After 30 sermons on the kingdom established in the reign of King Solomon, his ascent, his wisdom, his productivity, and his sad failure, we now move on to our next series. Now that Solomon is dead, Rehoboam takes the throne, but not without bitter consequences. This is the first sermon in the series, The Kingdom Divided, an exposition continuing in the first book of the Kings. We're all coming from 1 Kings 12, 1 Kings 12, we move into chapter 12, the first five verses, where we read of the rupture in the kingdom that Solomon had built. By the inspiration of God, the prophet writes, And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel would come to Shechem to make him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, for he was fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt, that they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous. Now, therefore, make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, Then come again to me." And the people departed. Paul, the apostle, writing to the church at Rome, in Romans chapter 13, speaking of the ministry of the magistrate, Romans chapter 13, 1-5, by the same spirit, he says this, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain, For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore, ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. Thus far as the reading of God's most holy, inerrant, and fondly authoritative word, the grass withers. The flower thereof fades away. But the word of God stands forever. And by his holy word is the gospel presented unto us again this day. Solomon is now dead and buried with his fathers. Although he had built a glorious kingdom, a righteous kingdom, a kingdom filled with wisdom and innovation, now that he is dead, all is not well, not by any stretch of the imagination. As a result of the apostasy of King Solomon, because of his schizophrenic loyalty between Yahweh and the idols of his wives, after even being given the clear warning by God not to sin, not to take upon himself the idols of his wives, the kingdom's unity now has been shattered. And the rebellious Jeroboam, that industrious, prideful, evil, tyrannical Jeroboam, as we shall see, is now the principal spokesperson for the ten tribes of Israel, while Solomon's son Rehoboam will now be the ruler over the two tribes of Judah. According to God's declaration by the prophet, Jeroboam will be king over the 10 tribes of Israel. Israel in the north, Judah in the south. As is customary, these men, however, still needed to be officially coronated as king. Just because they were called to be the king, they still had to go through the ceremonial act of coronation. Verse 1 of 1 Kings chapter 12 records Rehoboam's coronation. Notice, and Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel would come to Shechem to make him king. So he was now going to be the king over the 12 tribes, not just the two, not just the 10, but the 12, at least initially. And even though we read of no other sons born to Solomon, it seems likely that Solomon may have had many sons. Having had so many wives and so many concubines, as is recorded, it seems likely And yet we read of nothing of other sons other than the ascent of Rehoboam. Now, if there were other sons given to Solomon by his other wives, Rehoboam may have found it necessary to officially lay claim to the throne of his father, lest there be any contention. Maybe he was the oldest son, but he knew that if there was other brothers, there would be contention. He had the example of his own father in his kingdom with Absalom and Adonijah. So it would be logical to think that maybe he maybe he was the oldest seems that he might have been, he would then go and claim the throne of his father. Wanting to solidify his rule, Rehoboam now goes to Shechem for his coronation. Now, traditionally, Shechem was the chosen place where the people of God would gather together in the past, under Joshua at first, and where coronations would sometimes take place. It was a special holy place. But what is interesting about Shechem is this is where wicked Abimelech, the actual first king of Israel, even before Saul, where he went to be coronated as king over the people of God in Judges 9 in order to solidify his kingship over the people. And he did so by murdering, slaying all of his brothers except for a young Jotham so that there would be none that could contend for the throne. So this idea of contention for the throne was a real thing back in the day. Abimelech's thirst for power stopped at nothing. This is fallen man's problem. to be all-powerful, to be like God. He sought for an unyielding control over the people of God and he would achieve it through a tyrannical despotism. Rehoboam seems to be in a similar position for such control as we shall see. But at this point, Jeroboam is in Egypt and he hears of the coronation of Solomon's son Rehoboam and the people are calling him back to make some sort of a plea to the new king. And it came to pass when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, exiled in Egypt by Solomon, heard of it, for he was fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt. So even at this point, there seems to be a rivalry between these two men, at least these two men, because if you remember, Solomon elevated Jeroboam to a position of almost nobility. And so he was regarded by Israel as someone who could contend for power, maybe even the throne, maybe not the throne, but at least for power. Now, once Rehoboam is coronated, then he is officially the king. He officially becomes king. His first official act then is to send for Jeroboam. That was very strategic. He wants to make sure, obviously, that there's no rivalry. So he sends for Jeroboam from Egypt to return stand before the king we read this in verse 3 that they sent