Sunday Sermons
Learning from Jeroboam's Life
Learning from Jeroboam's Life
and The Prophets Who Served Him
It hard to watch even fictional movies or stories in which the big-hearted hero dies, and yet in 1 Kings chapter 13 we have a real life situation where it seems as if the hero dies and the wicked live to see another day. Jeroboam pushes the Northern Kingdom into idolatry – and yet he lives. An old prophet lies to a young prophet – and he lives. The young prophet who spoke out against Jeroboam’s shrine assumes that the old prophet is telling him the truth, acts upon it – and dies. At first glance, this just doesn’t seem just – until one takes a deeper look.
Unfounded Fears and Error
At the end of 1 Kings chapter 12 we read about the quick formation of an entirely new and quite popular religion. Jeroboam constructs two golden calves, places them in shrines at Bethel and Dan, appoints a new priesthood, and creates a new feast (1 Kings 12:28-33). The motivation for all this? Jeroboam’s fear that the people in his kingdom will eventually want to reunite with the southern kingdom of Judah as they continue to make their yearly trips to Jerusalem to worship (12:27), though God had clearly promised him that his kingdom would endure if he would but only be faithful to following God (1 Kings 11:38). God had also told Jeroboam that idolatry was the very reason why the nation was being torn apart (11:33). The kingdom reuniting was not a bad thing. In fact, if Jeroboam really loved God and God’s people he would have longed for such unity. Jeroboam’s false religion was selfish, sinful and certainly unnecessary. How reminiscent of those who say that churches cannot grow or survive without watering down the message. Yet, the world is filled with churches with watered down messages that are not growing.
Yet Surprised
How could a nation previously ruled by King David and King Solomon be so gullible to instantly follow Jeroboam into idolatry without any objections? And that they would worship golden calves in light of the results of such a practice the last time it was attempted (Exodus 32)?! Hosea was spot on when he said God’s people are destroyed by the unawareness of the lessons of the past and the ignorance of the Scriptures (Hosea 4:6). And what confirmation that we need to always be faithfully teaching the word, for apostasy can happen virtually overnight (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
An Unusual Worship Service
Jeroboam is at the shrine in Bethel (12:32-33) getting ready to offer incense (13:1). An unnamed prophet from Judah has shown up and preaches against the apostasy taking place (13:1-3). He predicts that a specific person, a future descendant of David, named Josiah (who will be born 291 years in the future) will destroy this idolatrous altar – which, of course, like everything else God says is going to happen, this too eventually happened (2 Kings 23:15-16). God sees the future as clearly as He sees the present. Jeroboam attempted to give the command to seize this prophet and instantly his hand miraculously dried up (13:4). “Sometimes God simply interrupts, perhaps to show what liars those are who yawn and blabber how ‘everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation’ (2 Peter 3:4). Something different happened at Bethel that day. A divine word shattered a smooth liturgy. If it was mercy, it was a sudden mercy. And it was a severe mercy. Even kings can be fast learners – It is as if God was whispering in the royal ear, ‘Keep this up if you like, Jeroboam, but think: How many limbs do you want to keep?” (1 Kings, Dale Ralph Davis, p. 149). Jeroboam asks for mercy and it is extended to him when his hand to healed (13:6). Jeroboam then asks the prophet to come home with him for he wants to reward him, yet the prophet refuses (13:7). Jeroboam attempts to win the prophet’s favor by offering him food and a gift, but the prophet refused – he had his orders from God (13:9). Jeroboam thought that food and a reward would honor the young prophet and forgot that what God wanted was his repentance and obedience. First, prophets must not be for sale, and secondly, Jeroboam was an apostate (1 Corinthians 5:9ff). Even in the Old Testament sharing in the meal would be a sign of close fellowship. Shooting the breeze with the king at the moment would make about as much sense as shampooing the carpet while your house is on fire or doing the dishes on the Titanic. Jeroboam tries manipulation, but the road back to God necessitated repentance.
Living in the Land of Compromise
Other passages tell us that by following Jeroboam’s apostasy many of the faithful living in the Northern Kingdom left (2 Chronicles 11:13-16). We are told in 13:11 that an old prophet lived in Bethel, that his sons had been at the shrine, and had witnessed everything. That brings up the question, “Why were they there?” In fact, the old prophet does not say to his sons, “Wait a minute, what were you doing at such an evil place?” Quickly the old prophet gets on the road and catches up to the prophet from Judah (13:14).
The Lie
The old prophet then lies to this unnamed prophet, and says that an angel had given him new information (13:18). Sounds familiar, doesn't it (Galatians 1:6-9)? Here we learn that God does not contradict Himself and that He expects us to test those whose claim they are speaking for Him, by comparing what they claim He has said to them, with the words He has said in the past (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1ff) – He is by no means offended when we test those who claim to represent Him (Revelation 2:2). Sincerely believing a lie does not make up for neglecting the truth. So why did this young prophet trust the word of an old prophet in the Northern Kingdom instead of relying upon what God had originally said?
- Was it because he naively assumed that someone who professed to be believer always spoke the truth?
- Was he fooled by the age, experience or prestige of the old prophet, thinking “Well, he must be right seeing that he has spent more time studying the Scriptures than I have?”
- Was he under the illusion that he could not challenge someone if they claimed that God had indeed spoken to them?
- Did he forget that even prophets can lie and fall away?
- Did he forget that even Satan can use God’s professed servants?
- Observe that the young prophet was not taken in, nor intimidated by Jeroboam or his offers, but was completely fooled by an old prophet. The lesson here is that temptation is often most dangerous when it comes from someone who appears innocent and appears to be on the same page as we are.
Then there is the question concerning why the old prophet lied to him. Why was a single meal with this young prophet so important? Observe that he erroneously claims, “I also am a prophet just like you” (13:18). The old prophet did not, in fact, have the conviction or faithfulness of the younger prophet. Is there a desire to be viewed as being faithful when one is not faithful? How many religious people will often say, “I am a Christian just like you!”, when the immorality in their life says the complete opposite. “The old prophet sports an alarming combination: he speaks the truth of God (20-22) and destroys the servant of God (18). You should be terrified if you have the truth and yet that truth does not grip, control, and transform you. For the old prophet the truth seemed to be more of a game than a love” (Davis, pp. 155-156).
Judgment
The previous faithfulness of the young prophet did not "make up for" his later disobeying God. Yet nothing is said about him complaining. He accepts the verdict from God. Many would argue that his disobedience was in such a tiny matter, after all, had he not confronted Jeroboam; had he not obeyed great deal of what God had told him? Yet God, who judgments are pure and righteous altogether, judged him sternly. Remember, any command that God gives is important, or He would not have given it, and disobedience to any command of God, to any detail in any command, is rebellion. In modern times some would argue that the important element in the command to this young prophet was to confront Jeroboam and whether he ate or drank was really a minor issue. Yet we cannot divide a command into what we as humans perceive to be major and minor aspects. Do not let anyone convince you that as long as you have warm feelings for God and generally do what is right that you can ignore the specific details in His instructions. Despite these type of warnings in the Word of God, many still contend, ‘It does not matter what one believes, just as long as he is sincere’. Yet it was a matter of life and death with this young prophet, and the same will be true of us and for all other generations (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; 2 John 9-11).
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
