Rehoboam's initial reaction was to try and regain the kingdom. He was left with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and gathered together a large fighting force. However, the Lord sent word by a prophet to him telling him that the division of the kingdom was God's doing and that he should not fight against Israel, so they desisted.
There are several important lessons to be learnt here. The first is that God's plans do not work out in the way we expect. Splitting the kingdom is not how you would guess God's plans would be fulfilled, but it was God's doing. At the same time, God's goal, as is made clear in later prophecies (e.g. Ezekiel) is a united kingdom. We need to distinguish between believing what God's destination is, and thinking we know how He will get us there.
Then there is the cessationists' seeming assumption that all prophecy is canonical. This was a word from a prophet, but clearly only had direct relevance for this specific situation. Throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, God has spoken to individuals and to nations about specific circumstances. There is no reason to believe that He has changed His ways.
Finally, we look at our circumstances very much in the now. We do need to live now, not forever looking back at the past, nor fearing the future, but we also need to recognise that our now is part of a much bigger picture.
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