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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends around the world,
Another new week begins and I wonder if you ever stop for a moment on Mondays and contemplate this thought: What amazing things will happen between this moment and next Monday morning? The truth is, no matter where you live in the world and no matter how much news of events around the world you receive this week, there is so much happening simultaneously, everywhere, we simply cannot comprehend it all!
This past weekend we looked together at the disappointing leadership legacy of king Rehoboam, son of the famous king Solomon and grandson of the most famous king of Israel, David. Rehoboam only reigned 17 years in Jerusalem, as compared to 40 years for both his father and grandfather, but in those 17 years he undid most of the unity, peace, prosperity and the blessing of God over Israel, which he had inherited! This is his epitaph: “There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.” (1 Kings 14:30) “Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart on seeking the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 12:14) It’s true isn’t it my friends… we sometimes reduce a person’s lifelong reputation or legacy to what we can say in about one breath! Imagine, a whole lifetime in a sentence or two!! So…what will they say about you and me, my friends?
Today, as we consider the American election frenzy in its final week, let’s remember there are many newsmaking events happening simultaneously all around the world. To help us with this, let’s consider the simultaneous events going on in greater Israel during the time of king Rehoboam, as recorded in 1 Kings 12:25 – 13:34. When the people were met with new king Rehoboam’s harsh predictions, in response to their request for a lighter governmental burden during his tenure as king, (1 Kings 12:13-16) they walked away so discouraged they chose Jeroboam to be their new leader. He led them to declare independence from king Rehoboam and they retained the name Israel for their new nation, since 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel revolted with Jeroboam.
This Jeroboam had once been a trusted leader in king Solomon’s administration. He was met, on one occasion, by a man of God who gave him a prophecy from God, that because Solomon had turned away from God, God would tear the kingdom of Israel apart, by giving a sizeable portion of the nation to Jeroboam to lead! Somehow jealousy arose between them, and Jeroboam had to flee for his life. He went to Egypt and evidently lived as an exile but must have become known to Egyptian king Shishak or one of his key leaders. Jeroboam must have shared about the grandeur and treasures of king Solomon in Jerusalem, and king Shishak began making a plan that one day those would be his treasures! (1 Kings 11:40; 1 Kings 14:25,26)
Once again in Israel, there are key lessons to be learned in leadership transition. Jeroboam had grown up in Jerusalem. He knew WORSHIP of Almighty, Holy God, at the great temple in Jerusalem, unified the people of Israel, especially with their annual festivals like Passover. It was God’s design and had been very powerful in unifying Israel’s 12 tribes for more than 500 years. Jeroboam was fearful that if the people made that trek and gathered again around the great temple in Jerusalem, their hearts would be drawn back again to being one people, unified in worship. It’s true isn’t it? Worship is very powerful in uniting God’s people, that part of why this COVID pandemic has been so harmful as it has isolated God’s people from one another. Then and now leaders have been faced with the challenges and price of social distancing. Jeroboam had a radical solution!
1 Kings 12:26-33 gives us a remarkable report. Having lived in exile for a while in Egypt, Jeroboam had seen Egyptian worship, and in his rebellious heart a plan was devised! King Jeroboam had two golden calves fabricated, similar to the one built at Mount Sinai by Aaron and the Hebrew slaves while Moses was up the mountain meeting with God, remember? (Exodus 32) With both Jeroboam and Aaron, the golden calves were modeled after worship of idols in Egypt!
Jeroboam then built huge altars and places of worship for these two golden calves, in two different cities in Israel, Bethel in the south and Dan in the north. I’ve stood at the archeological dig called “Tel Dan” from which you can look not far to the north and see into the country of Lebanon. You know the tension which has existed between Jewish Israel and Hezbollah of Lebanon for a long time. In some ways that modern day tension has its roots right here in the days of Jeroboam, and this act of leading a rebellion in dividing Israel and mocking God by building an altar for a golden calf!
