Recently we have had a spate of Republicans who seem to have trouble with certain commandments regarding adultery and other men's wives. The most recent of these, Mark Sanford, used the story of David and Bathsheba to justify not resigning, displaying a rather appalling lack of understanding of both the Bible, and the reasons people are upset with him in the first place.
As Mark Twain said,
History does not repeat, but it does rhyme
I find in the pages of the Old Testament a figure more aptly suited as a role model for the modern Republican. A person considerably less famous than David, and for good reason. Follow me below the fold to discover - Jeroboam.
In order to avoid copyright issues, all Bible quotes are from the King James Version, which is in the public domain.
So, the first question for most of you is, "Who is this Jeroboam guy, and what did he do?"
Some history is in order. After Moses led the people of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land, for generations there was no formal government in Israel above the level of the local city. From time to time a "judge" would arise, usually in response to foreign invasion, but these judges didn't have the authority of a king.
At some point the people decided they wanted a king. They got Saul. Saul wasn't a very good king. When Saul and his son Jonathon died in battle, the new king was David, mentioned above.
David's son Solomon succeeded him and did all sorts of stuff. He won wars, negotiated trade treaties, exacted tribute, and perhaps most important for our story, he built the Temple in Jerusalem and other public works. To build this infrastructure, he taxed the people. Toward the end of Solomon's reign Jeroboam was appointed as head of a major project, and promptly rebelled (instigated by a prophet) and fled to Egypt.
At this point I'll let the KJV tell the story.
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
I Kings 12
Rehoboam is Solomon's son and heir. Jeroboam came back to Israel when Solomon died, and the people complained to Rehoboam about their taxes. Rehoboam refused to lower them (more about that later), and as a result:
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:
"What share do we have in David,
what part in Jesse's son?
To your tents, O Israel!
Look after your own house, O David!"
So the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.
18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
I Kings 12
That is, Israel seceded from the House of David because of taxes. Does this sound familiar?
Also notice that Israel and Judah split along tribal lines. That is, Jeroboam used 'racial' divisions to gain political power. Does that sound familiar?
The 10 tribes that seceded were in the north; the two that remained loyal to Rehoboam were in the south. So it is easiest to speak of the north kingdom and the south kingdom.
Now the problem for Jeroboam was that the Jewish religion required temple worship. :
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam."
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.
I Kings 12
That is, Jeroboam manipulated the faith of the people of the north kingdom in order to maintain his political power - but the real issue was still taxes. Does this ring a bell?
Having corrupted the political system (kingly succession) and religion of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam was set. Or so he thought. As you might suspect, God was not pleased.
1 By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 He cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD : "O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.' " 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out."
4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5 Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.
6 Then the king said to the man of God, "Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored." So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king's hand was restored and became as it was before.
7 The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift."
8 But the man of God answered the king, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9 For I was commanded by the word of the LORD : 'You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.' " 10 So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
I Kings 13
Now, you'd think that would have gotten Jeroboam's attention. You would think he would stop corrupting the people's faith for political power. Well ...
33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. 34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.
I Kings 13
So, what finally happened to our protagonist?
He died, and his son succeeded him, and ...
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.
29 As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam's whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the LORD given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite- 30 because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.
I Kings 15
It sure didn't work out so well for Jeroboam, did it?
So, anyway, here's a quick summary of Jeroboam:
- To gain power, he promised lower taxes
- To gain power, he relied upon politics of divisiveness
- To gain power, he corrupted the faith of the people
- The end result of this sort of politics? Annihilation
Is there a lesson for Democrats in all this? Yes. In the actions of Rehoboam when the people asked for lower taxes.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked.
7 They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.' "
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." 13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
I Kings 12
The conclusions here are:
- Listen to your elders
- Don't be arrogant twerps and tell people you're going to enact your agenda whether they want to pay for it or not.