Jeroboam I Breaks the Covenant
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Introduction
Introduction
[Illus]
Because of Solomon’s idolatry, the Kingdom of Israel was divided between Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who ruled the southern portion of the kingdom, and a man named Jeroboam who ruled the northern part of the kingdom.
Jeroboam didn’t do anything to earn the northern kingdom. God simply sent a prophet to tell him that kingdom would be his. records the event...
Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),
God made a promise, and God delivers what he promises.
Rehoboam promised to demand a great deal more forced labor than his father, Solomon. The 10 tribes in the north split from Jerusalem, Judah, and Rehoboam and appointed Jeroboam as king (1 King 12:1-24).
Yet when Jeroboam began to reign, he quickly led his people into idolatry. Again, Jeroboam said in v. 27...
If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
1 Kings
It was out of fear of losing his kingdom (a kingdom promised and delivered by God) that Jeroboam made idols and places for their worship.
So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
This language is obviously reminiscent of the golden calf incident in when 23,000 fell by the hand of God because of their idolatry and idolatrous practices.
So we know that this isn’t going to end well for Jeroboam and the northern kingdom.
Because of this sin, the northern kingdom will be lost (). The sword will come against Jeroboam’s house ().
[Inter] What can we take away from this episode in the history of God’s people?
Lessons
Lessons
Fear makes us do foolish things like not trust, obey, and worship God alone.
Jeroboam feared losing the kingdom and so turned to idolatry.
When we fear loneliness, anxiety, money-shortage, etc., do we trust, obey, and worship God alone? Or do we turn to the idol of self or some other idol to take care of our problem?
Worship according to the unregenerate human heart leads to the worship of demons.
says that Jeroboam devised this idolatry “in is own heart, but says that what is offered to idols is offered to demons.
All religion that doesn’t come from God; all religion devised in the human heart leads to the worship of demons.
says that what is offered to idols is offered to demons.
[Illus] On a trip to Memphis during college; At a museum looking at replicas of Egyptian artifacts; Seeing a Pharaoh on a throne with ornamentation all around and with a little serpent curled up just off to the side.
[Illus]
I thought to myself, “There he is, that ancient serpent, Satan, that stands behind all false religion in the world.”
The Egyptians were worshipping Satan and many of his fellow demons.
So is everyone else today who isn’t worshipping the God of the Bible - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What God promises to us and delivers to us, we can trust him to keep for us as well.
The northern kingdom was promised and delivered to Jeroboam by God. Rather than trust God in keeping the kingdom, Jeroboam’s fear led him to sin against God in an attempt to keep the kingdom. But sin was the very thing that would cost him the kingdom.
If God has given it to us, he will keep it for us so long as we trust, obey, and worship him alone.
Prayer
Prayer