God’s Judgment and Adversaries
God became very displeased with King Solomon because he stopped following God’s commands. Even though God had appeared to Solomon twice and clearly told him what was expected, Solomon still chose to disobey. He turned away from God and began worshiping other gods, which deeply angered the Lord.
As a result, God told Solomon that the kingdom of Israel would be torn apart after his death. Although the entire kingdom wouldn’t be taken from Solomon himself—out of respect for his father, King David—his son would lose most of it. Only a small part of the kingdom would remain under his family’s rule.
To begin carrying out this judgment, God allowed enemies to rise up against Solomon and cause problems for Israel. Two of these adversaries were Hadad the Edomite, who had a long-standing grudge against Israel, and Rezon, the son of Eliada, who led attacks and stirred up trouble. These enemies served as early signs of the turmoil that would come after Solomon’s reign. (See 1 Kings 11:9–25)