1 Kings chapter 12.
Introduction and Recap
Last week we looked at verses 1 to 24. Specifically what we saw there was the request of the northern tribes in verses 1 to 15. They come to Rehoboam. They are led by Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and essentially they ask for a lighter load.
They complain that Solomon had been a bit of a heavy hand with reference to the northerners, and so they ask for some degree of reprieve. Rehoboam then seeks out counsel from the elders they give. They give wise counsel. They counsel that he makes concessions with the northern tribes to try and keep everything peaceful and happy.
But then he rejected the advice which the elders had given him. He consulted with the young men, and he followed their advice. And essentially, instead of making concessions, he turned to threats and intimidation. That then led to the revolt of the northern tribes in verses 16 to 20.
Remember, this is all according to the will, the purpose, and the plan of God. the prophecy that was made by Ahijah, the man of God, in chapter 11. But the northern tribes revolt against the southern tribes, and then the chapter ends, or that section rather, ends with a requirement for the southern tribes. Rehoboam wanted to launch a military incursion against the northern tribes to try and regain control of the entire kingdom, but he was counseled by Shemaiah, the man of God, that he stand down. Instead of launching this incursion, stand down, this thing is from me, from the Lord as well.
And now we pick up in chapter 12, verses 25 to 33. If the first part of the chapter highlight Rehoboam's folly regarding matters of state, verses 25 to 33 highlight Jeroboam's failure with reference to matters of worship. So I'll read at verse 25.
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 12:25–33
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, now the kingdom may return to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord, Rehoboam, king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam, king of Judah.
Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt. And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
He made shrines on the high places and made priests from every class of people who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high place which he had made.
So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense."
Introduction
Well, certainly not a good start for Jeroboam as he begins to lead the northern tribes. In terms of political maneuvering, he uses religion or worship to try to maintain control on the northern tribes. And essentially what we have in this brief section of scripture are two primary observations. First, the motivation behind his idolatry in verses 25 to 27, and then the execution of his idolatry in verses 28 to 33.
Jeroboam's Political Foundation
Note in the first place his defense. This is a legitimate expression of a newly ordained or newly installed king. Verse 25, Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel.
Now where it says he built Shechem, remember they met at Shechem to consider Rehoboam's ascendancy to the throne. Shechem was already existing. I think the marginal reading in the New King James is preferable here. He fortified Shechem.
The same thing is probably true with reference to Penuel. He took military action or he fortified these particular key cities that were east-west trade routes and he fortifies them. This is a good maneuver on the part of a new king to secure his boundaries. Notice as well, however, that he then devolves or degenerates with reference to his religious approach to religious worship.
Now there's a bit of a debate here in terms of Jeroboam. Some portray him as not really being that bad after all. Perhaps he was just a bit misunderstood. They suggest that he built those calves or he set up those calves not as an object of worship, but as a means to facilitate the worship of Yahweh.
This was a common thing in the ancient Near Eastern world. Calves would oftentimes be the carriers of deity. And when you look at, say, for instance, the Ark of the Tabernacle or the temple itself, you see that God's presence rested upon the cherubim. And so some suggest that what we have with Jeroboam is not so much wickedness, but he was just a bit misunderstood.
We also need to keep in mind that Judean authors were the ones who wrote 1 Kings, and they certainly would want to portray Jeroboam in a sort of a negative light. The idea being is that he was maybe a little bit misguided, but he wasn't a wicked idolater. I think that he was a wicked idolater, and I think that the Scripture sets that forth pretty plainly and pretty clearly. In the first place, there's a great deal of similarity here between Jeroboam and Aaron in Exodus chapter 32.
We'll see more of that as we proceed tonight. As well, the use of representations are forbidden in the second commandment. Let's just grant for a moment that he was just using those bull calves as a means to direct the worshiper to Yahweh. That in and of itself is condemned by the second commandment.
You're not supposed to make any visible representation to aid, to assist, to facilitate the worship of the living and the true God. Davis, for instance, makes this observation. It may be, now I don't think Davis agrees that it was. In fact, he doesn't.
This was in a footnote. He says it may be that Jeroboam's intent was syncretistic. Now that word syncretistic simply means this. When you take a little bit of this religion, you take a little bit of this religion, and you combine it together to have sort of a new religion.
A dictionary online calls it the combination, or defines it, the combination of different forms of belief or practice. So in other words, we have a little bit of Baal and we have a little Yahweh in order to produce this particular type of worship. That's syncretism. That's something that happens all throughout the Old Testament, and it's as much idolatrous as just bowing before a calf and calling it God.
