Chapter Fifteen

 1Ki 15:1  And in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam reigned over Judah. 

1Ki 15:2  He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom. 

1Ki 15:3  And he walked in all the sins of his father, those that he did before him, and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of his father David. 

1Ki 15:4  But for David's sake Jehovah his God gave to him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem. 

1Ki 15:5  For David did that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, and did not turn aside from all that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 

1Ki 15:6  And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 

1Ki 15:7  And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 

1Ki 15:8  And Abijam lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And his son Asa reigned in his place. 

1Ki 15:9  And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel Asa reigned over Judah. 

1Ki 15:10  And he reigned forty one years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom. 

1Ki 15:11  And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like his father David. 

1Ki 15:12  And he removed the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers made. 

1Ki 15:13  And he also removed his mother Maachah from being queen, in that she made a horrid thing for Asherah. And Asa cut down her horrid thing and burned it by the torrent Kidron. 

1Ki 15:14  But they did not remove the high places. Only the heart of Asa was perfect with Jehovah all the days. 

1Ki 15:15  And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated and his holy things, into the house of Jehovah, silver and gold and vessels. 

1Ki 15:16  And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 

1Ki 15:17  And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, to keep anyone from going out and coming in to Asa the king of Judah. 

1Ki 15:18  And Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and gave them into his servants' hand; and King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, the king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying, 

1Ki 15:19  A treaty between you and me, between my father and your father! Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha the king of Israel, that he go up from me. 

1Ki 15:20  And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and sent his army commanders against the cities of Israel. And he struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 

1Ki 15:21  And it happened, when Baasha heard, he ceased building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. 

1Ki 15:22  And King Asa proclaimed to all Judah (no one was exempt) and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber with which Baasha had built. And King Asa built with it Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 

1Ki 15:23  And the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? Only, at the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 

1Ki 15:24  And Asa lay with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. And his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place. 

1Ki 15:25  And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa the king of Judah. And he reigned over Israel two years. 

1Ki 15:26  And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin. 

1Ki 15:27  And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him And Baasha struck him at Gibbethon which belonged to the Philistines. For Nadab and all Israel had laid siege to Gibbethon. 

1Ki 15:28  And in the third year of Asa the king of Judah, Baasha killed him, and reigned in his place. 

1Ki 15:29  And it happened when he reigned, he struck all the house of Jeroboam; he did not leave Jeroboam any who breathed, until he had destroyed him according to the saying of Jehovah which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the man of Shiloh; 

1Ki 15:30  because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and that he caused Israel to sin by his provocation with which he provoked Jehovah the God of Israel to anger. 

1Ki 15:31  And the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel? 

1Ki 15:32  And there was war between Asa and Baasha the king of Israel all their days. 

1Ki 15:33  In the third year of Asa the king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah reigned over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty four years. 

1Ki 15:34  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin that he caused Israel to sin. 

Verses 1-8 Summary: (Compare with 2 Chronicles 13)

After Rehoboam's death, Abijam becomes king. His reign is limited to three years before he dies. He continues in the sin started by Rehoboam.

(What great victory did God give to Abijam over Jeroboam?) In 2 Chronicles 13 we see Judah go up against Israel 4000 vs. 8000 respectively. Before the battle, Abijam declares that Jehovah is the God of Judah and that Israel has forsaken Jehovah by practicing idolatry instituted by Jeroboam. Jeroboam surrounds Judah (attacking also from the rear flank). Judah's army calls on God, and God gives them the victory. 5000 of Israel's soldiers die. Judah takes some cities at this time. Jeroboam never regains the power he wielded before this. 

Why would Abijam think God would do anything for him is he was a practicing idolator? 
This conundrum addresses the arrogance that all humans can fall into if we are not careful. Abijam KNOWS Jehovah is the true God to gain victory, yet makes compromises to please himself and others to practice an insulting religion against Jehovah. He should have known better. He has God's word to inform him, but he chooses to insult God anyway.

God is not rewarding or penalizing Abijam in this battle. If not for Abijam's declarations it might have ended differently. Jehovah was ok with enforcing the message, and that was the limit of His acceptance of Abijam. 

NOTE: 1Kings names him Abijam: father of (the) sea (that is, seaman)

             2Chro. names him Abijah: father (that is worshipper) of Jah

Abijam had learned to compartmentalize God within his life (as opposed to loving with ALL his heart).

Does that happen today?

Verses 9-24 Summary: (Compare with 2Chron. 14-16)
Asa becomes king in Judah. He is a good king, removing the idols from the land. He left the high places intact, yet walked "perfect" before Jehovah. Israel's king Baasha wars with Asa.Baasha begins to build a fortified city to block alliances with Asa. Asa makes an alliance with northern Syrian king Ben-hadad (pays him). Ben-hadad defeats Baasha and the fortified city is stopped. Asa takes the resources and builds his own cities.

Note the determination it took for Asa to go against all the compromises before him, including his own mother! Verse thirteen says Maacah was "queen." I assume she is the same mother of Abijam. Does that mean that she was queen even then? What kind of power/influence did she have over the nation?
How could Asa 

*2Chronicles 14-16
14: Asa has ten years of peace. He removes all idols, even the high places. 
15: In Asa's 15th year, Judah needs to return to relying on Jehovah. (suggests a falling away)

      This chapter includes a second cleansing of idols. In this instance, the high places are not removed.

      This chapter also includes the removal of Maacah as "queen" because of her idolatry.

16: This chapter tells the story of Asa's decision to make the alliance with Ben-hadad. God passes judgment over Asa for his lack of faith. Asa becomes bitter/diseased, and his last five years include no peace.

