"This thing became a sin."--_1 Kings 12:30._
SOLOMON'S son was named Rehoboam. He was foolish and hasty; and when
his father's wise old men gave him good advice he would not listen to
them, but only cared for his young friends, who were as foolish as
himself. So when the Israelites came to him to ask him not to be hard
upon them, and make them bring him so much corn and so many sheep, the
old men told him to answer them kindly and gently, but the young men
said he had better be fierce and sharp. So he followed the young men's
advice, and made a very unkind answer.
This made them all so angry that they said they would not have him for
their king any longer; but they took Jeroboam, a brave strong man of
the tribe of Ephraim, and made him their king. Only two tribes still
held steady to Rehoboam. These were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
God left him these, because of the promise that King David's sons
should go on sitting on his throne. But ten of the tribes had made
Jeroboam their king; so that now there were two kingdoms--a large one
called Israel, and a small one called Judah.
This was because Solomon had let his heart turn away from God, and had
not taken pains to keep his people holy, but had cared more for riches,
and power, and glory. But Jeroboam did not take pains to serve God. He
set up two calves, made of gold, for the Israelites to worship, instead
of going to the Temple.