So we need to understand that. Syncretism isn't, you know, something that is a little less idolatrous. It's still idolatrous, and we see it condemned as such when we move through scripture. But Davis says it may be that Jeroboam's intent was syncretistic rather than idolatrous, i.e., to worship Yahweh by means of bull worship. breaking the second commandment rather than the first.
But to worship the true God in a false way, the second commandment, inevitably leads to worshiping a false God, the first commandment. We need to understand the first two commandments target primarily idolatry. The first commandment specifies the God we are supposed to worship. You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall have no other gods besides me. Yahweh alone. But the second commandment defines how we are to worship that true God. So if we have the right God, but we have the wrong approach to worship, then it really isn't the right God that we're worshiping.
We need to understand that those two go hand in hand. You don't have one without the other. You don't have a proper approach to a false God. You don't have an improper approach to the true God.
You have to have both of those commandments down, because if you don't, you're in sin and rebellion against God. But then as well, decisively, the next chapter, Ahijah, the man of God, condemns what Jeroboam does. Notice in chapter 14 at verse 9. But you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back.
Now, it's not just a modern theory. John Gill quotes one of the Jewish rabbis who saw the text this way as well. Jeroboam wasn't necessarily committing idolatry. He was using these calves in order to facilitate the worship of the true God.
But the passage itself, specifically later in verse 28, indicates that he did present these things as the gods that had, in fact, led them out of the land of Egypt. So we are dealing with Jeroboam committing corporate idolatry, institutionalized idolatry, putting it at a level that prior to this time had been seen in Exodus 32 with reference to Aaron, and then in Judges chapter 17 and 18, where Micah has this Levite and engages in idolatry, and then the tribe of Dan co-ops that and brings it into a more massive scale in the tribe of Dan. So we're dealing with wicked Jeroboam.
Motivation: Fear and Insecurity
Now note specifically his motivation for his activities in verses 26 to 27. The source of his motivation is given in 26a. Jeroboam sat in his heart. You see the mistake there?
We're not supposed to rationalize with our hearts what the true worship of God is to look like. We're supposed to obey the written word of God Almighty. Now when we come to this particular statement in verse 26a, Jeroboam said in his heart, We ought not to forget what happened with Solomon and his heart. These foreign women turned his heart away from following the Lord.
In chapter 11, Ahijah the prophet tells Jeroboam very specifically the path of blessing in 1138. He says, then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in my ways and do what is right in my sight to keep my statutes and my commandments as my servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house as I built for David and will give Israel to you. So he has the example of Solomon's heart. He has the commandment of God through the prophet.
And this fool wants to rationalize or listen to his own heart. Matthew Poole says the phrase discovers the fountain of his error, that he did not consult with God who had given him the kingdom. This is the improper motivation when it comes to the worship of God. Our hearts cannot be trusted.
Our hearts will always lead us to the path of least resistance. Our hearts will always lead us to entertainment rather than doctrine. Our hearts will lead us to idols that indulge us in our sin and wickedness rather than to the God of absolute holiness. We're not supposed to listen to our hearts.
We're supposed to obey the commandments of God. That is crucial. Now, if our hearts are steeped with the commandments of God and our hearts are communicating to us the commandments of God, then goody. But if we are not being guided by the truth of God's Holy Word, we are always going to fail.
We are always going to fall. Now, notice the description of his motivation in 26b to 27. In the first place, he has this fear that the kingdom would return to the house of David. 26b. Now, the kingdom may return to the house of David.
He no sooner takes the helm and he's already stricken with fear. In fact, much of this motivation for idolatry stems from this fear and insecurity. Fear and insecurity on the part of a leader will lead him to engage in manipulation, seeking to control the situation, seeking to try and take out any risk whatsoever. Brethren, if we have a sovereign God, we don't have to fret and worry and try to control and manipulate every circumstance and every detail.
We trust in the living and the true God. This is what Jeroboam is failing to do. Notice he realizes that if the people went to Jerusalem, they would go back to Rehoboam. You see the particular situation.
You've got the northern tribes up here, you've got the southern tribes down here. What happens to be amongst the southern tribes? Jerusalem. That's the place where the temple is now standing.
That's the place God had commanded for centralized worship. Jeroboam reckons that if these people travel down to Jerusalem, they'll not just stay in Jerusalem with reference to religion, but they'll go back to their particular king, Rehoboam. So he realizes that if they in fact go to Jerusalem, they will in fact go back to Rehoboam. And then he fears that the people would kill him, 27b, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam, king of Judah.
