1 Kings 11:39

“ And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.”

Meanwhile the house of David would be restricted before YHWH to only ruling Judah, and even in the end to ruling nothing at all, although in accordance to His promise to David that would one day be put right, something which happened when Jesus Christ came as God's king Who was to rule over all men.

1 Kings 11:40

‘ Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.'

We are not told on what grounds Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, apart from the fact that he had ‘lifted up his hand against him'. But any ground-swell of growing popularity and resistance to Solomon's will would have been quite sufficient for Solomon to make such a verdict about him. And Jeroboam, as a result, had to flee to Egypt for refuge, where Shishak, the Pharaoh of the new dynasty, took him under his protection. And he remained safely in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

Each of these cases of the three adversaries is:

Firstly a reminder that if we are not wholly following the Lord He will raise up chasteners to seek to bring us to our senses (Hebrews 12:5).

Secondly a reminder that if we ourselves do what is wrong, or fail to do what is right, we will thereby give opportunity for the enemy's of God to spoil our ‘kingdom', and mar God's handywork.

Thirdly a reminder, in the case of Jeroboam, that if we do not consider the consequences of our behaviour and attitudes, they will in the end rebound on us.

There is the constant warning in Kings that what we sow we will reap, (which is the message, for example, of Exodus 32:34; Exodus 34:7; Leviticus 10:1; Leviticus 18:24; Leviticus 20:2; Leviticus 26:14; Numbers 11:1; Numbers 14:40; Numbers 16:41; Numbers 21:4; Deuteronomy 4:25; Deuteronomy 11:16; Deuteronomy 11:26; Deuteronomy 28:15; Deuteronomy 29:18). It is a reminder that while God is gracious, He will not be mocked.