“When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’”
So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.
Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.
Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, (one month after the Feast of Tabernacles) and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.”
God has torn the Northern Kingdom away from Rehoboam just as he promised, leaving Rehoboam only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. When Rehoboam wants to go to war to get back the rest of the tribes, God stops him. But Jeroboam is not a believer, and even though God has promised to establish him if he remains true to God, Jeroboam panics. What if the Israelites keep returning to Jerusalem? Won’t they change loyalties back to Rehoboam and kill Jeroboam?
On the face of it, this fear is ridiculous. Rehoboam is obviously a fool, and nobody in his right mind would follow him. Judah and Benjamin are following Rehoboam out of tribalism, not for personal loyalty. But Jeroboam doesn’t ask God for advice; instead, Jeroboam’s answer is to set up his own religion using….. wait for it…. golden calves! That’s right. Jeroboam revives the worship of Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of fertility and makes two golden calves, one at Bethel and the other at Dan in the far northeast corner of the territory.
The argument Jeroboam uses is a sly satanic one. ““Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” Given the opportunity to do something simple and cheap, Jeroboam’s people are more than ready to follow his lead. In addition, since Hathor is a fertility goddess, there are probably lots of opportunities for ritual sex as part of the worship. Jeroboam does a complete job, building shrines on every high hill and setting up his own priests from all classes of people. One wonders how many men buy their way into the priesthood, thereby enriching Jeroboam.
Ever since Solomon built that incredible temple in Jerusalem, shutting down temples in other parts of Israel, the people whose temples were closed have been simmering with resentment. Now Jeroboam is giving them precisely what they want, even if it is in a perverted form. No thanks to Solomon’s 1,000 wives and concubines, there are plenty of idol worshipers left in the kingdom, and now is their chance to shine.
This is what is left of Jeroboam’s temple at Tell Dan in the northeastern tip of Israel. The metal frame indicates how enormous the altar was. Given the opportunity, the citizens of the Northern Kingdom swiftly revert to idol worship.
APPLICATION: Jeroboam’s argument echoes down the centuries. “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you…” Appealing to self – pity is one of Satan’s most effective ploys. Rather than bestir himself to seek God’s face, Jeroboam settles for something he can do himself. Jeroboam becomes his own amateur providence, and this never works. Jeroboam has the opportunity to do something truly magnificent, and he fails completely. Jeroboam could have begged God to send him someone to guide him as he sets up his kingdom and God would have freely done so. But God is waiting to see what Jeroboam will do, and Jeroboam follows the terrible example of Aaron, Saul, and everyone else who has settled for the expedient rather than the holy.
Jeroboam then turns around and practices the same thing on his followers. What a prince! Rather than demanding we struggle to go to Jerusalem, Jeroboam is setting up local places of worship. And this new religion is very simple and appealing. No more Ten Commandments! No more extensive sacrifices. Whee!
Each of us chooses daily whether to worship God or to do something less. True worship demands a sacrifice of time, of effort, and occasionally of money. Harold Hill, a Christian in an earlier generation, was fond of saying that “It isn’t a sacrifice of praise until you are pushing it out through clenched teeth.” Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” God knows our hearts, and He doesn’t like fakes. Worship does not have to be complicated, but it does have to be sincere. Let us worship God in spirit and in truth!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship you every moment of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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