and called him a Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam now obviously there were matters to discuss the kingdom was was now in turmoil Solomon was dead there was a new king things were going to be reconstructed and they wanted to make sure that these things were discussed and Jeroboam comes before the king of to discuss these matters, especially in the interest of Israel and the unity of Solomon's kingdom, because the kingdom had to remain unified. And yet we know from the prophet, it was not going to be unified. And yet they were going to seek to remain unified because there was great power, prosperity in a unified kingdom. Once you have a divided kingdom, then there's problems and you're up for grabs as far as the other nations are concerned. But one of the issues was this issue of taxation. At this point, the tribes were already being heavily taxed as a result of Solomon's taxation policy. Note the declaration of Jeroboam in verse 4. Thy father, Solomon, in other words, made our yoke grievous. Now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke So obviously it was a yoke of service and something in addition, a heavy yoke, which he put upon us lighter and, and note this, we will then serve you. In other words, you have no problem of a coup. There will be no difficulties. There'll be no robbery. We will serve you provided you make our yoke lighter than your father had made our yoke. Because it was Solomon that had initiated this heavy taxation policy upon them, and now under this new administration of Solomon's son, Israel is requesting what we call today tax relief. Jeroboam describes this situation accurately as a heavy burden. Now, whether it was a monetary burden or a burden of servitude, as in the case of Israel's Egyptian bondage, which was extreme or both, we cannot be absolutely sure. But it seems to be something of a grievous nature nevertheless. Whether it was service or monetary, we don't know. What we can know is that it was overbearing and Israel needed, they wanted, they desired, they longed for relief. Now there's a number of practical things to consider here. First, from Jeroboam's request, it seems as if under King Rehoboam, he had the power, because he was coronated, he's already coronated, he was not just the suspected king, but he was the coronated king. He had the official capacity as king. He, as king, therefore, had the power to levy some sort of burden on the people, or to relax their burden. So they go to Rehoboam. Why else would Rehoboam ask permission for relief if not that Rehoboam had a legitimacy to either tax or to alleviate the tax or whether to add a servitude burden or to alleviate a servitude laborious service. He had the authority. Now at this point, technically, There was only one king, and it was one king over the 12 tribes, even though we know in the future it will split. Now there was unity. And Jeroboam was not coronated, even though he had the prophecy that he would be the king, he wasn't coronated, and therefore he had no position of authority. So he had to go to Rehoboam as the king to beg. Secondly, Jeroboam doesn't only ask for relief, which is quite interesting, he also pledges his service. which is actually a pledge of loyalty. Thy father made our yoke grievous. Now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke, which he put upon us lighter, and we will serve thee. So obviously he's acting as the spokesperson for those in Israel who were burdened with this heavy taxation. But this is a curious statement, because Jeroboam was already told that he would be the ruler over the 10 tribes. So I was very curious why he would say that. Thirdly, I believe that Jeroboam's pledge of loyalty and servitude is not to be taken as a desire to unify the tribes under Rehoboam. Why would Jeroboam, who was going to be the king, who believed that he had the right to be king, why would he pledge loyalty to Rehoboam when Rehoboam is the son of Solomon, Solomon who wanted to assassinate Jeroboam. Why would he trust or pledge loyalty to the assassin's son? It seems very curious. Now knowing, as we read further, Jeroboam's evil and deceitful character, was he contemplating some sort of a coup, some sort of a takeover? Now if, and I say if, that was his motive, then he wanted everything, not only the ten tribes. That is the motivation of wicked men. They don't want a piece. They just want it all because the heart of wicked men is never satisfied. So I am very suspect as I'm reading this, why he is pledging his service when he was already promised by the prophet that he would have his own 10 tribes. I'm having 10 tribes. Why not 12? And so I find his pledge of loyalty a little suspicious. Fourthly, Jeroboam's complaint is leveled against Solomon's taxation policy. And so another question that might be raised is why would Solomon levy heavy burdens on his own people? Was this not an action that was part of a tyrannical rulership? Was this not the actions of a tyrant or at least a man who was desperate for control? Now, in the beginning of Solomon's reign, he was very careful not to overburden the people. Their labor was fairly compensated for while the temple was being constructed, along with a fair compensation for Hiram and all of his labors. Solomon was very generous with what he would pay his labors. He wasn't just making them taxed or burdening them. So what changed? Well, it seems as Solomon slowly departed from God, his pure devotion to God, by following the gods of the pagans, His policies toward God's people changed as well. Adam Clarke agrees. Adam Clarke says this. The Reverend Clarke says this. They seem here to complain of two things. Excessively laborious service and a heavy taxation. At first it is supposed Solomon employed no Israelite in drudgery. Afterwards, when he