Solomon's dead, his son Rehoboam meets with his fathers counsellors - Benaiah's family (son: Jehoiada the counsellor to David) perhaps, but doesn't listen to them.
Jeroboam is summoned to Shechem (place where Abimelech attempted to usurp power), by northern tribe of Ephraim (proud leading tribe of Northern Kingdom, and its feisty history of causing trouble). Some scholars say that Ephraim had no intention of serving Rehoboam, but merely used his reply as an excuse to continue on crowning Jeroboam (an Ephraimite) as king.
Rehoboam sends Adinoram to apologize (according to Josephus), choosing very poorly as Adinoram was the head of forced labor and seeing him would stir deep seated irritation from years of forced labor. They stone him for it, Rehoboam flees, and they crown Jeroboam king (unlike David's coronation being that of utter peace and grace, Jeroboam uses his moment with forcefulness and long lasting strife between the 2 kingdoms results from it and Jeroboam lives in constant fear of another coup overthrowing himself).
Jeroboam having lived in Egypt so long and being influenced by the Egyptian culture makes two different golden calves to worship just like in Exodus done by Aaron. Something about Egypt makes people associate God, god, or gods with the young of cattle and gold ("the golden arches" of Micky D's lol). This being in my opinion his first sin, and a stupid one at that because he was afraid and did not trust the God who put him in power to keep him in power. He also sets up a rival festival with the feast of Tabernacles opposite Jerusalem, overstating the rivalries of Ephraim with Judah. You can tell he's an Ephraimite because his actions scream it!
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