“Then Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father. The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.” I Kings 11:26-28 NKJV
a. Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite: Jeroboam was different from the two previously mentioned adversaries of Solomon, because he was a fellow Israelite.
b. This is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David: It is not immediately apparent why these construction projects caused him to rebel against Solomon. Jewish traditions say he opposed the oppressive use of forced labor in these building projects. Since he was the officer over all the labor force, this tradition makes some sense.
i. According to Dilday, the name Jeroboam means, “may the people be great.” He perhaps was a populist leader.
ii. “Though only presenting the people’s petition, it is nevertheless probable that Jeroboam was not idle, but like an artful politician, busy behind the scenes, till the coveted crown became his.” (Knapp)
c. Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: This made him a more dangerous adversary of Solomon. (Guzik)
Caused Him to Rebel?
It seems that the ones that are closest to us, rebel for one reason or another.
Jesus had the same problem with Judas!
“But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”” Luke 22:48 NKJV
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Proverbs 27:6 NKJV
Have you ever had a close friend rebel against you? I have!
Blessings
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