Life is hard

From I Kings 11-14:

1. I wonder why when Solomon found that Jeroboam had fled to Egypt that he did not call his friend the Pharaoh and ask a favor. After all, one of his wives was Egyptian and he even built her a palace. The Pharaoh had even given her land as a gift for her wedding. It would not have been such a big thing to ask that they send Jeroboam back (by force, if necessary) so that Solomon could dispatch him.

2. I am wondering again, as I mentioned earlier, why the Israelites felt that Solomon had put such a heavy burden on them. I mean, it states a couple of chapters earlier that he did not conscript labor from any of the Israelites, but rather from those who were non-Jews in the land. I wonder if this is similar to how the country is today in many areas. Americans enjoy wealth and riches beyond measure, and yet we complain all day long about how hard life is. Life is really quite simple and easy for us, and yet we have spoiled our children and ourselves to where we forget (or perhaps don't even know) what a hard life is.

3. Rehoboam was a typical spoiled, brash young man. He wanted to show that he was somebody, when in reality he found that he was nothing without God. I sure hope that my children don't grow up to be this foolish. Yet I see many kids today that are not properly disciplined that would make these exact mistakes.

4. Jeroboam was not smart either, because he tried to resolve the issue of the people reverting back to the house of David by going against God's will. Making graven images was not something God was going to bless. This should have been obvious.

5. How is it that the man of God spoken of in chapter 13 was fooled? And why was it that God spoke then later through the old man who had lied to get the man of God to go back? I think the old man should have suffered the fate of the prophet, because he lied. Though if the prophet was not sure, he should have inquired of God before going back.

6. I wonder how old Abijah was when God declared he would die. The prophet Ahijah said that he was the only one in the family of Jeroboam in whom the Lord found anything good. I wonder what good he found.