This is an insecure man. Wouldn't you say? I mean, this leadership does not flow from, or this idolatry does not flow from a stable, secure man who is comfortable under God, but rather he is riddled with insecurity and fears and doubts. He does not trust Rehoboam in the first place.
Remember I suggested that we ought to see what happens at Shechem and Penuel, not as building, but as fortifying. He doesn't trust Rehoboam. He believes that Rehoboam is going to come back and try to take the northern tribes. He does not trust the northerners, the very people that he governs, for in verse 27 he says, then they will kill me.
I mean, this guy doesn't even trust the people that he has been stationed over. As well, he does not trust his own legitimacy as the king of the northern tribes. Notice what verse 27 says. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord, Rehoboam, king of Judah.
So he's not even content or he's not even secure or stable in his own God-given leadership role. This kingdom split was of the Lord. Ahijah had handed 10 pieces of that new garment to Jeroboam. Ahijah not only handed him those 10 pieces, but he also handed him the word of the Lord.
And the word of the Lord said, I am doing this for you, Jeroboam. And if you obey, and if you are faithful, and if you are compliant with the law, then I will prosper you. So he doesn't trust Rehoboam, he doesn't trust his own people, he doesn't trust the legitimacy to the throne he has, and ultimately he does not trust God, because God had put him in that particular position. Proven says that he fears that the presence of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will be a more decisive factor in this matter than his own obedience.
It is this inability to trust that is his downfall, for he must now strive for security for himself. In his thinking, religion becomes simply an aspect of political control. I wonder if the sorts of idolatry that we see present in our own day could be brought back to that place where you have insecure men or an insecure man that wants to try and control people and he feeds them a great big dose of idolatry in order to do it. This is what Jeroboam is doing to control the northern tribes.
He feeds them false religion so that they don't go to the true religion Because if they go to the true religion, they're going to abandon Him. It's a means by which He is striving to control these people. Matthew Henry says, a practical disbelief of God's all-sufficiency is at the bottom of all our treacherous departures from Him. I think he's absolutely right.
And this is precisely what marks those men in Caiaphas' palace. Go to John chapter 11. I referred to this on Sunday morning. John chapter 11, we looked at the parallel in Matthew chapter 26 verses 1 to 5, that conspiracy to commit murder.
It was born out of the same sort of insecurity, the same sort of fear, the same sort of little-mindedness on the part of Christ's enemies. Notice in chapter 11 of John's gospel in verse 48, if we let him alone like this, Everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. You see, they conspire to murder the Messiah out of fear that their place and their nation will be taken away. Now, their place most likely means their positions of authority.
These elders, these chief priests, these scribes, these Pharisees, these men that made up the Sanhedrin saw Jesus Christ as a threat to their place, to their nation. So they engage in a conspiracy to commit murder. And thus, by their actions, lead the nation down the pathway of idolatry. For in the rejection of the Messiah, that is to open oneself up to embrace all manner of wickedness and evil.
Hence the whole Olivet discourse and Christ's threat of judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70. So there's nothing new under the sun. Weak-minded, insecure men want to try and manipulate and control situations and circumstances because they are afraid of what may happen if they lose a grip on their particular situation.
Execution of Jeroboam's Idolatry
Now notice in chapter 12, verses 28 to 33, with reference to the execution of his idolatry. It's reading verse 28 this morning, therefore the king asked advice. You mean there were actually fools out there that advised him to do this? It's an unfortunate thing, isn't it?
Just like Rehoboam. Rehoboam sought advice too. I think by way of maybe a moralistic sideline note, find good advisors in your life. Find people that have an ounce of horse sense and some knowledge of scripture before you seek out advice?
I mean, Rehoboam's great error was to reject and resist the advice of the wise elders who had stood in the presence of the wisest man that had lived up to that time. He sought out the young men and he took to intimidation and threats. Well, Jeroboam sought out advice as well, and it was terrible, bad advice. In a multitude of counselors, there is safety.
Solomon tells us that in the Proverbs. I think the unspoken sort of premise, however, is that they're wise counselors. Don't seek out foolish counselors. Surround yourself with intelligent people.
Young people ought to go to their parents. Parents ought to go to other trusted people. We ought to seek counsel with people that are wise. We can't live without counsel.
We certainly, however, must seek out wise counsel. So the king asked advice. Now notice, with reference to the idolatry, it begins in 28b and ends at verse 33. I listed six particular things that were, you know, grievous acts of idolatry in this particular section.
Rejection of the First and Second Commandments
In the first place, we have a rejection of the first and second commandments, 28b. Notice. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.
