Muslims celebrate the Feast of the Sacrifice (Aid al-Adha)

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

2 Chronicles 10, 1-19

Rehoboam then went to Shechem, all Israel having come to Shechem to proclaim him king.

As soon as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news -- he was in Egypt, where he had taken refuge from King Solomon -- he returned from Egypt.

They now sent for him, so Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke as follows to Rehoboam,

'Your father laid a cruel yoke on us; if you will lighten your father's cruel slavery, that heavy yoke which he imposed on us, we are willing to serve you.'

He said to them, 'Come back to me in three days' time.' And the people went away.

King Rehoboam then consulted the elders, who had been in attendance on his father Solomon while he was alive, and said, 'How do you advise me to answer this people?'

They replied, 'If you are fair to these people, pleasant to them and give them a fair reply, they will remain your servants for ever.'

But he rejected the advice given him by the elders and consulted the young men in attendance on him, who had grown up with him.

He said, 'How do you advise us to answer these people who have been saying, "Lighten the yoke which your father imposed on us"?'

The young men who had grown up with him replied, 'This is the way to answer the people who have been saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, you must lighten it for us!" This is the right thing to say to them, "My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!

Although my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I shall make it heavier still! My father controlled you with the whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash!" '

On the third day, Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam in obedience to the king's instructions, 'Come back to me in three days' time.'

And the king gave them a harsh answer. King Rehoboam, rejecting the advice of the elders,

spoke to them as the young men had recommended, 'My father made your yoke heavy, but I shall add to it. My father controlled you with the whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash.'

Thus the king refused to listen to the people, and this was brought about by God, so that Yahweh might fulfil the promise which he had made through Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king thus: What share have we in David? -no heritage in the son of Jesse! Each of you, to your tents, Israel! Now look to your own house, David! So Israel went home again.

Rehoboam, however, reigned over those Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

When King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was in charge of forced labour, the Israelites stoned him to death, while King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.

And Israel has remained in rebellion against the House of David from that day to this.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This is the first page of the final section of the Chronicles Books, concluded by the account of the exile of Babylon and the return from captivity (2 Chr 36). Even after the end of the golden age with the death of Solomon and the schism of the reign of North caused by Jeroboam, the author is still interested in David’s dynasty, in the temple and in “all Israel”. However, he systematically ignores the story of the northern kingdom. Indeed, while the parallel stories of Israel and Judah, after the schism, are reported one after the other in the two books of the Kings, the Second Book of Chronicles deals only with the story of Judah’s kingdom. However, even if the kingdom of North is considered illegitimate since its rebellion to the house of David and its refusal of the Jerusalem temple as the only place where God placed His name, its people are still part of the chosen people. If, on one side, the division between the two kingdoms is clear, on the other side the Chronicler reminds us the oneness of the chosen people. Actually he goes on writing “all Israel”, even if in fact the division has already taken place. He seems to suggest that people can’t separate what God unifies. Striving for unity is still there, although the spirit of division has crept into the people. The Chronicler introduces the schism between North and South suddenly. Before this event, he makes no mention of the complaints of the people or the prophetic words addressed to Jeroboam, as we read in the parallel passage in the first Book of Kings (11:26-40). It seems as if he wants to stress the reason of the division is Jeroboam’s lack of that wisdom; the wisdom that Solomon was filled with. However, it is Rehoboam who actually causes the schism by leaving Jerusalem, seat of the palace of David’s family and of the temple, in order to take part to an assembly in Sichem, in the North. Indeed, it wasn’t the assembly of the Lord. While taking the decision, Rehoboam was more concerned about the approval of the people than the Lord’s. He did not act like his father Solomon. Jeroboam, son of Nebat, goes to Rehoboam and reports to him on the discontent of the northern tribes because of the hard rule established by Solomon. He makes a plea for a reduction of pressure. He plainly declares that if the king accepts the request, all the northern tribes are willing to crown him. At first Rehoboam takes counsel with the elders who had been with his father. They urge him to accept the request. Actually, Rehoboam follows the advice of young people – his friends -, who tell him to make the rule harsher. He behaves proudly and stupidly: he considers as humiliating for him acting on the advice of elders. Therefore he follows the advice of the ones he agrees with. Furthermore, his decision reminds the Pharaoh’s words to the Jews who complained about the heaviness of slavery: “Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will labour at it and pay no attention to deceptive words” (Ex 5: 9). Rehoboam behaves like Saul, who did not turn to God, but left the temple and asked an unholy assembly’s advice. This mistake brought about the refusal of the northern tribes and made him “flee” to Jerusalem.