1 Kings 12:25-13:10

1 Kings 12:25-13:10

In the beginning of 1 Kings 12 we saw Rehoboam turning away from God, and as a result, the kingdom was split in two. Jeroboam became the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but he did not fare much better. Although God had chosen him for this specific moment and set him up as king, Jeroboam chose not to follow God’s commands. Instead, he became worried that if his people continued to travel to Jerusalem to worship God in the Temple then they would eventually turn back to God and accept Rehoboam as their king again. He feared that the nation would be unified, which would leave him with no place to rule. So instead of allowing his people to worship God as they had all been commanded, Jeroboam created two golden calves (similar to what Aaron had done in Exodus). He told them that these were the gods that had rescued their fathers from Egypt. He then kicked out all of the Levites that were in the north and set up his own priests to serve in this false religion that he had created.


At this point in Israel’s history, neither kingdom was truly following after God. They were not that far removed from the days of David and Solomon, the greatest days in their history. But they allowed sin to creep into their lives. They turned away from God and decided to work things out on their own strength. As a result, Israel experienced some of its darkest days (up to that point in their history). But God had not given up on His children. He rose up a prophet in the South and sent him to Jeroboam to confront his sinful actions. The prophet called him out and warned Jeroboam that if he did not turn back to God then punishment would come. The altars he had built for these false gods would be destroyed. Furthermore, he spoke of a future king of Judah through the line of David that would exercise power and authority over Israel. To show that what he spoke was true, God struck Jeroboam’s hand, and it dried up, and destroyed the altar as He had promised. God had made His point, warning Jeroboam of the things to come.

It appears as if Jeroboam initially understood that he had messed up. He knew that he had sinned against God and asked the prophet to pray that God would heal his hand. His hand was restored to him, and he was allowed to continue to his reign over Israel. This had been a warning for Jeroboam. He now had the choice to take heed to what God had told him. He could either turn back to God or continue to reject Him, but he knew the consequences of turning away. God was trying to get Jeroboam’s attention before something worse came upon them. In the same way, God speaks to us today. Through the Holy Spirit we too are convicted of our sins. He shows us what is right and wrong, and we are then left with the choice to remain in our sin or turn back to God. We must never forget that while God is a personal God, as He lives inside us, He is also the Almighty. He can still bring judgment on us; there are still consequences for our sins. This should be a lesson to us to learn to follow God.

Matt