they mis-evaluate the frequency of it occurring.
10. In 1 Ki 12:18, what are some bad ways that people evaluate risk?
A: Before looking at wise ways of evaluating risk, let's first look at a number of foolish ways that we should eliminate from our decision-making process. &&&
Familiarity : how long you have been exposed to the risk.
Understanding exactly the risk
What others think
The benefit of taking that risk, might make the risk appear smaller.
The repeatability of the risk (zeolites, 0.2 probability 100 times): The serial swindler with no exit strategy
Framing something as a gain instead of a loss
Algebraic risk (1+x)(1-x)
Bayesian probability and foolish programmers
Gain $100 vs. lose $100. Gain a lot vs. wipe out everything?
(x+1)(x-1)
Movies and TV frequently teach really, really bad examples of evaluating risk.
A: Here is one very poor way to evaluate risk: go with the choice that makes you look tougher. Their desire to show how tough, strong, or powerful they are, is greater than their desire to benefit others, or sometimes even to benefit themselves.
12. Today, how should you evaluate the probability of a bad result happening?
A:
Nuclear plants off by 30X
13. What are some foolish ways that people make decisions?
A: &&&
Aristotle cataloged thirteen types of logical fallacies in Sophistical Refutations
Why do people decide to take drugs? Why do people decide to get drunk?
10% chance vs. 100% change
Whizbangy
Thought powerless to do anything about it. Or they wish to think they are powerless to do anything about it.
Politics and voters Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman – Prospect theory - People make choices based on rules of thumb, not rational choices based on their self-interest.
Reference book Nobel prize winners
California and drugs
How well do you know the odds. Do you know what you don't know? Peter Lynch
Chance of having the same birthday as someone else in a room of 20 people? Chance of dying doing a risky behavior 1/265.25
The birthday problem
2 people sharing the same birthday. K = number of people. n = number of days in a year
P approx. = 1 – exp(-k(k-1)/(2*n))
For 365
18S 33%
23 is 50%
32 is 67%
42 is 90%
For of 170
12 is 33%
16 is 51%
20 is 69%
For 3 people sharing the same birthday (365)
88 people 50%
by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.
The Linda problem (conjunction fallacy)
Linda is 31 years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and also participated in anti-nuclear demonstrations.
Which is more probable?
1. Linda is a bank teller.
2. Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.
There are 100 persons who fit the description above (that is, Linda's). How many of them are:
· Bank tellers? __ of 100
· Bank tellers and active in the feminist movement? __ of 100
We make thousands of decisions every day.
Aristotle cataloged thirteen types of logical fallacies in Sophistical Refutations
The anchoring fallacy Tversky and Kahneman
Correlation proves causality.
Red herring
Sunk cost fallacy.
Omniscience (everybody knows it)
Ad-hominem
Circular reasoning
satisficing to describe the process of finding the first solution that is satisfactory and sufficient.
representativeness, availability, and anchoring and adjustment.
The planning fallacy is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will be needed to complete a future task display an optimism bias and underestimate the time needed. This phenomenon sometimes occurs regardless of the individual's knowledge that past tasks of a similar nature have taken longer to complete than generally planned.
The Sydney Opera House was expected to be completed in 1963. A scaled-down version opened in 1973, a decade later. The original cost was estimated at $7 million, but its delayed completion led to a cost of $102 million.[10]
The Eurofighter Typhoon defense project took six years longer than expected, with an overrun cost of 8 billion euros.[10]
The Big Dig which undergrounded the Boston Central Artery was completed seven years later than planned,[19] for $8.08 billion on a budget of $2.8 billion (in 1988 dollars).[20]
The Denver International Airport opened sixteen months later than scheduled, with a total cost of $4.8 billion, over $2 billion more than expected.[21]
The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is another egregious case. After 15 years of planning, construction began in 2006, with the opening planned for October 2011. There were numerous delays. It was finally opened on October 31, 2020. The original budget was €2.83 billion; current projections are close to €10.0 billion.
California High-Speed Rail is still under construction, with tens of billions of dollars in overruns expected, and connections to major cities postponed until after completion of the rural segment.
Berossus was Bêl-re'ušunu