The two verses before us now do something to soften the punishment. Before we are told how God will lessen the punishment, we are given two reasons why. First, God says that it is for the sake of David, Solomon’s father, that the moderation of the judgment will come. Why should this take place? This question is strengthened by the consideration that at this time David had been long dead. How could David benefit from such a lessening of punishment? The point, however, is about David not in the present but in the past, and the Lord had sworn an oath that David’s offspring would sit on his throne forever (Psalm 89:34–36).
It is God’s own integrity that is here involved, and the oath was not conditional, unlike the promises that God made to Solomon.
The second reason the Lord gives to lessen the punishment is for the sake of Jerusalem that he had chosen for the place of the temple. If the dynasty of David was completely and immediately dissolved, its seat of power would no longer be found in the former capital, which was also the location of Yahweh’s temple. This would, in all probability, lead to the lessening influence of the Jerusalem temple. Since Jerusalem was the Lord’s own choice for this temple, to allow it to wither would seem to be a punishment upon the authority of the Name that resided in the temple built in Jerusalem.
We now turn from the two reasons for the punishment to be somewhat lessened to look at the nature of the lessening. The first matter is that the Lord says that he rending of the kingdom will not be in the lifetime of Solomon. The second factor is that one tribe would be left to Solomon’s descendants. Though some might be tempted to say that these factors were because of Solomon’s obedience and love to God at an early portion of his reign, this would not seem to agree with the teaching of the prophet, who says that if a formerly righteous man forsakes his righteousness and turns to evil, that righteousness will not count to his credit (see Ezekiel 18:24).
We must look for another explanation. An immediate punishment of and end of Solomon’s reign would have left the continuation of the dynasty in question. Would Rehoboam have been ready to assume the throne of Judah? Would Judah have the power or will to continue an independent existence? Would God’s choice for the throne of Israel, Jeroboam, be in a position to lead the ten tribes in their separation?
12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.