And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel).'"
The Tragedy of Division
The pastor of a small church was on his way home when he met an acquaintance from town. After chatting a while the man asked how many members he had. The pastor responded, "Fifty active members." The friend said, "My, that certainly speaks well for you." The preacher responded, "Well, I wouldn't say that. All fifty are active...but twenty-five are actively working for me and the other twenty-five are actively working against me!"
Solomon's son Rehoboam had even worse odds. Of the 12 tribes that originally made up the nation of Israel, only 2, Judah and Benjamin, would remain loyal to the house of David. The other 10 would desert him in favor of a leader more to their liking. As history proved, however, this was a mistake. By turning against the lineage of David, God's chosen one, Israel became ensnared in idolatry and was eventually destroyed in 722 B.C. by the Assyrians.
Division within the Body of Christ is never a good thing. Seldom does it lead to anything beneficial for those involved. People are always hurt and the testimony of the church is tarnished. The apostle Paul said, "For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (1 Cor. 3:3). Instead, he advised, "Be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thess. 5:13).
If you are part of a divided church, what might you do to bring about healing and unity? Whom should you go to? Whom should you talk to? What can God and you do together? Ask Him to give you the wisdom to be a peacemaker. Don't be a part of the problem; be a part of the solution.
Dividing a church is like killing half your body; it always destroys the other half too.