A Divided Kingdom Shall Not Stand

In 1 Kings 11:1-13, we read about Solomon’s heart turning from the LORD God of Israel. In fact, at this point of the king’s reign, Solomon was worshipping false gods. And so, the LORD spoke to Solomon, saying, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hands of your son. However, I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
Imagine a kingdom being taken from a son and given to a servant! As we read further in 1 Kings, in chapters 11 through 14, we see God’s word fulfilled as Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, assumes the kingdom and ignores the wisdom given to him by his elders. In the meantime, Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam, had begun a rebellion against Solomon, which only intensified against Rehoboam. In time, Jeroboam was indeed made ruler over the ten tribes of Israel, as the previously united kingdom split in two. Rehoboam remained ruler over Judah and the Levites, while Jeroboam ruled over Israel. Thus, the northern kingdom of Israel was in rebellion against the house of David, known as the southern kingdom of Judah (see 1 Kings 13:19).

What caused this fracture of a great and mighty kingdom? It was the idolatry, disobedience and sin from Solomon. The divided kingdom continued on with predominantly disobedient kings whose hearts were not set on God. Ultimately, the northern kingdom of Israel was captured by the Assyrians and taken into captivity. This was subsequently followed by the defeat of the southern kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonian empire. A second wave of captivity followed. The divided kingdom did not stand.

We advance to the ministry of Jesus Christ, as identified in the gospel of Matthew 12:25. Jesus had just healed a man and the Pharisees were critical. Jesus spoke, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Jesus was ushering in the Kingdom of God through His ministry. When challenged by the Pharisees, who attributed the healing to the work of Satan, and thus blasphemed the Holy Spirit, Jesus responded by reminding them that divided kingdoms can not stand. “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Matthew 12:26. Jesus informed His accusers that though Satan be strong (a “strongman”), there was one stronger: His name was Jesus Christ!
It is also noteworthy to draw out the truth about Herod’s kingdom during the time of Christ’s ministry and up to 70AD. The kingdom was divided among his four children. The result was the collapse of the kingdom and destruction of the re-built temple in Jerusalem.

Scripture teaches us that natural truths bring about spiritual truths. And so, these facts from the kingdoms of Solomon and Herod (just to mention two) provide for us a foreshadowing of the spiritual truths Jesus taught. What spiritual truths can we glean from this? We will approach this question on two levels: individually and corporately.

On An Individual Level

First, if we are divided in our thinking, actions, or journey with the Lord, the division within us will ultimately cause us to fall. James 1:8 tells us that a “double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Let’s examine this text a little more closely. What is it to be double minded? The Greek verbiage has this defined as “twice the soul, or mind.” This suggests the division of the mind. We are being taught through this text that when our minds are divided about something, it leads to being unstable. Unstable is defined in the Greek as unsettled. If we are unsettled, the peace of God will not be within us. Finally, James instructs us that such division brings about instability in all our ways. This means we are unsettled in all our actions as we are on the way, road, or path. It is much easier to take a wrong turn on the path when we are feeling unsettled and confused!

On A Corporate Level

On another level is the one corporate body, the “one new man” according to Ephesians 2:15 – what we will call the church. Paul repeatedly refers to the church as “one body” the head of which is Jesus Christ. Double mindedness within a local church can ultimately lead to its demise, if left unattended and uncorrected. Local churches are called to be an expression of “the church;” that is, the called out ones from every tribe and tongue around the world. Just as divided kingdoms crumble, so too divided houses, or churches, will not stand. It is very significant that when Jesus prayed for all believers in John 17:20-21, He prayed this: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me.” Let us not miss the fullness of this prayer. Not only did Jesus pray that believers would “all be one” but He also gave the reason for it: that the rest of the world would see unity within the body and believe that God did “so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Unity is the unspoken message of evangelism and salvation!

Let’s conclude by returning to Scripture, turning first to Revelation 16:19. It reads: “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” Note that Babylon is divided. Now let’s move to Revelation 18:2: “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,’ Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Babylon falls. What follows is every believer’s longing: the return of Jesus; a millennial kingdom reign; final judgment; and a new Jerusalem. In the end, the divided Babylon falls and the united eternal Kingdom arrives.
Let us unite around the closing words in Revelation 22:20-21: “He which testifieth these things saith, ‘Surely I come quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”