10. IKings tells us that Asa did not remove the high places while 2Chronicles 14:3 tells us he did. Why are there different narratives?  See *above. There are two instances of idol removal. What do we learn from this? Humans are weak and forgetful. The Christian paradigm addresses this issue.

11. What was Asa's sins? How did he die?
Asa did not remove the high places, but I'm not sure this was held against him as part of the judgement. When we read that he did not remove the high places, the writer adds "nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." This was an issue for God to handle. It seems he made the compromise, but was not an idolator himself.  It was most certainly the alliance with ben-hadad that pushed God over the edge. The name Ben-hadad invokes the name of a false God. The alliance showed a moral misstep on Asa's behalf. He lacked the faith in that moment to do the right thing. He frittered away treasure secured by God to a false god. Even worse, the action was against fellow Israelites. Yes, they were enemies, but they were supposed to be united and the action could never accomplish that.

Asa was diseased in his feet for about two years when he died. Even in this state, he did not seek God's help.

Verses 25-34 Summary:

Nadab, son of Jeroboam becomes king over Israel. He reigns two years. While he is attacking Philistines, Baasha of Issachar attacks Nadab, kills him and moves on to kill ALL the house of Jeroboam as prophesied. Baasha reigns twenty-four years, constantly wars with Asa and is an evil king, basically performing the same fake religion and idolatry from those before him.

Chapter Fourteen

 1Ki 14:1  At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam was sick. 

1Ki 14:2  And Jeroboam said to his wife, Please rise up and disguise yourself, that you may not be known to be the wife of Jeroboam. And you shall go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there. He spoke to me of being king over this people. 

1Ki 14:3  And you shall take ten loaves in your hand, and biscuits, and a flask of honey, and come to him. He will tell you what shall become of the boy. 

1Ki 14:4  And Jeroboam's wife did so, and rose up and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah. And Ahijah was not able to see, for his eyes were set because of his age. 

1Ki 14:5  And Jehovah said to Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask a thing of you for her son, for he is sick. You shall say this and this to her, and it shall be when she comes in, she will act as a foreigner. 

1Ki 14:6  And it happened when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in the door, he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you acting as a foreigner? And I am sent to you with a hard thing. 

1Ki 14:7  Go, say to Jeroboam, So says Jehovah, God of Israel, Because I have exalted you from among the people, and have appointed you leader over My people Israel; 

1Ki 14:8  and have torn the kingdom from the house of David, and have given it to you, and you have not been as My servant David who kept My commandments, and who walked after Me with all his heart, to do only that which is right in My eyes; 

1Ki 14:9  and you did evil above all who have been before you, and went and made for yourself other gods and casted images to provoke Me to anger; and you have cast Me behind your back 

1Ki 14:10  therefore, behold, I am bringing evil to the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him who urinates against the wall, bound and free in Israel; and will sweep away the rest of the house of Jeroboam as a man sweeps away the dung, until it is all gone. 

1Ki 14:11 The dogs shall eat those of Jeroboam who die in the city. And the birds of the heavens shall eat those who die in a field; for Jehovah has spoken. 

1Ki 14:12  And you, rise up, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the boy shall die. 

1Ki 14:13  And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him, for only this one of Jeroboam shall come to the grave because there has been found in him a good thing toward Jehovah, God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 

1Ki 14:14  And Jehovah shall raise up a king over Israel for Himself, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam this day. And what? Even now! 

1Ki 14:15  And Jehovah shall strike Israel as the reed waves in the water, and shall pluck up Israel from off this good land that He gave to their fathers. And He shall scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherahs, provoking Jehovah to anger. 

1Ki 14:16  And He shall give up Israel because of the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned, and that he caused Israel to sin. 

1Ki 14:17  And Jeroboam's wife rose up and left, and came to Tirzah. She came in to the threshold of the house, and the boy died. 

1Ki 14:18  And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the Word of Jehovah that He spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. 

1Ki 14:19  And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 

1Ki 14:20  And the days that Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years. And he lay with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place. 

1Ki 14:21  And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty one years old when he began to reign. And he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah chose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 

1Ki 14:22  And Judah did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked Him to jealousy above all their fathers did by their sins that they had sinned. 

1Ki 14:23  And they built, they also, high places for themselves, and standing pillars, and Asherahs on every high hill, and under every green tree. 

1Ki 14:24  And also the sodomite was in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 

1Ki 14:25  And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak the king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem. 

1Ki 14:26  And he took the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house; yea, he took all. And he took all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 

1Ki 14:27  And King Rehoboam made in their place bronze shields. And he gave them into the hand of the commander of the runners, who kept the door of the king's house. 

1Ki 14:28  And it happened, when the king went to the house of Jehovah, the runners bore them, and brought them back to the room of the runners. 

1Ki 14:29  And the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

1Ki 14:30  And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 

1Ki 14:31  And Rehoboam lay with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And his son Abijam reigned in his place. 

Verses 1-20 Summary: Jeroboam's son becomes ill. He sends his wife to inquire of his son (of a man of God). God curses Jeroboam and his family for his/their idolatry and leading the nation away from God. 

9. Even though God did not let the son of Jeroboam survive, notice what he says about him in verse 13. What thoughts do you have about this?

There is much to speculate on this comment. The likely (for me) reason for this statement is: First we must consider the curse on Jeroboam's family "The dogs shall eat those of Jeroboam who die in the city. And the birds of the heavens shall eat those who die in a field; for Jehovah has spoken."
Then, what is the subject of the sentence? -"there has been found in him a good thing toward Jehovah"
and "only this one of Jeroboam shall come to the grave." The thought of dying without a proper burial was an abomination. In the case of Jehovah and the house of Jeroboam, the only good thing was Abijah dying and being buried properly.