forsook the God of compassion, He seems to have used them as slaves and to have revived the Egyptian bondage." End quote. And so a departure from godly devotion always results in a departure from godly behavior. And that godly behavior is evident by the works of the flesh. So the more you depart from godly devotion, the more you depart from godly behavior. Heavy taxation is always a hallmark of bondage. And while taxation in general is biblical, certain taxation is perfectly biblical within very narrow parameters. Overtaxation or burdensome taxation, or as the people of Israel said, grievous taxation, is entirely pagan. Clark identifies heavy taxation as a return to Egypt. Solomon's taxation policies were a bitter reminder of Egyptian's bondage. The Israelites didn't want to go back to Egypt, and now they're in the kingdom of God, and they're being put back into Egypt? Fifthly, question. So what may have prompted Solomon to levy such burdens on Israel? Or to put it another way, what prompts any ruler to lay heavy burdens on a people under his care? Well, of course, there are a number of possibilities. Overall, it results from a departure from God. That is the first and foremost reason for anything that goes awry. Once we depart from God, once anything departs from God, once a ruler departs from God, he will then depart from godly policies. So from a departure of God, we have a departure from the policies. But there are practical issues to be considered as well concerning the burden upon a people. And this should resonate to us here in America and in the world. Number one, taxation is always a means of control. It's a means to dominate, not dominion, but domination. Burdensome taxation keeps a people from amassing wealth for themselves and their generations, and it redirects wealth legitimate wealth that people have and legitimate wealth that they can pass on to the next generation to give them a leg up so that they might increase wealth to pass on to their people and their generation and the continuity of generations will follow and things will get better and better. But when the state takes from the people, it directs the wealth back to the state. Number two, taxation is also a means of control over the future. If you keep a people from amassing wealth, you control their future. Since wealth equals power, entrepreneurship and creativity take wealth from the people You control their power, their entrepreneurship, their creativity. You control their future. The more money one has, the more he or she can do with that money. The more influence one can buy with the large amount of money to make the future better. This is why excessive regulation, as well as excessive taxation, destroys the future of a nation's growth. Number three, heavy taxation also shows contempt for the people. Rea Boehm did not love those people. It's a veiled hatred against the people under the care of the ruler. And while this hatred is often concealed by those in power, it is no less an assault against the common folk. Number four, heavy taxation also hinders morale. It kills the ambition of people, making them more pliable. And that's what the state wants. That's what tyrannical states want. They want people controlled. They want them to be pliable. Don't give them wealth. Because if they have no wealth, they cannot revolt. They cannot build. They cannot be individuals. They will be under the care of the state. So whenever people are heavily taxed, oppressed, or regulated, intuitively they know that their governing officials have little or no regard for them as far as their livelihood, health, and generational continuity. Just think about it. When the tax assessors come to your home, Your home, the home that you built, the home that you purchased, to see if you, by the sweat of your face, have improved your living conditions so that they can tax monetarily what you improved on your home to benefit the governing locality by taxing your improvement, that means they want to steal from you. It's just the way it is. It is veiled theft. And I would caution tax assessors and all IRS agents that the mouth of hell is opening wide for their arrival if they do not repent. I will also caution them to reread the story of Zacchaeus if they are to have any hope of heaven. And I do not say this lightly. Get another job. There's many areas of employment that are worthy, protecting the people, regulating The policy is Godward for the people and God has graciously ordained many areas of employment that are honorable. Tax collector is nothing more than an evil parasite since he does not produce wealth from his own power and initiative but rather confiscates the wealth of others as a result of their own power and their own initiative and their own entrepreneurship and their own creativity. There is another aspect of tax collection that the tyrannical state must be aware of. There is a balance that must be kept if control is to be maintained. So taxation cannot be so overbearing as to cause people to revolt. Rehoboam was foolish. He actually was going to make their taxation so grievous that there was a revolt. He wasn't very smart. He wasn't a wise man like his father. So taxation cannot be so overbearing as to cause people to revolt or to become so impoverished that they just lose any hope in the future. It must be a burden carefully monitored according to the example of scripture. It must be kept at a sustainable level, a biblical level. There are biblical taxations. The government has to pay for something, but it doesn't have to pay for a study on butterflies that migrate to the Congo. There are taxations that are biblical, but if taxations become too unsustainable or too tyrannical or unbiblical, there will be eventually a revolt. This is simply a historical fact. We see it right