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JEROBOAM, A FOOL’S KING. DAD’S DAY 2024. I Kings 11-13
I Kings 11:29-33
29 Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. 30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you 32 (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.
I Kings 12:25-31
25 Then Jeroboam built[a] Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made [b]shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
I Kings 13:1-3
1 And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”
1. A golden opportunity
a. Solomon had been given every advantage possible
a1. He was chosen by God to rule Israel, though there were many sons of David older than he
a2. He had been given wisdom, wealth, power, glory, honor, peace, and servants
b. Solomon misused his gifts for his own selfish desires
a1. He married 700 women and had 300 concubines
a2. He gathered for himself gold, artwork, animals, jewels, servants, silver, bronze, and things
a3. He built for himself elaborate houses and collected many chariots contrary to the will of God
a4. Levied heavy taxes to pay for his extravagance
c. In the end, all of Solomon’s foreign wives turned his heart away from God
a1. Solomon built idols so his wives could worship
a2. Solomon even placed idols in the temple
d. Due to Solomon’s sins, God raised up Jeroboam to oppose Solomon through rebellion
e. The prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam to inform him that God was giving him 10 tribes to rule over
a1. Due to Sol.’s idol worship and Israel turning away from God, the kingdom would be split in two
a2. Jeroboam was to rule the northern kingdom of Israel
f. Jeroboam was not of royal blood or even highly prominent
a1. Like Saul, God gave Jeroboam a great opportunity
a2. Jeroboam knew why Solomon was being punished
2. Tone deaf
a. After seeing what God did to Rehoboam, Jeroboam Engages in the same sins
a1. He builds 2 Golden Calves as idols
a2. The same sin of Israel in the wilderness
a3. This mimics Baal worship (Baal = a bull)
b. Jeroboam did not learn from the prophet’s words or from the judgment upon Solomon’s household
c. Dads are the heads of their household
a1. Their leadership is not to be self-oriented, arbitrary, or hypocritical
a2. They are to learn from their mistakes
a3. Humility, grace, and modeling are part of being a godly dad (EPH. 6:1-4)
d. If dads fail, then so do their families and the churches they attend, as well as the nation itself
3. Sowing and reaping
a. The prophet pronounced judgment on the altar, but Jeroboam tried to arrest him
b. Even when Jeroboam’s hand withered, he didn’t repent
c. Things that prevent being a godly man: pride, selfishness, stubbornness, lack of discernment, and habits
d. God gives warnings, but we must choose to change
Key passage: Ephesians 6:1-4
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.