1 Kings 12:15-16 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying…So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them….Israel departed unto their tents.
Jereboam and Rehoboam both did what was good for themselves, not that which was good for their people. Rehoboam was harsh and did not listen. Jereboam built idols in new places of worship to keep his people away from Jerusalem. Both actions backfired because they were based on selfish motives. They sinned against God’s basic Law: “Love the the Lord and Love your neighbor.”
This turn of affairs, the division of the kingdom, was predicted by the Lord through the prophet Ahijah. It was “from the Lord.” That does not excuse the sin of it; it just prophesies the consequences of self-centered sins. Rehoboam’s selfish decision led to the division of the kingdom. And Jereboam’s setting up idol calves for worship led to the downfall of the kingdom.
Making decisions only for your own interests will backfire and cause you to lose more than if you had kept the interests of others in mind. God’s way is always the right way, without exception; our own way, the selfish way, is the wrong way. A large part of the human condition involves the struggle between our stubborn self-will and God’s perfect will. Thus we pray, “Thy will be done.”