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of Saul, who was only too painfully conscious of the objections which tribal jealousy
would raise to his elevation (1 Samuel 9:21). It needed that glorious God-given victory
at Jabesh-Gilead to hush, under strong religious convictions, those discordant voices,
and to unite all Israel in acclamation of their new king. And yet the tribe of Benjamin,
to which Saul belonged, was closely allied to that of Ephraim (Judges 21:19- 23).
Again, it was the tribe of Ephraim which mainly upheld the cause of Ishbosheth (2
Samuel 2:9); and though the strong hand of David afterwards kept down all active
opposition, no sooner did his power seem on the wane than "a man of Mount Ephraim"
(2 Samuel 20:21) roused the tribal jealousies, and raised the standard of rebellion
against him. And now, with the reign of King Solomon, all hope of tribal pre-eminence
seemed to have passed from Ephraim. There was a new capital for the whole country,
and that in the possession of Judah. The glory of the ancient Sanctuary had also been
taken away. Jerusalem was the ecclesiastical as well as the political capital, and
Ephraim had to contribute its wealth and even its forced labor to promote the schemes,
to support the luxury, and to advance the glory of a new monarchy, taken from, and
resident in, Judah!
But, secondly, the burden which the new monarchy imposed on the people must, in the
course of time, have weighed very heavily on them (1 Kings 12:4). The building of a
great national Sanctuary was, indeed, an exceptional work which might enlist the
highest and best sympathies, and make the people willing to submit to any sacrifices.
But this was followed by the construction of a magnificent palace, and then by a
succession of architectural undertakings (1 Kings 9:15, 17-19) on an unprecedented
scale. However useful some of these might be, they not only marked an innovation, but
involved a continuance of forced labor (1 Kings 4:6; 5:13, 14; 11:28), wholly foreign
to the spirit of a free people, and which diverted from their proper channels the
industrial forces of the country. Nor was this all. The support of such a king and court
must have proved a heavy demand on the resources of the nation (1 Kings 4:21-27). To
have to pay enormous taxes, and for many long years to be deprived during so many
months of the heads and the bread-winners of the family, that they might do what
seemed slaves' labor for the glorification of a king, whose rule was every year
becoming weaker, would have excited dissatisfaction even among a more enduring
people than those tribes who had so long enjoyed the freedom and the privileges of a
federated Republic.
It only needed a leader - and once more Ephraim furnished him. Jeroboam, the son of
Nebat and of a widow named Zeruah, was a native of Zereda or Zererath^167 (Judges
7:22), within the territory of Ephraim.
The sacred text describes him as a "mighty man of valor." His energy, talent, and
aptitude pointed him out as a fit permanent overseer of the forced labor of his tribe. It
was a dangerous post to assign to a man of such power and ambition. His tribesmen, as
(^)