It might be that Abijah was faithful to Jehovah, but there is no way to know for certain.

Abijah meaning: father (that is worshipper) of Jah
Nadab meaning: liberal

NOTE: Why did Abijah's mother need to disguise herself?! What does that say about Jeroboam's family? What human characteristics did they employ to live this way?

Verses 21-31 Summary:

Rehoboam/Judah is an idolatrous king/country. Egypt sacks Jerusalem and steals the gold shields built under Solomon's reign.  (See 2 Chronicles 12 for an in depth review of the war with Shishak)

Note: It is always interesting to notice who the king's mothe4r was. At times this gives us a clue as to the reasons for his goodness or wickedness. Compare 2 Chronicles 12:14 for the reason Rehoboam did evil.

Naamah: pleasantness (root means pleasure) -

Gods of Ammon included Molech

God denies Ammonites from the "assembly" in Deut 23.

Note: Shishak was named for harboring Jeroboam after he fled Solomon. It only took five years for the alliance to crumble. Likely, Shishak just saw his chance since Israel was divided.

Chapter Thirteen

 1Ki 13:1  And, behold, a man of God had come from Judah to Bethel, by the Word of Jehovah, and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 

1Ki 13:2  And he cried against the altar, by the Word of Jehovah, and said, Altar! Altar! So says Jehovah, Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, his name Josiah, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you, and they shall burn the bones of man on you. 

1Ki 13:3  And on that day he gave a sign, saying, This is the sign that Jehovah has spoken, Behold, the altar is torn, and the ashes that are on it poured out. 

1Ki 13:4  And it happened when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he had cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, Seize him. And his hand which he put out against him withered, and he was not able to bring it back to him. 

1Ki 13:5  And the altar was torn, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the Word of Jehovah. 

1Ki 13:6  And the king answered and said to the man of God, Please entreat the face of Jehovah your God, and pray for me, and my hand shall come back to me. And the man of God entreated the face of Jehovah, and the hand of the king came back to him, and it was as at the beginning. 

1Ki 13:7  And the king spoke to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a gift. 

1Ki 13:8  And the man of God said to the king, If you would give me the half of your house, I would not go in with you, nor will I eat bread, nor will I drink water in this place. 

1Ki 13:9  For so He commanded me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, You shall not eat bread nor drink water, nor turn back in the way that you have come. 

1Ki 13:10  And he went on another way, and did not turn back in the way in which he came into Bethel. 

1Ki 13:11  And a certain aged prophet was living in Bethel, and his son came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel, the words that he had spoken to the king; yea, they told them to their father. 

1Ki 13:12  And their father said to them, Where is this man, what way did he go? And his sons saw the way that the man of God from Judah had gone. 

1Ki 13:13  And he said to his sons, Saddle the ass for me. And they saddled the ass for him, and he rode on it, 

1Ki 13:14  and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak tree. And he said to him, are you the man of God who has come from Judah? And he said, I am. 

1Ki 13:15  Then he said to him, Come home with me and eat bread. 

1Ki 13:16  And he said, I am not able to go back with you, and to go in with you, nor may I eat bread or drink water with you in this place; 

1Ki 13:17  for a word came to me by the Word of Jehovah, You shall not eat bread nor drink water there; you shall not turn back to go in the way in which you came. 

1Ki 13:18  And he said to him, I also am a prophet like yourself, and an angel spoke to me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with you into your house, and he shall eat bread and water (he lied to him). 

1Ki 13:19  And he turned back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. 

1Ki 13:20  And it happened as they were sitting at the table, and a Word of Jehovah came to the prophet who brought him back; 

1Ki 13:21  and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, So says Jehovah, Because you have resisted the mouth of Jehovah, and have not kept the command that Jehovah your God charged you, 

1Ki 13:22  and turned back and ate bread and drank water in the place of which He said to you, You shall not eat bread nor drink water; your carcass shall not come to the burying place of your fathers. 

1Ki 13:23  And after he ate bread and after he drank, it happened that he saddled the ass for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 

1Ki 13:24  And he left, and a lion found him in the way and killed him; and his carcass was thrown down in the way, and the ass was standing near it, and the lion was standing near the carcass. 

1Ki 13:25  And behold, men were passing by and saw the carcass thrown in the way, and the lion standing near the carcass; and they came and spoke of it in the city in which the old prophet lived. 

1Ki 13:26  And the prophet who brought him back out of the way heard and said, It is the man of God who provoked the mouth of Jehovah, and Jehovah gave him to the lion, and it tore him apart and killed him, according to the Word of Jehovah that He spoke to him. 

1Ki 13:27  And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the ass for me. And they saddled. 

1Ki 13:28  And he went and found the carcass thrown down in the way, and the ass and the lion were standing near the carcass; the lion had not eaten the carcass nor had he torn apart the ass. 

1Ki 13:29  And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God and placed it on the ass, and brought it back; and the old prophet came into the city to mourn and to bury him. 

1Ki 13:30  And he placed his carcass in his own grave, and they mourned for him, O my brother! 

1Ki 13:31  And it happened, after he buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, At my death, you shall bury me in the burying place in which the man of God is buried; place my bones beside his bones; 

1Ki 13:32  for the word that he cried by the Word of Jehovah concerning the altar in Bethel, and concerning all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely occur. 

1Ki 13:33  After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but turned again and made from the lowest of the people priests of high places; he who desired, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 

1Ki 13:34  And in this thing is the sin of the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it from off the face of the earth. 