The making of two calves for use in the worship of God is a violation of the second commandment. To identify those two calves as the gods who brought you out of Egypt is a violation of the first commandment. See, typically it is the case. You don't violate one without the other.
It's a package deal. If we don't come to the true God in the way that He specifies, we are going to fall into sin. Obviously, if we go to a false god, I mean, I don't think there's a way to go to a false god with the right means, but you get the point. We need the true God, and we need the true way to get to that God, and that's what's stipulated in Commandments 1 and 2.
So, what we find is that he rejects the first and the second commandments.
Rejection of the Central Sanctuary
Secondly, he rejects Deuteronomy chapter 12. This is 28C to verse 30. Now, you might ask, what is Deuteronomy chapter 12? Deuteronomy chapter 12 was God's commandment for a central sanctuary.
In other words, there ought to be one place in Israel where Israelites go in order to worship God. Prior to the temple being made, it seemed to be located at Shiloh. Once the temple was made, or even prior to the temple, we see the ark of the tabernacle brought to Jerusalem by David. So since 2 Samuel 6, The city of Jerusalem served as this centralized sanctuary.
Now once the temple is built in 1 Kings chapter 8, it's a done deal. That's where Israelites go to worship. Now there's a rationale for this. God knows that if People go worshipping God wherever they might hanker to do so, it typically does not end well.
This was a means by which the religion of Israel would be kept pure. It wasn't to be the case that persons were to go just when they got an idea to go out and worship. There's that instance in the book of Joshua where the Eastern tribes erect an altar and the Western tribes want to go and liquidate them. And then the Easterners say, we only made this as a witness and as a testimony.
That was legit. Had they made it for a place of actual worship, that would have been a violation. So you see what Jeroboam is doing. He wants to rip Deuteronomy 12 right out of the Bible.
The central sanctuary in Jerusalem was in accordance with Deuteronomy 12, 1 to 14. Now, his design, again, at least on the level of an insecure, fearful, untrusting little man, it makes sense. If the northerners go to Jerusalem, they're going to go back to Rehoboam. You get the logic, right?
So what does he say? I can't let them go back to Jerusalem. I know what I'll do. I'll facilitate them in both the north, Dan, and in the south, Bethel.
Now, Bethel was only about 12 miles to the north of Jerusalem. So, I mean, somebody that wanted to make it to Bethel could certainly make it to Jerusalem. But there's more driving Jeroboam here than just the convenience of his people. It is to keep them in a hostage situation.
Matthew Henry says, if they cleave to their old religion, they will go back to their old king. So we've got Dan, which is the northernmost part of Israel, and then you've got Bethel, which is not the most southern part, but just about of the southernmost part of the north. You get that? The southernmost part of the north.
Now, notice the particular reasons that he gives to them. And I think these would have a certain appeal. I think they would today. In the first place, he appeals to convenience.
Notice verse 28, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Now you might think that if you're in the north, you're going down to Jerusalem, but wherever you are in Israel, you're going up to Jerusalem. That's just the idiom. That's just the way that you would say that.
But it's convenient. You don't need to go that extra 12 miles. You've got Dan to the north, you've got Bethel to the south, we've got, you know, two places. Choose your poison, wherever you want to go.
I actually think this is a means that is employed today in order to facilitate idolatry. We all like convenience, don't we? Now, I'm not suggesting we purposely make worship inconvenient. Okay, we're going to put barbed wire up at our door and you're going to have to shimmy through without getting caught because we got to know.
I'm not suggesting we ought to make it inconvenient, but the modern marketing craze with reference to idolatrous worship tries to make it very convenient. We'll come to your house and we'll give you a Bible study in your house. We'll bring our calf idols. right into your living room, and we'll let you touch them and pet them. We'll describe them to you.
We'll give you books about them, and we'll weave a tale so that you'll embrace this. It's convenient, this false religion. But it might also be read this way. It is a means of consolidation.
The text could be, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, or it might just be Jeroboam saying, you have gone there long enough. Based on recent events, based on the northern revolt from the south, you no longer have a need to go down there. Those are bad people. We need to consolidate our particular kingdom.
So we've got Dan to the north and Bethel to the south. As well, this idea of accessibility. We've got Dan to the north and Bethel to the south. You've got two places.
Choose which one you will have. Or it might be association. And by that I mean that Dan and Bethel both contain or carry specific association. Dan was the place where the Danites worshipped this particular idol that had come from Micah and his Levi. but as well Bethel.
You know what the word Bethel means? It means house of God. And there's strong, blessed associations of Bethel with Abraham in the book of Genesis and with Jacob in the book of Genesis. So it might be something like this.