here in the pages of scripture. Number five, heavy taxation is also a means to support government indulgences and encourages overspending on things that do not profit the people of the nation in general. Number six, heavy taxation is also a sign of a covetous government. And remember, not taxation, but heavy taxation on biblical taxation is a sign of covetousness. It's also a sign that a government or a ruler who overburdens its people with heavy taxation will never be satisfied. I remember one county supervisor said to me, when I was running for county commissioner, was running on the policy of No more overburdening taxation. And this County Commissioner came to me and said, you don't know what you're talking about. We always have to raise taxes. I said, no, we don't. Not for the things that you're overindulging with. So it's a sign of covetousness. It's a sign that they'll never be satisfied. Number seven, heavy taxation is also a sign that a ruler, locality, state, or any government thinks that it can be gone. This is seen in countries that believe that private property can be taxed or confiscated or eliminated, as we find now the policies in some candidates for the mayoral position in New York, as if it's owned by the rural locality, nation or state. In communist and totalitarian countries, even the industries are owned by the state. There's no such thing as private property since the state believes itself to own all things. And yet it is God. He states it very clearly that God is the owner of all things. The ownership of land and industry is just another way to control and demoralize the people, making them fully enslaved to the state. Number eight, property taxation is just another form of not only taxing the property, but another form of taxing labor. since through the work of a man's hands, he acquires property. So by taxing property, the state also taxed the labor that was brought about to buy the property. In other words, the title deed to a man's property is his labor. If a man is industrious, he will be able to earn money in order to purchase property. But when his property is overly taxed, It is actually a tax on his labor. So when a property tax is leveled against a man's property, it is actually twofold tax. It's a double tax because there's also a tax on his labor, which has been used to purchase the property. Author Steven McDowell concurs. He says all property you possess was acquired by labor, either your labor or someone else's. You take possession or title to property in proportion to your labor or individual enterprise. This is not only true for external property but also internal property as well." So whenever the state taxes property, it is also a tax on man's labor and whenever the state taxes income, it too is a tax on man's property. So we are taxed and taxed and taxed. 9. Heavy taxation also has another component to it which makes it that much more egregious. It is the threat of power. In order to enforce heavy taxation policy, there needs to be an element of power to enforce the collection of the tax. This is probably one component that shows that a ruler, state or nation has become tyrannical. This is why it was so much of an issue when the previous administration wanted to arm the IRS agents. Now there are IRS agents that are armed anyway. but they wanted to increase that threat. That shows that the state or the nation has lost its moorings in God. And it's lost its moorings in liberty. And it's maintaining that through the threat of violence. The only reason why anyone who is not a legitimate security officer should be armed is the threat. Now, a security officer Sheriff's Department or the police, they have been ordained to intimidate and uphold the law, but not the tax agent. Number 10, taxation should not only be identified as a monetary confiscation, it is also evident in licensing and various regulations. Think about the zoning commissions. When the state can tell you what you can and cannot do, on your own private property as long as it's not hurting other people, the state is encroaching upon man's liberty. As long as the action of an individual does not violate the legal structure of God's perfect law or injure another person, a man should be free to live his life in peace. Number 11, heavy taxation policies also are the identifying characteristics of a secular state. Heavy taxation policies also are the identifying characteristics of a secular state. Because once a ruler, state or government can arbitrarily impose taxation policies on a people apart from the structure of God's taxation policies, it has anointed itself with the power that only God claims for himself. This self-anointing mindset is characteristic of an elitist class of rulers as in the days of the pharaohs and the Caesars. Rehoboam has now ingratiated himself into that class of elitist and that class of tyrants. Number 12, consider the elitism of the secular state. What we are about to see with Rehoboam's decision, and I will say this, there are so many lessons from this point on, from chapter 12 of the first Kings, when the wonderful work of Solomon is then disrupted by wickedness. There are so many lessons for us today. It is just amazing. So let's then for a moment consider the elitism of Rehoboam. Rehoboam's decision smacks of this elitist idea where he seeks the control of a people and then seeks the counsel of young intellectuals, those progressives over the older, more wise, moderate seasoned men of Judah. That was devastating. That was a devastating decision. We are facing that today in the West and in particular in America. We are a nation like the kingdom of God. in Solomon's day. We are a nation divided, and it is being destroyed by the people's fascination with tyranny, communism, and the progressive ideology of the