1 Kings 14:1 – 18 “At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”
Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”
So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes. You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back. Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam:
I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!
Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has spoken.
As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.
Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today! For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”
Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.”
Jeroboam has wasted no time in spoiling God’s plan for his life! Ahijah was the prophet who first told Jeroboam that God was going to tear 10 tribes away from Rehoboam and give them to Jeroboam. But there were conditions. If Jeroboam would follow God faithfully as David had, then God would establish Jeroboam’s family as a dynasty. But if Jeroboam refused to follow God faithfully, disaster would strike.
Jeroboam’s first mistake was failing to seek counsel from the prophet Ahijah. If Jeroboam had immediately humbled himself and asked Ahijah for direction, Ahijah could have given him wise counsel. Unlike the old prophet who caused the death of the young one by his lies, Ahijah was a true man of God. But Jeroboam just assumed that he was fine and that God had simply recognized his greatness and was now rewarding him. Jeroboam might have assumed that the God of Israel was simply like one more pagan deity, only with prophets who actually spoke for him.
Jeroboam’s next mistake was establishing a fake religion instead of following God’s instructions. Now Jeroboam is about to reap the results of his wickedness. Jeroboam’s son, presumably his heir, is sick and Jeroboam sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah in hopes that Ahijah will pray and the boy will recover. Unfortunately, God says that this boy is the only righteous member of Jeroboam’s family and therefore will die and have an honorable burial. Because Jeroboam has rejected the One True Living God, God has also rejected him. Ahijah gives a spine – chilling description of what will happen to Jeroboam and his descendants. “I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone! Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’
Ahijah goes on to describe what will happen to the ten tribes who have formed the new nation of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. When Jeroboam began establishing his fake religion, these people could easily have rebelled, demanding to be allowed to worship in Jerusalem. But swayed by Jeroboam’s arguments – “It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem” – these people are going along to get along. They have just been waiting for someone to lead them back into idolatry, and now Jeroboam has done so.
“For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.” For failing to oppose Jeroboam and for enthusiastically worshiping idols, the ten tribes will be carried off beyond the Euphrates.
APPLICATION: How much evil will you tolerate? As I am writing this, the U. S. Supreme Court has struck down Roe vs. Wade, the evil suit that legalized abortion in America. It is estimated that 63 million babies have been killed through abortion since 1973. When Roe vs. Wade first came into being, the churches were silent. Now America is reaping the results of years of shedding of innocent blood.
While it is tempting to criticize those in the ten tribes who left Rehoboam to make up the Northern Kingdom, how many of us might have tolerated Jeroboam’s evil acts? How many of us might have comforted ourselves with the idea that we were worshiping God in our homes, no matter what Jeroboam was doing? How many of us would have actually spoken out, knowing that we might pay with our lives for doing so? Realistically speaking, many of us would have remained silent, allowing Jeroboam to bring curses on us and on our families by our refusal to oppose the evil he was bringing.
May God help us so that when evil appears, we stand for righteousness and refuse to hide. May God grant us the ability to speak His Word whenever necessary!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You and to be willing to speak out against idolatry and unrighteousness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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