Verses 1-9 Summary: God passes judgement on Jeroboam's false religion. Jerobaom orders "seize him" and his hand "withers". He asks the prophet to entreat God to restore his hand. The prophet does and God does restore the hand. Jeroboam invites the prophet to stay but he refuses since God ordered him not to do that.

6. How many years would it be before the prophecy of the man of God would be fulfilled?
Jeroboams starts reign 1314, Josiah starts reign 1637 (see Scott Nichol's timeline). 
Approximately 320 years.

Verses 10-34 Summary: An old prophet hears of the prophet who cursed Jeroboam and his false religion. He summons the man but he refuses since God told him not to do those things (eat, drink, go back). The old prophet LIES to him and says an angel told HIM to tell the man that it was ok to do these things. So he does. During the meal, the old prophet prophesies against the man (curses him) for disobeying God. He basically says "you're gonna die." So they finish the meal and the young prophet leaves. He is killed by a lion on the way. The old prophet hears of it, retrieves the body and buries it in HIS tomb. He then tells his sons to bury him next to the young prophet when he dies, because, what the young prophet prophesied WILL come to pass.

Wow.

7. Do you notice anything peculiar about the young prophet's actions following the prophecy given him while he was eating?  Yup. No visceral crying out or anger for being lied to. No revenge or killing. He just finishes his meal.

8. What lessons should we learn from this story? Personally, I find this story frustrating! But that is the point. We hate being lied to! Then suffering because we believed a lie! The bigger picture is God will not change His word. If He says do X, then do X. The implications of this extends right into the heart of false teaching and false religion itself. If the scripture says X, it means X. 
Still there is a sense of injustice that the old guy got away with lying (no penalty).

Chapter Twelve

 1Ki 12:1  And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 

1Ki 12:2  And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard (and he was still in Egypt where he had fled from the face of Solomon the king, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt) 

1Ki 12:3  that they sent and called for him; and they came, Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 

1Ki 12:4  Your father made our yoke hard; and now you should lighten some of the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you. 

1Ki 12:5  And he said to them, Go; yet in three days come back to me. And the people went. 

1Ki 12:6  And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been standing before the face of his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, How do you advise in order to answer this people? 

1Ki 12:7  And they spoke to him, saying, If you are servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them and speak to them good words, then they will be servants to you forever. 

1Ki 12:8  But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they advised him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, who were standing before him. 

1Ki 12:9  And he said to them, What do you advise, and we shall answer the people who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten some of the yoke that your father put upon us? 

1Ki 12:10  And they spoke to him, the young men who had grown up with him, saying, So you shall say to this people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, and you make it light on us; so you shall speak to them, My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father, 

1Ki 12:11  and now my father laid a heavy yoke on you, and I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, and I will surely chastise you with scorpions. 

1Ki 12:12  And they came, Jeroboam and all the people, to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, Come back to me on the third day. 

1Ki 12:13  And the king replied to the people harshly, and forsook the counsel of the elders which they advised him, 

1Ki 12:14  and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I shall add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, and I will surely chastise you with scorpions. 

1Ki 12:15  And the king did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from Jehovah, in order to lift up His Word that Jehovah spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 

1Ki 12:16  And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people sent the king back word, saying, What portion do we have in David? Yea, there is no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel; now see to your house, O David! And Israel went to its tents. 

1Ki 12:17  As to the sons of Israel, those living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 

1Ki 12:18  And King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the tribute, and all Israel threw stones at him, and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to go up into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 

1Ki 12:19  And Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day. 

1Ki 12:20  And it happened when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the company, and caused him to reign over all Israel; none followed after the house of David except the tribe of Judah only. 

1Ki 12:21  And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and gathered all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen makers of war to fight with the house of Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, 

1Ki 12:22  then the Word of God came to Shemaiah a man of God, saying, 

1Ki 12:23  Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon the king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah, and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, saying, 

1Ki 12:24  So says Jehovah, You shall not go up nor fight with your brothers the sons of Israel. Each turn back to his house, for this thing has been from Me. And they heard the Word of Jehovah, and turned to go back, according to the Word of Jehovah. 

1Ki 12:25  And Jeroboam built Shechem in the hills of Ephraim and lived in it, and went out from there and built Penuel. 

1Ki 12:26  And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom shall turn back to the house of David; 

1Ki 12:27  if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people shall turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they will kill me and go again to Rehoboam the king of Judah. 

1Ki 12:28  And the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt! 

1Ki 12:29  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 

1Ki 12:30  And this thing became a sin, for the people went before the one, to Dan. 

1Ki 12:31  And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. 

1Ki 12:32  And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month, in the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah; and he offered on the altar, so he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves which he made; and he made stand in Bethel the priests of the high places that he made. 

1Ki 12:33  And he offered up on the altar that he made in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he devised out of his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel, and offered on the altar, to burn incense. 

Verses 1-15 Summary: Rehoboam goes to Shechem to be made king. He confers with the heads of the clans, including Rehoboam. The people ask for some relief. Rehoboam takes three days to consider it. He confers with his elders and then his young friends. He takes the advice of his friends.

1. Concerning the foolishness of Rehoboam, what lesson does Solomon teach us in Ecc. 2:18-21?Ecc 2:17  So then I hated life; because the work that is done under the sun is evil to me; for all is vanity and striving after wind.
Ecc 2:18  Yes, I, a laborer, hated all my labor under the sun, that I must leave it to the man who will be after me.
Ecc 2:19  And who knows if he will be wise or a fool? Yet he shall rule among all my labor in which I labored, and acted wisely under the sun. This is also vanity.
Ecc 2:20  And I turned to make my heart despair over all the labor which I labored under the sun.
Ecc 2:21  When there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with advantage; yet he shall give it to a man who has not labored with it, for his share; this also is vanity and a great evil. 
Solomon decries a person's work and effort. We put our all into whatever the task is to make a good thing, and the person who may benefit for it may use it and/or take it in vain. The attitude amounts to contempt. Do we see this today? Of course.

