Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 14
King Solomon married many foreign women. They came from nations that did not serve the true God. They brought their false religions to Jerusalem (11:1-8). We see some of the effects of this, in the life of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son.
Rehoboam did not rule the whole of Israel. He was the king of Judah, in the south of Israel. At the same time, Jeroboam was the king in northern and central Israel.
Jerusalem, the capital city for both David and Solomon, remained under Rehoboam’s control. This was the city that God had chosen (Deuteronomy 12:4-14). Here was the temple, the house of God. The people from northern and central Israel no longer went to the temple in Jerusalem. They followed Jeroboam’s new religion, so they went to Dan or Bethel for their sacred holidays (12:31-33).
However, Jerusalem was still the place where God wanted his people to gather for prayer. It was still God’s holy city.
So, Jerusalem continued to be Judah’s capital city. It seems that, for the first three years of Rehoboam’s rule, Judah’s people continued to serve God (2 Chronicles 11:17). However, just two years later, they had turned away from God (2 Chronicles 12:1-5).
Rehoboam’s mother, Naamah, was one of Solomon’s foreign wives; she came from Ammon. Rehoboam’s favourite wife was Maacah (2 Chronicles 11:21). She led the people to follow false religions (15:13).
Next part: Wrong religions in Judah (1 Kings 14:22-24)
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