The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.(1 Kings 11:9 NIV)
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered. (1 Kings 12:20-24 NIV)
25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.[c]
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.” 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. (1 Kings 12:25-30 NIV)
(Aaron) ..he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden[fn] calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”(Exodus 32:4 ESV)
31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.(1 Kings 12:31-33 NIV)
Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.(1 Kings 13:33-34 NIV)
You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.“ ‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free.[fn] I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone.(1 Kings 14:9-10 NIV)
THE SINS OF JEROBOAM
1 Kings 12:25-33 (2 Chron. 13:8-10)
· His attempt to secure his kingdom became his downfall (12:25-27)
· Calf worship in Bethel and Dan (12:28-33; cf. Hosea 8:4-7)
1. Changed the object of worship - 12:28
2. Changed the place of worship - 12:29, 31
3. Changed the priesthood - 12:31 (13:33)
4. Changed the feast days - 12:32
· Devised in his own heart (12:33)
· “More evil that all who were before you” (1 Kgs. 14:9)
· “The sins of Jeroboam” a marker of subsequent sins in Israel (1 Kgs. 14:16; 2 Kgs. 17:21-23)
LESSONS FOR US
· Great opportunities are no guarantee of success.
· Knowing God’s word does not mean we will obey it.
· Stubborn selfishness leads to destruction.
· God will be honored by His people, or in their sin they will be destroyed.
· God keeps His word, so we must put our faith in Him and not our own devises.