2. What may be some of the reasons that a leader would use such authoritarian methods over the people who are entrusted to him?
Fear will produce all sorts of heavy-handed rule. If you intend to abuse the masses for your own benefit, it demands all sorts of measures to make sure people "stay in line."
Having a mistrust (being suspicious) causes this sort of action. "If I give in, I will be seen as weak..."

NOTE: It is apparent that Rehobam lacks any measure of wisdom Solomon had. (1) Shechem is 20 miles north of Jerusalem. It was held by the tribe of Ephraim. (2) Jeroboam was an enemy of Solomon, and HE WAS FROM EPHRAIM! Rehoboam was way out of his element, away from home in "enemy" territory. Not good...at all.

Verses 16-24 Summary:
Israel rejects Rehoboam as king and chooses Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam sends Adoram (as if he could force them?). Adoram is executed. Rehoboam musters an army to go to war (It includes Benjamites). God tells them no to do it, because He is the one who has split the kingdom.

Note: What was Rehoboam thinking when he "sent" Adoram (who was over forced labor)? Perhaps there were some miscalculations.

Verses 25-33 Summary:
Jeroboam builds up Shechem and Penuel. He fears that if Israel returns to Jerusalem to worship, they will be moved to make Rehoboam king an they will kill him. So, he makes some idols, makes some priests and tells the people to make sacrifices there instead of Jerusalem.

3. By Checking a map of where Jeroboam set up calf worship, can you see a reason he chose these locations? 
On this map we see Dan at the northand Bethel towards the south in Israel territory. This covers his bases to make worship "easier" for them.

4. Compare  12:31 with 2 Chron. 11:13-16 to learn what happens as a result of Jeroboam setting up priests from every class of people: 

The Levites were thrown out of Israel by Jeroboam and they migrated to Judah/Jerusalem. The text says:  "And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who gave their heart to seek Jehovah the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Jehovah, the God of their fathers. 

2Ch 11:17  And they made the kingdom of Judah stronger, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon stronger, for three years..." 
It appears that some in Israel still worshiped in Jerusalem.

5. Consider the consequences in the years to come that resulted in Jeroboam's sins:
Jeroboam's sin of ignoring God opened the door to others doing the same and eventually the entire nation was overthrown by it and because of it.
We saw God tell Solomon that it was the king that instilled the character of the nation. It was really too much for any mere man to bear, which is why Jesus was needed.
Was it Jeroboam's sin that caused this nation to sour? Was Solomon better? We see that for a period of three years Rehoboam is strengthened, but does he stop the idolatry Solomon started?

There are bigger questions we must ask ourselves and realize I myself can fall just as easily if I am not diligent.

Note verse 20:  "...none followed after the house of David except the tribe of Judah only." 

We already know that Simeon is assimilated into Judah, but at this point there is an alliance with Benjamin. 
There was no doubt some dissenters of the northern tribe, especially when it came time to worship.

It was messy and it might be that the 10 tribes might just be land locations. If you hand Manasseh (2) land tracts, that makes ten. The dividing line is north/south as is identified by their assigned inheritance from God.

                                                           

Chapter Eleven

 1Ki 11:1  And King Solomon loved many foreign women, even the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites; 

1Ki 11:2  of the nations which Jehovah said to the sons of Israel, You shall not go in to them, and they shall not go in to you; they shall turn aside your heart after their gods; Solomon clung to these in love. 

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 

1Ki 11:4  And it happened, at the time Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, like the heart of his father David. 

1Ki 11:5  And Solomon went after Ashtoreth, goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites; 

1Ki 11:6  and Solomon did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and did not go fully after Jehovah like his father David. 

1Ki 11:7  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon; 

1Ki 11:8  and so he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods. 

1Ki 11:9  And Jehovah was angry with Solomon, for his heart had bent away from Jehovah, God of Israel who had appeared to him twice, 

1Ki 11:10  and had given a charge to him concerning this thing, not to go after other gods; and he did not keep that which Jehovah commanded. 

1Ki 11:11  And Jehovah said to Solomon, Because this has been done by you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes that I charged on you, I shall surely tear the kingdom from you and shall give it to your servant. 

1Ki 11:12  Only, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I shall tear it out of your son's hand. 

1Ki 11:13  Only I will not tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for my servant David's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen. 

1Ki 11:14  And it happened, Jehovah raised an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the seed of the king in Edom. 

1Ki 11:15  And it happened when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the ones who died, after he had stricken every male in Edom; 

1Ki 11:16  Joab and all Israel remained there six months until every male in Edom was cut off. 

1Ki 11:17  And Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; and Hadad was a little child. 

1Ki 11:18  And they rose up out of Midian and came to Paran, and they took men with them out of Paran and came into Egypt, to Pharaoh the king of Egypt. And he gave him a house and commanded bread for him, and gave land to him. 

1Ki 11:19  And Hadad found much favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and he gave him a wife, the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 

1Ki 11:20  And the sister of Tahpenes bore him a son, Genubath, and Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh's house among Pharaoh's sons. 

1Ki 11:21  And Hadad had heard in Egypt that David had slept with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead. And Hadad said to Pharaoh, Send me away and I will go to my land. 

1Ki 11:22  And Pharaoh said to him, But what are you lacking with me, that, lo, you are seeking to go to your land? And he said, Nothing. However, you shall certainly send me away. 

