WAEC Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 3

Model answer

(a) (1 Kings 12:1-17) After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam was made king by the tribes of Judah, in the South. He went to the North to be crowned king at Shechem by the Northerners, in order to unite the kingdom. Meanwhile, Jeroboam who had been in exile in Egypt heard of the news and returned home and led a delegation from North to meet Rehoboam. The delegation requested that the burden imposed on them by Solomon should be made light so that they would serve him but Rehoboam asked the Northern delegates to go and return on the third day for an answer. He sought advice from his father's elderly counselors about the type of response he should give to the Northerners. They advised him to pay heed to their request by reducing their burden so that they would serve Rehoboam. Rehoboam later consulted his peers or contemporaries. However, they advised him to tell the Northerners thus: "my little finger is thicker than my father's loins. Whereas my father chastised you with whips but I will chastise you with scorpions. This implied that the people would suffer under him than they did under his father. When the Israelites saw that Rehoboam was not ready to listen to their plea for reduction of their burden, they broke away from the United Kingdom, saying "We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel". Consequently, the Northerners made Jeroboam their king. (b) Factors that can Lead to the Rejection of a Political Leader: i. Lack of respect for elders ii. Lack of integrity iii. Authoritarian or autocratic leadership style iv. When the leader is corrupt v. Economic hardship