left. The Reverend Joseph Boot, a contemporary of us, a brilliant theologian, author, and pastor, explains America's dilemma from another vantage point. He says this, quote, Because of the steady triumphs of pagan humanism in the West, the modern world has seen the re-emergence of many archaic oddities, one of which is a self-anointed elite class, a secular substitute for pastor and priest. The first truly modern intellectual, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, set a recognizable tone for the emergence of a self-righteous secular elite, making such of loving an abstraction called the people, freeing them from the shackles of civilization and tradition, and establishing their, not God's, mind you, their, the people's general will." But in the end, Rehoboam, along with the secular state and all of the elites, they cannot disguise their disdain for humanity and the masses of ordinary people Like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, they looked at the masses of ordinary people as stupid invalids, invalids, unworthy to even live. The English playwright George Fabian socialist Bernard Shaw shared Rousseau's disdain for ordinary people, who he said that the Commonwealth, and think about a man, a poet, who children in the government schools have to read, George Bernard Shaw, what a great guy. Here's what he said, that the common people, quote, had no right to live, end quote. When he wrote these words, quote, I should despair if I did not know that they, the common folk, will all die presently. I have no problem with that, they should all die presently. And that there is no need on earth why they, the common people, should be replaced by people like themselves. This mindset was so prevalent in Christ's day that he was moved to make the point that, blessed are the poor in spirit, it must have blown their brains out, those elitist Pharisees. They must have said, wait a minute. We're waiting for some incredible words. Blessed are the poor in spirit, leveling a targeted accusation against the ruling elite of that day. Now, we don't only have this elitist sentiment in the state. and among its prideful rulers, it is present among the churches of Jesus Christ even today and even within individual congregations. The commands of God's law to be kindly, affectionate, equitable, and just to all people has been lost on Rehoboam and it seems to be lost today in America, her churches, and in other nations of the world today as well. A secular government functions according to a self-autonomous law structure, not God's law, not God's word, not the gospel of Christ, but a self-autonomous elitism-structured law structure, while a God-fearing government functions according to a theonomic, a law structure that we find in Scripture. Now, as we shall see with Rehoboam's tyrannically proud decision, it brings down the entire kingdom of God, an entire total breakdown of the unified kingdom that both David and Solomon had worked so hard to build. Because once a nation is swallowed up by secularism, progressivism, and the elitist mindset, unity is impossible. And when unity is impossible, destruction is on the horizon. Author H. Evan Runner explains it this way, quote, God's law is God's word. Because God is God. His every word is law. From the very first words of the Bible we hear, and God said, let there be this and that. All such creative words are the law. The law is what causes creatures in the whole creation to hang together. It determines the conditions of all creaturely existence. It is itself concentrated in the religious law of life. Walk before me according to my commandments and live. Here we have the heart of the creation. The Lord determines what it means to live before God or to die before God." In other words, autonomy is a fantasy. It's a myth. But it is a fantasy that has the power to kill if it is brought to its ultimate end, as it did in France during the reign of terror in World War II Germany, or by Stalin's death squads, all of which can be traced back in history to the beginning of time, right after the fall of man, when Cain murdered Abel. What Rehoboam was going to offer Israel was not mercy or reconciliation, nor was it economically or even politically beneficial. It was pure pride, hateful vengeance. It was going to, and he obviously, obviously he didn't care. It was going to destroy the work that had been done by his father and his grandfather. What American lawmakers are doing today is they are destroying the work of our forefathers. And I don't mean Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. I mean, Calvin, V-Ray, the Puritans. They were men of faith. They were men who understood how to structure a government. But the problem with Rehoboam is he just didn't care. He just didn't care. The great reformer, John Pone, a name that is not very familiar to some, most. His days, 1514 to 1556, died as a young man. In concert with many of the reformers during the days of the European Reformation, had to deal with this kind of tyranny. They had to deal with tyrannical rulers and their unjust taxation overreach. He understood that there were the remaining roots during that Reformation period of the late medieval elitism of those in royal positions which needed to be addressed. And those elites believed that they could be God. In Pony's mind, that idea of elitism was pure mythology. The mythology that the king would dare to state that he owned all of the realm that he surveyed. How dare he think that he owned all of God's creation? Pone believed that the commonwealth remained the oversight and stewardship of the king, the prince, but the prince didn't own it as his own. The prince believed he owned it, but he did not believe that he was merely the steward of it. He didn't believe that it was the property of