We've got them in Dan, which has already known a religious innovation of its own in the history in Judges 18, and we've got Bethel. I mean, if Abraham worshiped there successfully, and if Jacob worshiped there successfully, why can't we, their ancestors, worship there successfully? You see, Jeroboam's playing. Not playing in the sense of playing games, but he is playing the crowd.
He is manipulating them. He is trying to control them and keep them under his particular thumb. And then as well, the apparent success of the proposal. Notice in verse 30.
Now this thing became a sin for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. In other words, it worked. Doesn't this give impetus to idolaters to see the apparent success? This is always a scary thing when you measure church life in terms of numbers or in terms of success.
Success doesn't always mean it's right. I mean, there's some huge cults out there. I think I've read that Joel Osteen, what, 30,000 people go to his places? I mean, his church is an old sports stadium.
Now, you look at that, and by worldly standards, it looks really successful. I mean, they probably have a coffee bar. They probably have a gift shop. They probably have a book table.
You can buy, you know, all of his smiling face books right as you walk in. But that's not success as God would measure it. I love what Steve has quoted often. You know, the Puritans used to say, the mark of a successful service is that the Word of God was preached.
That's really not the way we think anymore. They've got a clean nursery. They've got great activities for the young people. Yeah, but there's golden calves at the front of their altar.
I mean, come on! But we like our clean nurseries, and we like activities for our youth, and we like bongo drums and worship. Whatever it takes, but they've got golden calves at the front. It doesn't matter.
Those places are packed. Success, or numbers, or the fact that everybody goes to Dan, or goes to Bethel at the suggestion of Jeroboam, doesn't mean it's right. It doesn't mean it's true. It is the Word of God that is our standard every step of the way.
So he rejects the first and second words, he rejects Deuteronomy 12.
Rejection of Solomon's Temple
Thirdly, he rejects Solomon's temple. Notice 31a, he made shrines on the high places. Now that's a bit of a difficult statement to sort of unfold. The Geneva Bible says, also he made an house of high places.
They give a comment, the old Geneva Bible was a study Bible, and not only is this probably one of the better translations in terms of the text itself, but the comment is accurate. That is a temple where altars were built for idolatry. So he made shrines on the high places. No, he made a house of high places, most likely in Bethel.
The house of God has now become the temple of this idolatrous cult. Proven says, so he builds a house of high places, i.e. an illegitimate temple in the singular with its own altar in Bethel. You see what he's doing? He's absolutely aping true religion.
He is counterfeiting or duplicating every step of the way the true. This is what's oftentimes more difficult to see, to sort of determine. Now, obviously, golden calves gives the whole thing away. But with reference to the attendant worship of those golden calves, it mirrors Judah's worship.
We'll see that as we move along. Every step of the way, Jeroboam is duplicating with a perverted twist what is happening in the southern tribes, what is happening with the true religion of Yahweh. And then
Rejection of the Levitical Priesthood
notice, fourthly, there is a rejection of the Levitical priesthood. Not a rejection of priests, because any man from any class can now become a priest. Notice in 31b, and he made priests from every class of people who were not of the sons of Levi. Now this every class of people probably doesn't mean, you know, anybody whatsoever, probably means it's not confined to the tribe of Levi.
So you see, he's got his own priesthood, he's got his own sanctuary, he's got his own temple, he's got everything in place, but he doesn't stop there. Notice the
Rejection of the Appointed Feasts
rejection of the law concerning feasts. Verse 32, Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah. Now, the feast that was in Judah was the Feast of Tabernacles. It was on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
You see, when he tries or conspires to keep the people in the North, he gives them essentially everything they would have gotten in the South, just with his own tweaks, just with his own twists, just with his own accommodations. Davis says, religion for Jeroboam was not a given, but something pliable to be massaged and shaped as one prefers. That's wrong. That's not the way we're supposed to approach the worship of the living God.
It's not something that is pliable, something to be massaged and shaped as one prefers. And then
Rejection of Deuteronomy 12:32
sixth, in terms of verses 32 and 33, I'm sorry, verse 33, it kind of summarizes, look at verse 32. So Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made." See, it's come to fruition. Everything that he has done, he has put into practice.
And then in verse 33, so he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Now, probably he made offerings. As we get to chapter 13, he has no problem with being in the holy place doing the offerings. And then it says, on the 15th day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart, and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.
So in the sixth place, I submit that this is a rejection of Deuteronomy chapter 12, verse 32. You can either turn there or listen to me quote it. Deuteronomy 12.32 says this, whatever I command you, now remember 12.1-14 Central Sanctuary. Deuteronomy, you know, chapter five, first and second commandments.
