We tend to think of Solomon as wise, just, and wealthy. When he built the Temple, he went outside Israel to find architects, building materials, silver, gold, precious stones. He claimed the Canaanites who still lived in the land and used them for forced labor. After 7 years, the Temple was built and maybe Solomon got a taste for all of these exotic, expensive, extravagant materials. For 13 more years after that, he built palace(s) (plural), fancy government buildings, and fortifications, and more. It was all about gaining luxury and protecting luxury.
Yeah, some of this was paid for with business ventures and tolls paid by foreign traders, but can you guess who footed most of the bill? Tax-payers! The people who lived in small, impoverished farm villages were taxed. And when there weren’t enough Canaanites to do all of this forced labor, Solomon turned to the people of Israel and drafted them to serve, what was increasingly becoming, his self-indulgence. Able-bodied workers were forced from their farms – working one month away, two months at home. I can’t even imagine how many problems that would have caused with sowing and harvesting. To add insult to injury, Solomon demanded more from the northern tribes and gave Judah perks.
Needless to say, a lot of Israelites weren’t thrilled about Solomon and his government. And – the word used for forced labor of the Israelites is the same one that was used in Exodus when pharaoh forced the Hebrew people to work as slaves: big red flag. Now, Jeroboam is an official in Solomon’s court. He oversees the whole forced labor program. We wouldn’t expect him to be some kind of champion for the northern people. Except… maybe it’s because he gets a firsthand look at how peoples’ lives were being disrupted, how much this government was really hurting innocent people. Jeroboam was someone who worked hard himself – not someone who wanted to put his feet up while making others do all the hard work.
Pretty much like it happened for Saul, a prophet came out of nowhere and told Jeroboam he would be king. Okay, before he told him, he showed him. Ahijah took his cloak, his brand-new cloak, and tore it and tore it and tore it. The kingdom that had united the tribes of Israel was a little over a hundred years old. In terms of dynasties, in terms of biblical timescales – that’s like nothing. This new kingdom that could have been so much more was sold off for prestige, for “gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.” It was not a refuge where people loved their neighbor and cared for the poor and worshiped God alone. Solomon’s disastrous leadership enriched a few, but created such a burden on the average Israelite that they were torn from one another, torn from their faith, torn from the future they hoped for. Solomon carved out a new path, but that path was a dead end in a lot of ways.
References:
–https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Israel_(united_monarchy)
–https://claudemariottini.com/2010/10/07/solomon-and-social-oppression-part-3/
–https://claudemariottini.com/2010/10/18/solomon-and-social-oppression-part-4/
–https://claudemariottini.com/2010/10/25/solomon-and-social-oppression-part-5/
–https://claudemariottini.com/2014/02/18/forced-labor-under-solomon-part-6/
