When Taxation Becomes Tyranny: 1 Kings 12

The Bible doesn’t leave the question of just taxation to vague feelings or modern economic theory, but rather, it gives us a concrete historical example of a nation pushed to the breaking point by heavy government burdens, and it judges the king’s actions in unmistakably negative terms.   The story is found in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10: the catastrophic beginning of the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon. For forty years, Solomon had ruled in unmatched splendor. He built the temple, constructed a magnificent palace, maintained a large standing [...]