Deuteronomy 16 deals with feasts and when you're supposed to appear in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles, for instance. All these things have been stipulated. So in 1232, it's sort of a summary statement in Deuteronomy that we often ought to refer to. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it.
You shall not add to it nor take away from it. You see, at every step of the way, Jeroboam has violated that principle. In his rejection of the first and second commandment, in his rejection of the central sanctuary, in his rejection of the temple itself, in his rejection of the Levitical priesthood, every step of the way, Jeroboam has fallen in that particular application. Profane offerings on a profane altar on a different date and a different location.
You see, you cannot come from this and say, well, you know, this was just another approach. He sort of had a liturgical renewal. Some guys actually suggest that's what's happening here. But he's just tweaking it a little bit to fit the northern tribes.
You know, when you get to 2 Kings chapter 17, it describes the fall of the northern kingdoms. You know what it's ascribed to? Jeroboam, the son of Nebat and his idolatry. And the fact that the people followed him into this.
You see, he institutionalized idolatry. The specific date, notice in verse 33, and I would suggest the other trappings that he had instituted, he had devised in his own heart. There's that wretched heart again at the very beginning of the narrative and at the very end of the narrative. What is it?
It's not, thus saith Yahweh. It's not what the Lord commanded. It's what came out of his wretched heart. The folly involved is evident.
Davis makes this observation. Our writer, however, is not a detached historian content simply to describe Jeroboam's religious ingenuity for your enlightenment. He is rather a disciple of Yahweh who mocks the king's cult even as he depicts it. The writer says that Jeroboam's cult is both different and stupid.
He does this, I suggest, in a subtle but telling way. Do you know how he does it? Look at the verb that is used eight times in verses 31 to 33. It first appears in verse 28.
He made two golden calves. Look at verses 31 to 33. He made shrines on the high places. He made priests from every class of people.
Verse 32, Jeroboam made a feast on the 15th day of the eighth month. toward the end. So he did it Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. Verse 33, so he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel.
And then verse toward the end, and he made a feast for the children of Israel. Now, Davis cautions us, the verb made is quite common, it's not something that is very infrequent in Scripture, but it certainly does seem as if the author is trying to underscore for us and highlight to us The fact that this did not come from God, it comes from Jeroboam. It came from his own wretched heart. He begins by musing in his own heart and it ends by telling us he devised this day of his own heart.
So Jeroboam's idolatry is obvious in 1 Kings 12.
Lessons from Jeroboam's Idolatry
There's a few lessons I think we ought to appreciate. In the first place, the characteristics of idolatry, just in 1 Kings 12, certainly we could study the doctrine or the idea of idolatry from Genesis to Revelation. It is a conspicuous doctrine. In fact, one of the most excellent book on idolatry is by G.K.
Beale. It's called, We Become What We Worship, A Biblical Theology of Idolatry. And Beale's main sort of thesis statement is penetrating. He says, what we revere, we resemble, either for our ruin or redemption.
And the idea being, Psalm 115, those who make idols become like them. In other words, in Psalm 115, the idols are called those things that have eyes that don't see, they have ears that don't hear, they have mouths that don't speak. How many times is Israel upbraided for having ears but not hearing and eyes but not seeing? When Israel is called stiff-necked, it's probably a reference to calves or goats because they're stiff-necked.
You have to put a yoke upon that. Well, when you worship a bull calf, you become like that. You become stiff-necked just like that. So, idolatry from Genesis to Revelation is a most powerful, an inducement to the sons of men.
And that book is most excellent. But in terms of this particular chapter, I would suggest a few things. In the first place, it is the rotten fruit of listening to one's own heart instead of the word of God. You just can't be trusted, right?
I'm sorry you're going to go home tonight and seek out your safe space because Jim said your heart can't be trusted. But somebody needs to tell you that. You need the scriptures. What's that statement in Proverbs 3?
You know, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Why? Because when we lean on our own understanding, we make a mess of things. Look back in your history and consider every time you leaned on your own understanding and ask yourself, how did that turn out?
Right? This is emphasized throughout scripture. Calvin says man's nature is a perpetual factory of idols. Secondly, this idolatry is born out of fear, insecurity, and a failure, ultimately, to trust God.
Now, I don't want to get psychological and try to put Jeroboam on the couch and, you know, tell me what your childhood was like, were your parents nice to you. I don't want to do all that. But it's obvious the man was afraid. He didn't want to lose the kingdom back to Rehoboam.
