King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. – 2 Chronicles 10:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 10, 2016): 2 Chronicles 10

“Let them eat cake.” The words were supposedly spoken by Queen Marie Antoinette (it is very doubtful that she ever spoke the words) setting off the French Revolution. According to the story, the Queen had just been informed that the peasants had no bread to eat. Her response was that they should eat cake, or more literally, brioche – a bread enriched with eggs and butter. The phrase summed up the lack of concern the royal family had for the poorer members of the culture. Obviously, if there was no bread, then there could not be any brioche. But the reality is that, even though the words were probably never spoken by the Queen, the people did feel that the Royal family did not care about the average person. And for some historians, they are sure that the attitude of Antoinette was the reason for the start of the French Revolution. Ultimately, Marie Antoinette was executed at 12:15 p.m. on October 16, 1793. The execution was a bit of a surprise to both the Queen and her supporters. At worst, they expected the Queen to be locked up for the rest of her natural life, not killed. And some years later the rumor of her words became, in retrospect, the reason for her execution.

King Rehoboam was in trouble. The best advice was given to him by the former advisors of his father. Let up on the workload of the people, and they will serve you forever. The younger advisers, his friends, had suggested a heavier workload. And it was the younger advisors that Rehoboam chose to follow. But this is also presented Rehoboam with a “let them eat cake” moment. He chooses as his negotiator with those rebelling against him a man named Adoniram – or Hadoram. The Chronicler is being polite here in saying that he was in charge of forced labor. Adoniram was known as “the slave driver” and was probably the most hated man in Solomon’s government. In choosing Adoniram as his negotiator, Rehoboam was sending a very clear message. And the Israelites reacted by stoning Adoniram to death. We are told that they would have stoned Rehoboam as well if they could have gotten their hands on him. But with this act, Rehoboam made the possibility of a divided a kingdom a reality. The North rebelled against the South, Israel against the House of David, and the kingdom was torn apart – never to be put back together again.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 11