Greetings to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this last day of April,
Oh my so much has happened in our world during this month of April. History is being written every day isn’t it? In addition to wars and political turmoil, if you look at these past weeks from a religious or spiritual perspective, we have walked through RAMADAN (Muslim month of fasting & prayer) and EASTER (Christian celebration of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection) and PASSOVER (Jewish celebration of God’s deliverance of their ancestors from slavery in Egypt). More than 3 Billion people in the world have engaged in very significant religious traditions this month, while at the very same time, the place in the world, to which all three of these great religious events point, is embroiled in warfare… again!
As we watch current events, as shocking as they are, join me again looking at the very same place, Israel, about 3000 years ago, for the events happening then were similarly shocking! It was the end of the 40 year reign of King Solomon, the king whom God had blessed with unmatched wisdom, great wealth and remarkable regional and even global influence! But King Solomon had not guarded his heart, even though he had written: “Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23)
Unlike any world ruler before or since, God had TWICE appeared to Solomon assuring the king that God’s hand of unusual protection, provision, blessing and guidance would be upon him, as long as he kept his leadership focus on God’s sovereignty, and God’s plan for His people Israel, and all peoples of the middle east.
Solomon began well, but in his later years, Solomon allowed hundreds of women in his life to draw his heart away from God and Solomon actually began worshiping false gods and constructed places of worship for their idols on the hills east of Jerusalem, which we know is the Mount of Olives! (1 Kings 11:1-12)
Yesterday we looked at God’s shocking response: “Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary…” (1 Kings 11:14,23-25) Actually we find two specific adversaries of Solomon and Israel named in those verses and God takes credit for Himself raising them up in opposition to His people Israel and their king Solomon! Did you get that my friends? This is God’s consistent pattern: When leaders turn away from God, God works in various ways to help them understand the danger of leadership attempts apart from the wisdom and morality of holy God!
That is true in politics, business, education, in health care, in religious organizations and in every segment of society, including the family. God’s discipline often includes God removing His hand of protection and blessing, in order for wayward leaders and their people to experience the pain of adversaries, whom God allows to rise up against morally, spiritually wayward leaders. Oh this is an important leadership paradigm my friends. Look at the history of your nation to see if that has happened.
It appears Solomon was aware but unresponsive. He knew Israel, under his morally failing leadership, had adversaries to the east in Edom and to the north east in Syria, but King Solomon was resolute in his prideful refusal to lead Israel back to God. So God took another step! 1 Kings 11:29 says: “Also Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against King Solomon. Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s officials… Jeroboam was a man of good standing and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, Solomon put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.”
Good leaders are always on the lookout for potential future leaders and Solomon noticed Jeroboam’s work ethic, his integrity and how people admired and followed him, so Solomon wisely called Jeroboam to an elevated and trusted leadership position in Jerusalem. Do you agree that one of the ways we evaluate ‘good senior leaders’ is the quality of those people the senior leaders draw into positions of authority around them? That’s true in every segment of society but especially in government, isn’t it?
God had made it clear in Israel, going all the way back to Moses, that the leadership team, those in high levels of responsibility and authority, should be first of all men of blameless character, very high morals and ethics, and men who sought to know God’s guidance of them, so the could lead the people in accomplishing God’s purposes and plan. Solomon had learned that from his father King David (1 Chron. 28:8,9) and evidently Solomon had seen in Jeroboam the character traits which he believed would be helpful in leading Israel in those strategic times.
The record is careful to give us insight into a dramatic, life changing event for young leader Jeroboam. I Kings 11:29-33 tells us Jeroboam was on his way out of Jerusalem one day, probably on official government business, when he was met by a prophet named Ahijah who shocked him with the news that God was going to bring judgment on King Solomon for his failed leadership.
How? After Solomon’s death, when his son Rehoboam would rise up to take the throne of Israel, God would intervene and tear the kingdom of Israel apart! What? How? Would God Himself cause a civil war in Israel? YES and that is an example, even though radical, of how God moves from Disciple to Judgment when the failing leader is unresponsive to God’s discipline!
Perhaps we can imagine how Jeroboam’s mind was spinning trying to comprehend the tragic implications of what Ahijah had just said. Very likely Jeroboam turned to look at the skyline of his beloved Jerusalem and rising high above it, the great Temple of God, the construction of which King Solomon had personally overseen in his early years as king.
Ahijah then did something which stunned Jeroboam speechless. Ahijah was wearing a new coat and taking it off, Ahijah began tearing it into pieces!! Finally 12 large pieces of shredded coat lay on the ground. Ahijah’s words sent Jeroboam into a spiritual and intellectual frenzy: “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD the God of Israel says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes… I will do this because they have forsaken Me and worshipped Ashthoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in obedience to Me, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father did…” (1 Kings 11:31-33)
Look at him! Jeroboam looks like someone just punched him! His head began to throb, his knees grew weak and maybe started to wobble, perhaps he felt faint and simply sat down thinking he may fall down! The 12 tribes of the kingdom of Israel had experienced nearly 4 decades of prosperity, peace and great unity. It was unthinkable that 10 tribes would split away.
But Jeroboam also knew God was right. Not only had King Solomon allowed many Israelites to turn away from the Holy God of Israel, Solomon himself, the king of Israel, was worshipping these false gods and had even built worship temples for them!! (1 Kings 11:4-8) Perhaps, since Jeroboam was in charge of leading a labor force, Solomon had actually required Jeroboam and his workers to construct some of those hideous idols and worship temples!
Now we need to pause right here and catch our breath with Jeroboam. Oh Ahijah has much more shocking news to share, and tomorrow if you’ll join me here, we’ll see what Ahijah says and what it means.
For today look around your nation, your part of the world, and especially the middle east. Do you see how the modern events are so similar to what was happening to Israel in 1 Kings 11? Do you see moral implosion happening in the leadership of your country? And can you identify things which may be God’s hand of discipline? Is it possible God’s judgment is soon forthcoming? Oh my friends, we need to seek the face of God, asking for His understanding of our current world situation, and here’s a worship song which may help us.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 11:26-35.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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