1Ki 11:23  And God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who fled from his lord Hadadezer the king of Zobah. 

1Ki 11:24  And he gathered men to himself, and was head of a troop when David killed them. And they went to Damascus and lived in it, and reigned in Damascus. 

1Ki 11:25  And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the evil that Hadad did; and he despised Israel and reigned over Syria. 

1Ki 11:26  And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, a servant of Solomon (and his mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman) he also lifted up a hand against the king. 

1Ki 11:27  And this was the thing for which he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, repairing the breaks of the city of his father David. 

1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty warrior. And Solomon saw the young man, that he was doing work. And he appointed him to all the burden of the house of Joseph. 

1Ki 11:29  And at that time it happened that Jeroboam had gone out from Jerusalem, and Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, found him in the way. And he covered himself with a new garment, and both of them were by themselves in a field. 

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah laid hold on the new garment on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself. For so says Jehovah, God of Israel, Behold, I am tearing the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and giving to you the ten tribes. 

1Ki 11:32  And he shall have the one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 

1Ki 11:33  Because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh the god of Moab, to Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and have not walked in My ways, to do the right in My eyes, and My statutes and My judgments, as his father David did. 

1Ki 11:34  But I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for My servant David's sake, whom I chose, because he kept My commands and My statutes. 

1Ki 11:35  But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you, ten tribes. 

1Ki 11:36  And I will give one tribe to his son, that there may be a lamp to My servant David before Me all the days in Jerusalem the city that I have chosen to Myself, to put My name there. 

1Ki 11:37  And I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. 

1Ki 11:38  And it shall be, if you shall hear all that I command you, and shall walk in My ways, and do that which is right in My eyes, to keep My statutes and My commands, as My servant David did, then I shall be with you and shall build a sure house for you, as I built for David, and shall give Israel to you. 

1Ki 11:39  And for this I will humble the seed of David; but not forever. 

1Ki 11:40  And Solomon sought to put Jeroboam to death, and Jeroboam rose up and fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king of Egypt; and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 

1Ki 11:41  And the rest of the matters of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 

1Ki 11:42  And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel were forty years; 

1Ki 11:43  and Solomon lay with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place. 

Verses 1-13 Summary: Solomon has (too) many wives. The writer attributes the influence on him by his wives as to the reason why he becomes unfaithful to Jehovah. God tells Solomon that after his death, the kingdom will be reduced to one tribe for his successor. 

5. Check Deuteronomy 17:16-17 and list all the ways that Solomon had violated God's laws for kings:

Idolatry, association with Egypt, many horses/chariots, amassing wealth, many wives. 

6. What principles might we learn for our lives today from Solomon's mistakes?

    By new testament teaching, Solomon was "unequally yoked." Simply put, he did not have influence over his wives. They had influence over him. Even with all of his wisdom Solomon did not take care of  the basics that God requires of His children. The influence of earthly matters became too great. What is most interesting is that this was a long progression. It took twenty years to build the temple and his house, all the while Solomon is amassing these things. It isn't until we see the insurgence of idolatry with Solomon that God put the clamps down. We must not lose sight of the fact that these various sins were always present. God draws a line when our actions disregard God's sovereign position.

7. Check a Bible dictionary and find out what you can about worship to:

    Ashtoreth: This goddess worship was very prevalent throughout the region. The names were changed by region but the characteristics of the god where somewhat maintained. She was a symbol of fertility and thus the "worship" would include some sexual debauchery. In some cases she was a warrioress. Or, she would bifurcate as male/female. Also, she is associated with Baal.

    Chemosh: This god may also be associated with Baal (one of multiple) or Ashtoreth. Again, names may change by region but the character attributions remain. Name might have meaning of "destroyer" or "subduer." This idol may have been represented as a fish. Human sacrifice was part of worship to this god.

    Molech (Moloch): Possibly interchangeable with Chemosh (name wise). Child sacrifice was integral to this system. 

Note: Most idol worship would eventually incorporate sexual deviancy as part of "sacrifice/worship."

Verse 14-25 Summary: Hadad of Edom was Solomon's enemy (he lived in Egypt). Rezon was an enemy of solomon in the region of Syria (Damascus).

Note: 2 Samuel 8 recounts David's conquest of enemies and some of it very brutal (common for that time). Imagine Hadad in Pharaoh's house, part of the extended family, and Solomon is married to Pharaoh's daughter! 

Verses 26-40 Summary: Jeroboam is an enemy of Solomon. Ahijah meets him and delivers the message from God that he will be king over Israel for Solomon's idolatry. Jeroboam flees to Egypt from Solomon. Strange politics.

NOTE: In verses 27-28 the writer of 1Kings displays a peculiar way of pointing out the cause for Jeroboam's rebellion. Though it is not directly stated, it is possible that Jeroboam, and the labor force of the house of Joseph were not happy spending their time building and repairing cities within Judah that did not pertain to their own tribes and territory. Jeroboam was then ripe for the encouragement given him by the prophet Ahijah.

8. Ahijah speaks of giving Jeroboam ten tribes and the house of David one tribe. Since there are twelve tribes, how do we account for the other tribe? For all intents and purposes, the tribe of Simeon was assimilated into Judah. Numbers 26 confirms that their population was down to 22K from 59k earlier in the book. Joshua 19:1 explains that their inheritance was inside of Judah's territory. 
See also chapter 12. Benjamin allies with Judah after the great split. It is likely that the counting of the "tribes" at this point was simply assigned lands. Since Manasseh had two inheritances, the numbers add up. 
Gen. 34: Jacob curses Simeon for their role in the killings in Shechem. "I will scatter them in Israel."

