Bible study · 1 Kings 12:1-33
1 Kings 12: A servant to this people
Read 1 Kings 12:1-33 before you meet.
In a few lines
The people asked relief from "hard service" (12:4), in Hebrew the same two words used of Israel's slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1:14). And Jeroboam's words over his calves, "which brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (12:28), are the words said over the golden calf (Exodus 32:4).
The verse to carry
“They replied, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them with good words, then they will be your servants forever.””
1 Kings 12:7
To talk about
1. The old men said, "If you will be a servant to this people today… then they will be your servants forever" (12:7). Where do you hold some authority or influence (home, work, church, friends), and what would being a servant there look like this week?
2. Rehoboam asked two groups and followed "the young men who had grown up with him" (12:8). When you face a big decision, whose counsel do you seek, and how do you know whether you are looking for wisdom or only for agreement?
3. Jeroboam had the LORD's promise (11:38), yet he said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to David’s house" (12:26), and made the calves (12:28). What fear most tempts you to find your own way around what God has said, and what would trusting him look like instead?