He was insecure. He failed to trust God. God told him through the prophet, do what you're supposed to do vis-a-vis obey my commands and everything will go well and I will prosper you. But no, he was fearful and he was insecure and he failed to trust God.
Thirdly, it was born out of a desire to impose and maintain political control over people. It's a problematic thing when politicians use religion, a sort of manipulated, tweaked version of religion to try and control the body politic. There's just enough little sound bites with reference to the politicians in terms of religion to sway our hearts and make us say, but he said, God bless us all. He must be a good man.
We need to be very cautious and very careful. Invoking the deity for political maneuvering cannot be a good invocation of deity, brethren. That may border on blasphemy. If I'm just saying God bless you so I can get your vote, then that's not the kind of religion that we as God's people ought really to appreciate.
Fourthly, it is syncretistic. That's, again, combining elements of falsehood along with truth. That does not result in purity. You can't combine Yahweh with Baal and end up with good things.
It's just not going to happen. And then, as I mentioned earlier, it is counterfeit. Jeroboam's religion was modeled after true religion. He had an object of worship. not Yahweh, but these bull calves.
He had a place for worship, not Jerusalem, but Bethel. He had a temple that he had manufactured. He had priests to facilitate worship, feast days to engage in worship, and sacrifice at the heart of worship. You see, that's what he's doing.
He's offering up sacrifices in order to worship these bull calves. Now, I thought of heretics and cults. They use biblical terminology, but it's empty of biblical truth. Just because a guy knows what the word redemption is, he says redemption, doesn't mean he understands what's true.
Read the early church fathers or the reformers or anybody who deals with the doctrine of the Trinity, and they will highlight and they will tell you time and time again. It's not the word so much, but the meaning that the words carry. So if the Jehovah's Witness or the Mormon says, yeah, we believe in being born again, we believe in redemption, we believe in reconciliation, they don't mean it the way the Bible means it, and that's what's important. So Jeroboam had the appearance, Jeroboam had the place, he had the object, he had the day, he had the sacrifice, he even had the priest to facilitate it.
But it wasn't true, it wasn't accurate, it wasn't legitimate. Secondly, we ought to appreciate the responsibility of leadership. James was not joking when he said, let not many of you become teachers, for we shall receive a stricter judgment. I mentioned that Jeroboam was sort of like Moses in the first part of the chapter.
Jeroboam was in Egypt. He comes to Israel. He liberates the northern tribes from the severe oppression imposed upon them by Rehoboam. He's a Moses-like figure.
At the end of chapter 12, he's an Aaron-like figure. He is engaged in idol-making to lead the people of God astray. Proven says this, the story is still evoking memories of Aaron. He too made his golden calf, built an altar, and announced a festival on a date of his own choosing." Aaron does that, 32.5.
Tomorrow will be a feast of the Lord, right? Same sort of thing. He goes on to say, and on that occasion, it was the Levites who were distanced from the celebrations. You know what happens when Jeroboam uses non-Levites?
The Levites all leave, according to the parallel in 2 Chronicles 11. The Levites leave the northern kingdom and go to the south. Guess what happens when the Levites leave the northern kingdom? Those common lands are now available for Jeroboam and whatever he wants to do with that.
No longer will the tithe monies be given to those Levites, you see? So when the Levites left, it's similar to what we find in Exodus 32. Who sided with Moses against Aaron and the people? It was the Levites.
There's similarity. As well, the Danite connection. The New King James margin at verse 30 in Judges 18 is probably correct. It was the grandson of Moses that led, that was the presiding priest over the idolatry at that particular situation.
So you've got Aaron, you've got the grandson of Moses. Now, we often think, my idolatry or my sin only affects me. It most certainly doesn't. And then we might go forward in terms of the Jeroboam effect.
Jeroboam becomes the standard upon which negative assessments are made. It happens already in chapter 15 at verse 26. chapter 15, verse 34, several times in 16, 21, 2 Kings 3, 2 Kings 9, 2 Kings 10, all throughout 1 and 2 Kings, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, is the benchmark standard for evil in the northern tribes. So all of that to say, the sins of the leaders affect the people. Davis says this, the text breathes such an air of tragedy for it shows us that the deviation of Israel and Aaron in Exodus 32 and that of Micah and of the tribe of Dan in Judges 17 and 18 gave the excuse to someone, Jeroboam, You know, when Jeroboam is concerned with how do I consolidate power and control the north, and these advisors come to him, I don't think it would be a stretch to say, you know what Aaron did?
And it seemed to work for him. You know what they did at the time of Micah and his Levite and the Danites subsequent to that? Years later, to advocate falsehood and in such a way that finally destroyed a nation. We may think our infidelity is our own business, but sadly, it may be embraced by those who come after and damn a whole generation.