Verses 41-43 Summary: Solomon dies. Rehoboam succeeds his father Solomon as king. (Solomon's reign was forty years and he started very young)

Chapter Ten

 Ki 10:1  And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon as to the name of Jehovah, and she came to test him with hard questions. 

1Ki 10:2  And she came to Jerusalem with a very great company, camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him all that had been in her heart. 

1Ki 10:3  And Solomon told her all her matters; there was not one thing hidden from the king that he did not declare to her. 

1Ki 10:4  And the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he built, 

1Ki 10:5  and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the standing of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cupbearers and his burnt offering that he offered in the house of Jehovah; and there was no more breath in her. 

1Ki 10:6  And she said to the king, The word that I heard in my land was true as to your matters and your wisdom. 

1Ki 10:7  And I did not believe the words until I had come and my eyes had seen; and behold, the half was not told to me. You have wisdom and prosperity exceeding the fame which I heard. 

1Ki 10:8  Oh the happiness of your men! Oh the happiness of your servants, these who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom! 

1Ki 10:9  Blessed be Jehovah your God who delighted in you, putting your person on the throne of Israel, because Jehovah loved Israel forever, therefore He appointed you king, to do judgment and righteousness. 

1Ki 10:10  And she gave to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many spices, and precious stones; no spice like that came any more for abundance, that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 

1Ki 10:11  And also, the navy of Hiram that bore gold from Ophir brought in from Ophir almug trees, a great many, and precious stones; 

1Ki 10:12  and the king made the almug trees a support for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and lyres for singers; no such almug trees have come, nor have there been seen such to this day. 

1Ki 10:13  And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire that she asked, apart from that which he gave to her as a memorial of King Solomon. And she turned and went to her land, she and her servants. 

1Ki 10:14  And the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold,

1Ki 10:15  apart from the merchant men, and from the traffic of the traders, and from all the Arabian kings, and from the governors of the lands. 

1Ki 10:16  And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target; 

1Ki 10:17  and three hundred shields of beaten gold: three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 

1Ki 10:18  And the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. 

1Ki 10:19  The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind; and stays were on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays; 

1Ki 10:20  and twelve lions were standing on the six steps, on this side and on that; there was not the like made in any kingdom. 

1Ki 10:21  And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of refined gold; there was none of silver; it was not counted for anything in the days of Solomon; 

1Ki 10:22  For the king had a navy of Tarshish at sea with a navy of Hiram; once in three years the navy of Tarshish would come bearing gold, and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 

1Ki 10:23  And King Solomon was greater than any of the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom; 

1Ki 10:24  and all the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom that God had put into his heart; 

1Ki 10:25  and they were each one bringing his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a year by year matter. 

1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand, four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he placed them in the cities of the chariots, and with the king in Jerusalem. 

1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as the sycamores that are in the low country, for abundance. 

1Ki 10:28  And the horses that King Solomon had were brought from Egypt, and from Kue; the king's merchants received them from Kue at a price; 

1Ki 10:29  and a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria they brought them out by their means. 

Verses 1-13 Summary: The queen of Sheba visits Solomon and is overwhelmed by what she sees.
Solomon answers her questions (displays wisdom). They trade gifts (alliance).

Note verse 5: "there was no more breath in her" describes her reaction to the splendor shown to her - 
Verse 8 "happy" - eh'-sher - denotes a grand exclamation - What was she saying? It must be assumed that she came with some doubt, but the grandness of the kingdom simply overwhelmed her. Even Solomon's subjects were "happy."

Verse 9: The queen gives credit to Jehovah. She names Him and give Him the Glory.

2. Locate Sheba on a map. Southern part of Arabia across from Africa

3. What did Jesus say about the queen of Sheba?
Mat 12:42  The queen of the south will be raised in the Judgment with this generation and will condemn it. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and, behold, a Greater-than-Solomon is here. 
Jesus predicted condemnation upon the Pharisees for ignoring what was sent from God (Himself). They asked for a sign. He indicated that HE was the sign.
Do we know more than the Pharisees? What conclusions should we come to? 

Verses 14-29 Summary: Solomon gains vast amounts of gold. Makes shields, and an elaborate throne. All of the king's drinking vessels are gold. He continues gaining wealth from his navy. Solomon's wisdom is sought out, the world understands that it was Jehovah that made it all happen. Solomon amasses horses, chariots and other physical wealth beyond measure. 

4. If the weight of a talent of gold is about seventy-five pounds, how much gold did Solomon bring in on a yearly basis? Value on today's market?
666x75=49,950 lbs - 49,950x16=799,200 oz. - 799,200 oz. x $1,961.00= $1,576,231,200.00 (at today's prices)

Based on all of this, what was the general understanding about Jehovah?
No doubt Jehovah was glorified during this time. What we do not see are measures to denounce other gods and idolatry. Jehovah God becomes well known, but does he get His true respect? As we see later  in the time of Daniel, gods are simply a means to an end (of wealth and power). Kings, queens, pharaoh's, and other rulers are considered as "gods."

Note: 2Ch 9:21  For the ships of the king were going to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. This alliance with Hiram is what made this at all possible.  So now Solomon's navy (with Hiram) influences the southern region into Africa and north toward west Asia. 

Chapter Nine

 1Ki 9:1  And it happened, as Solomon finished building the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the desire of Solomon that he delighted to do, 

1Ki 9:2  that Jehovah appeared to Solomon a second time, as He appeared to him in Gibeon. 

1Ki 9:3  And Jehovah said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication with which you have made supplication before Me; I have sanctified this house that you have built to put My name there forever; and My eyes and My heart shall be there forever. 