You may remember Bethel had a very famous history in Israel. It was the place Jacob spent his first night fleeing from his family. Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder reaching to heaven and angels ascending and descending. There God reaffirmed His covenant with Jacob as son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. Jacob took the rock he’d used as a pillow, poured oil on it and called that place “Bethel”, meaning ‘the house of God’. (Genesis 28) 20 years later Jacob returned to this place with his large family and reconfirmed that covenant with God, and there his name was changed by God from Jacob to Israel. (Genesis 35) For that reason Bethel was a sacred place to the people of Israel down through the centuries. But do you see how king Jeroboam desecrated Bethel by placing a golden calf and altar for sacrifices there?
About 50 years before, Asaph, one of king David’s chief worship leaders had written Psalm 81, and I wonder if Jeroboam had read it? “Hear Me, my people, and I will warn you – if you would only listen to Me, Israel. You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than Me. I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But My people would not listen to Me; Israel would not submit to Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” (Ps. 81:8-12)
The author of 1 Kings continues with their sad description of Jeroboam’s leadership failure: “Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.” (1 Kings 12:31) Within weeks of becoming leader of rebellious Israel, Jeroboam had turned the people of Israel away from their unique heritage, divided their united nation, and directed them away from God to worship man made golden calf idols, fabricated in Egyptian style!
God could not stand by silent and idle. God will not be mocked by His people, especially leaders of His people. I invite you to read 1 Kings 13. It is one of the most amazing chapters in the Bible. Be amazed at how God responded to Jeroboam’s leadership sin by sending a ‘man of God’ up from the area of Jerusalem (Judah) with a very strong message of judgment for Jeroboam. “Altar! Altar! This is what the LORD says. A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here and human bones will be burned on you…and this altar will be split apart and the ashes will be poured out.” (1 Kings 13:2)
Now friends, 300 years later, what God predicted that day, there at Bethel, came true, exactly, through the boy king Josiah, who in leading a great spiritual revival throughout the land of Israel, came to this place Bethel and did exactly what God had predicted he would do! You’ll find it in 2 Kings 23. It’s amazing!!
On this Monday, let’s pause right here for a moment and reflect. In and around Jerusalem, new king Rehoboam was turning the people away from God, even as he and the people lived in the shadow of the magnificent Temple his father king Solomon had built years before. Simultaneously, not far to the north, king Jeroboam was leading rebellion, tearing the nation of Israel apart and restricting the Jewish people from worshiping their Holy God, by directing them to not one but two cities of worship with altars and golden calf idols declared to be the gods who had brought Israel out of Egypt 500 years before!
For the older folks alive in Israel at the time, can you imagine the brokenness of heart they had? They could remember back to the final days of king David’s reign, the early days of king Solomon and now the early days of kings Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Think back to our last few days of reflection, can you imagine all they had seen and their dismay, their shame at how their leaders had failed so miserably and led them away from the God of their ancestors?
Look around my friends, do you see parallels in America or where you live in our world? And what do you sense God is saying to you about this tragedy? What judgment is God preparing for America or other places in our world which have turned so defiantly away from God and are living in such wickedness? What price will those in leadership pay, who have split churches or bankrupt businesses or led communities or schools or Universities, or States or Provinces or entire nations into overt rebellion against God? Consider Hebrews 4:13!!
There are important lessons to be learned in history my friends. May I urge you to take some time and prayerfully reflect. How similar might it be in your heart, your family, your church, your community, your nation? Remember Psalm 14:1,2 “The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one who does good. But the LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any to understand, any who seek God.” What is God seeing right now, as He looks at you and me, at our communities, our churches, our nations?
Oh Almighty God have mercy on us! Leaders of our nations have followed in the paths of Jeroboam and Rehoboam. Evil reigns in our nations, our communities. Help Your people, O God, understand what YOU want us to do in bringing truth and holiness into the darkness of our world, especially now in places like America where leaders are being elected!
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: 1 Kings 12:25-33; 1 Kings 13. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“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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