the purchaser. Pone believed that it remained the property of the purchaser under God as God's steward. So for Pone and the reformers, there was such a thing as outright personal property ownership. And this is why you have that phrase, and we hear it, but it's not real. It doesn't mean anything. It's fantasy now. The phrase, a man's house or the man's home is his castle. It's not your castle. It's not fortified. You don't own it. If the bank owns it now, even if you pay it off, the state owns it through property taxation and confiscation. And yet, the reformers believed that this was unbiblical, and it smacked of the secular rulership. He wrote that the good prince existed or should be existing on a meager taxation. He should rule wisely as a good steward, always for the good of the people, not to regulate them, not to oppress them. He wanted the prince to live on the biblical tax, but not to overtax. He believed also that once the ruler exceeded their natural and moral authority, Pone argued, as well as others, Rutherford and others, that the people may go so far as to not only rebel, but to execute the tyrant. This was something that was talked about often during the Reformation. Having violated God's prescription for godly governance, the tyrant, they believed, became a curse before God and a threat to the entire unity and welfare of the commonwealth. And this argument brought about an entire discussion as to what determined the ousting of a tyrant and by what means should that tyrant be removed. Of course, there were levels. You first approach the tyrant, rebuke if you failed to submit, there was another level, and then there was another level, and then finally, if he brought out his army to uphold his position, then he was fair game. Our modern minds bristle at this notion that a tyrannical leader should be executed. But that is only because the modern mind fails to recognize the extent of the bondage that the tyrannical ruler will bring about upon the people. and what that final result may be. You think about the Commonwealth of the state of Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the flag that Thomas Jefferson designed with liberty standing victoriously upon the neck of the Caesar, the tyrant with the crown fallen from his head. This was discussed even during the days of our American beginnings. Furthermore, the modern mind fails to understand and therefore is entirely unable to embrace true liberty under God. Do we even know what true liberty under God? Not anarchy, not libertinism, but liberty under God. Do we understand what that is? I have trouble dealing with it. I'm not so sure I even understand what it really means. Because we've been living in Egypt so long, we don't understand what that means. And so as a result, the oppressed satisfies himself with slavery, hoping that it can cope until things get better. But things will not get better. They only get worse since their complacency is fuel for more tyrannical policies and the encouragement of the tyrant. During the days of the Reformation, when the pulpits thundered the word of God, the magistrates quaked in their boots because the people believed that this was the Word of God, and they understood the Word of God, and they followed the Word of God, and they would be those who would deal with these magistrates if they stepped out of line. Popes don't thunder the Word of God anymore. Well, they say, Jesus loves you, don't worry, and don't worry, the devil owns it all, and Jesus is coming soon, so keep paying your fair share, We've been dumbed down. And this is why Jesus said, you are like sheep led to the slaughter, but you need to be cunning, wise as serpents, harmless as doves, but wise. So we have been so enslaved that we no longer can understand what liberty actually is. Israel did not want any reminder. Israel wanted no policies for that matter of the Egyptian bondage with this taskmaster enforcement. They understood, even though it was generations later, they remember the past. Their fathers told them about what it was like, and they went from generation to generation to generation. Here's what it was like. Make sure you watch out for that. Here's what it was like. Make sure you watch out for that tyranny and do something about it. But today, the past, they want you to live in the present. Because living in the present, they can control the future. Israel did not want any reminder of the Egyptian bondage. And so in an attempt to appeal to Rehoboam, as brethren, as descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Rehoboam and the entire nation appear before the king. And what is so interesting about Jeroboam's offer is that he even tells Rehoboam, whether he meant it or not, that we will become servants. Look, we just want to live in peace. That's basically what he was saying. That's all he was saying. In other words, we will voluntarily serve the king as a brother and a Hebrew nation, but not by force of heavy taxation under a servitude burden. They understood taxations. were biblical and legitimate. But that was not what Jeroboam was debating. He was arguing about over-oppression. He was arguing about the overreach that Solomon imposed upon them, most likely in anger over Jeroboam's disloyalty. So what are legitimate taxes? When I say biblical tax, what are biblical taxes? What are a people under a governing structure responsible for, as far as taxation, is concerned under a biblical taxation structure. Well, in order to answer that question, we need to know what is the purpose of government and what are its obligations to the people. We shall consider that next when we continue to examine the breakdown of the kingdom of God and the divided ten tribes of Israel. And this we shall do, God helping us, unto the praise of the glory of His grace. Amen.