1Ki 9:4  And you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, in singleness of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you; you shall keep My statutes and My judgments; 

1Ki 9:5  then I shall lift up the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I spoke to your father David, saying, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel. 

1Ki 9:6  If you at all turn back, you and your sons, from following me, and do not keep My commands, My statutes which I have set before you, and you shall go and serve other gods and bow yourselves to them, 

1Ki 9:7  then I shall cut off Israel from the face of the land that I have given to them, and the house that I have hallowed for My name I shall send away from My face, and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 

1Ki 9:8  As to this house, which is high, everyone passing by it shall be astonished and shall hiss, and they shall say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house? 

1Ki 9:9  And they shall say, Because they have forsaken Jehovah their God, who brought their fathers out from the land of Egypt, and they laid hold on other gods and bowed themselves to them and served them. On account of this Jehovah has brought in upon them all this evil. 

1Ki 9:10  And it happened, at the end of twenty years Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the house of the king. 

1Ki 9:11  Hiram the king of Tyre had lifted Solomon with cedar trees and with fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire; then King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 

1Ki 9:12  And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given to him, and they were not right in his eyes. 

1Ki 9:13  And he said, What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother? And one called them the land of Cabul to this day. 

1Ki 9:14  And Hiram sent to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold. 

1Ki 9:15  And this is the reason of the labor force that King Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 

1Ki 9:16  (Pharaoh the king of Egypt had gone up and had captured Gezer, and had burned it with fire. And he killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and gave it as a dowry to his daughter, the wife of Solomon.) 

1Ki 9:17  and Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the lower, 

1Ki 9:18  and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land; 

1Ki 9:19  and all the store cities which Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities of the horsemen, and the desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 

1Ki 9:20  All the people that were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not of the sons of Israel, 

1Ki 9:21  their sons left behind them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not been able to exterminate, Solomon even caused to go on them a burden of forced labor to this day. 

1Ki 9:22  But Solomon did not give as a slave out of the sons of Israel, for they were the men of war, and his servants, and his rulers, and his commanders, and the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. 

1Ki 9:23  These were the commanders of the officers who were over the work of Solomon: five hundred and fifty, those ruling among the people who were working in the work. 

1Ki 9:24  But the daughter of Pharaoh went up out of the city of David to her house that he built for her; then he built Millo. 

1Ki 9:25  And three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to Jehovah, and he burned incense on the altar before Jehovah, and finished the house. 

1Ki 9:26  And King Solomon built a navy in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the lip of the Sea of Reeds, in the land of Edom. 

1Ki 9:27  And Hiram sent his servants in the navy, shipmen who knew the sea, with the servants of Solomon; 

1Ki 9:28  and they came to Ophir and took gold from there, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it in to King Solomon. 

Verses 1-9 Summary: After Solomon builds the temple and his house, God revisits him again. God reiterates His conditions for success and warns of the curse that will happen should Israel go after idols.

a. Re-read chapter 3's version of God's promise. How is it different? Why is it Different?
    Chapter three does not contain the curses that come with the practice of idolatry. In chapter three, Solomon admits his lack of experience, he is humble. Now he is a grown man. He is different. His responsibilities are different. God knows what will happen eventually. As a just God, He has to put this on the table so no accusation can be brought against Him. 
b. If God knows what will happen eventually, why does He do all these things for Solomon?
    This reasoning is used by those who have little understanding of Jehovah. From the beginning, this greatness is what the people wanted and God worked through David, then Solomon to make it happen. However, if this greatness causes them to sin, it is not God who causes men to sin. If anything, we learn how easy it can be to lose sight of the BASIC thing God is looking for in us....our hearts. Note that walking in His ways, paying attention to his commandments and statutes is still required. It is the addition of IDOLATRY that every time violates the covenant in a non-redeemable way. Disobedience/sin is a problem, it is not insurmountable, but is IS a symptom of the much bigger problem of the practice of IDOLATRY. There is  no returning to God if the practice of sin becomes more important than God in our lives.

Verses 10-14 Summary: Solomon hands over twenty cities to Hiram for his help in resources to build the temple. Hiram visits the cities and is disappointed! ooops
Hiram sends 120 talents of gold.

a. 2Chron. 8:18 States that Hiram worked with Solomon to deliver 450 talents of gold. The 120 talents in this chapter were either a part of that or they may have been separate (as payment for the cities?).

These cities were known as "Cabul."

כָּבוּל

kâbûl

kaw-bool'

From the same as H3525 in the sense of limitation; sterile

Verses 15-28 Summary: 
Solomon's accomplishments with forced labor are listed.
He builds/rebuilds cities. Pharaoh gives Gezer to his daughter as marriage dowry.
Pharaoh had burned it to the ground. (Is that good or bad?)
People who were supposed to be wiped out but were not were made into slaves.
Pharaoh's daughter is sent out of Jerusalem. (To live in her own big house)
Solomon is faithful with the 3x a-year sacrifices.
Solomon builds a navy. Hiram sends his naval personnel to help Solomon get tons of gold. (Gifts, or forced?)

4. Locate Ophir on a map:
Hopefully someone will have better luck than me on this. Eloth and Ezion-geber in EDOM are depicted well in historical maps. This region is south of Jerusalem in the farthest reaches of Israel. These cities are part of today's Aqaba sea (a northern finger of the Red Sea). I did find a couple of maps that show Ophir at the southern part of Arabia, below Sheba. This seems reasonable since Solomon seemed to have influence over the queen of Sheba.
This is an interesting note considering Tyre was north of Israel. Hiram was very dedicated to Solomon to send his naval personnel on this quest. It also notes the reach that Solomon's empire attained.