A little covenant breaking at Sinai, a deviant cult at Dan, and a future in ruins. I think that's powerful. A little departure here or there, we don't know where it's going to end up for the next generation. We don't know what's going to happen with our kids and our grandkids.
We start paring off the rough edges now. We start making concessions for this, that, or the other. Who knows where they're going to be? I mean, the evangelicals in the 20th century, or evangelicals today, at least in some circles, sound a lot more like the liberals in the 20th century.
I remember reading one man who said, liberals or conservatives go to, I'll say some seminaries, I don't think it's all seminaries. Conservatives go to some seminaries and they come out liberals. Liberals go to some seminaries, they come out apostate. You know, a little deviation at the very beginning, that's not that big of a deal.
It may end up being a great big deal. Aaron, the Danites, Jeroboam, and thus the ruin of the northern tribes. Look at 2 Kings 17. Let's say you don't think I'm making this up. 2 Kings chapter 17, specifically verses 21 to 23.
This is the rehearsal of God's dealings with Israel on the eve of the destruction of the northern kingdom. Verse 21, for he tore Israel from the house of David and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did.
They did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight. as he had said by all his servants, the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria as it is this day." Now, interestingly enough, if we were to keep on reading here, Assyria settles in Samaria. At this point, it's not Bethel, it's Samaria, that's under Omri, right? Omri is the one who says that Samaria is the new Jerusalem, right?
In the Northern kingdoms. Well, once Assyria comes to resettle Samaria, they don't take all the Israelites away. There's still a few Israelites in the land and they start, the Assyrians start worshiping their idols and God sends lions to kill them. I mean that's how God dealt with idolatry then.
I've always thought if you knock at the door and You open the door and there's a lion. I don't think the lion would knock, but somebody brought the lion. You've upset God. You've done something wrong.
If there's a lion in your path, you have somewhere along the line engaged in activities you shouldn't have done. So anyways, they seek out some help and they find help from this priest at Bethel. And you know what happens? Syncretism.
It says they made their gods and feared Yahweh. They had their gods and feared Yahweh. The author's not saying it's legit. He expects you to remember the first and second commandments and to realize that it's dripping with irony.
You don't have Chemosh and Yahweh. You don't have the various gods that are indicated here. So even the destruction of the Northern Kingdom did not root out from among them this syncretism, this desire to have a bit of Yahweh and to have a bit of paganism. And then thirdly,
The Regulative Principle of Worship
we ought to appreciate the protection afforded by what has historically been called the regulative principle of worship. Now, I can see that among those who hold to the regulative principle of worship, there are differences of opinion. I mean, you'd think if it was the regulative principle of worship, we'd all sing off the same page. But there are some intramural debates concerning the regulative principle of worship.
At least the reformed are thinking down the right path. I cringe at the thought of a church environment where there's no regulative principle of worship. It protects the worshipers from the leaders. Well, today we're going to bring in monkeys and have a bit of a show.
That is just a violation. You are not to be held captive to leaders who want to do whatever it is they want to do. There must be protection. There must be parameters.
There must be hedges. And the church has historically identified this as the regulative principle of worship. It's based on that passage in Deuteronomy 12. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it.
You shall not add to it, nor take away from it. Pastor L. Martin clearly, quickly, and succinctly defines it, the regular principle of worship is nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else than what God has commanded in our worship. We have a confessional expression in the Second London Baptist Confession.
The acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself and so limited by his own revealed will that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men nor the suggestions of Satan under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. That's safety. That's where we want to be. We want to be at the hand of the living God.
We don't want to, you know, march across or transgress a particular boundary. Davis, I think, summarizes it well. He says, worship either rests on the prescriptions of divine revelation or on the preferences of the human heart. It sounds simplistic, but it's scriptural.
And I think he nails this. Our current Western culture may not be enamored with gold bulls, but is deeply in love with its own religious subjectivism. We have our idols. They may not be golden calves, but we have our idols.
And they're bowed to every single Sunday. We need to guard our hearts, as John says in 1 John 5.21, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Well, let's pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your grace. We thank you for your truth. We thank you that you not only command us what to do, you command us how to do it. And in this, we give you thanks.
I pray that you would cause us to reflect upon passages like these, reflect upon how unworthy, or unsure rather, our hearts are in terms of guiding us with reference to the worship of God. Help us to obey scripture. Help us to obey your law. Help us to put these things into practice.
Go with us now, we pray. Watch over all of our brothers and sisters in our local church. And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.