1 Kings xii. 24. This thing is from me.
IN histories written by men, events are always traced to human efforts and sagacity; but in the inspired history every thing is traced to God. We always find, even in things apparently most contin- gent, a secret over-ruling Agent, accomplishing his
own purposes of mercy or of judgment, and operating with unerring wisdom to the production of his own ends. As " every good and perfect gift" is repre- sented as " coming from above," so the prophet asks respecting things most calamitous, " Shall there be evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it^?" In the account given us of the revolt of the ten tribes, and their establishment as a separate kingdom under Jeroboam, the proceedings of all the different parties appeared to spring wholly from themselves : but God says of the whole together, " This thing is from me." We will,
I. Confirm this assertion —
We will begin with stating what was " the thing " here referred to —
[After the death of Solomon, the different tribes assem- bled at Shechem, to acknowledge Rehoboam as his successor to the throne. But previous to their investing him with regal authority, they sought from him a promise that he would hghten their burthens, and redress their grievances. That they had been aggrieved and burthened in some degree, we may easily conceive ; because the keeping of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, together with the building of tem- ples for them all, and maintaining of worship for so many idols, in addition to all the expenses of his own government, must have necessitated Solomon to lay hea\y taxes upon his sub- jects. But still the taxes were not such an intolerable griev- ance, when it is considered how much wealth Solomon had brought into the kingdom, and what peace and prosperity they had enjoyed during the whole of his reign. Had they complained of the licentiousness and idolatry which Solomon had introduced, and sought the removal of those great abuses, they would have acted well : but it was not about God's honour that they were concerned ; they regarded nothing but their own interests : and, like the generality of discontented patriots, they overlooked all the blessings they had enjoyed under his government, and were imreasonahly clamorous about the taxes levied for its support.
Rehoboam took three days to consider of the proposal ; and by this delay he at once discovered his unwillingness to comply with their wishes, and gave them time to form and mature a conspiracy against him. He first consulted the old men, who had been his father's counsellors ; but, not rebshing their
^ Amos iii. 6.