David's Sermons - 1 Kings 12, 13

1 Kings 12 v 25-33

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

These two weeks we are looking at Reheboam and Jereboam, the first two kings of the divided Israel. Last week we thought about Reheboam, Solomon's son. He didn't realise his position of leadership required him to take on the role of a servant. He took the advice of his peers instead of that of his father's advisors, and turned the people against him.

This week we look at Jereboam. He was a mighty man, and a leader of people, Years before, the prophet Ahijah had spoken to him, and had given him 10 pieces of his torn cloak. This was a sign that God would give Jereboam 10 of the tribes of Israel. Jereboam was afraid of Solomon, and so he fled to Egypt, until he knew Solomon had died.

It was Jereboam who brought the people to Reheboam, when he became king. They asked that Reheboam would lighten the load laid on them by the taxes of Solomon. We know from last week that Reheboam refused, and would lay a heavier load on them instead. Jereboam led the Israelites in a revolt, which resulted in 10 tribes of the north splitting off and hailing Jereboam as their king. Reheboam was left with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

A split Israel was not God's original plan, and there was one central place of worship for the Jews: Jerusalem. This worried Jereboam. He thought that his people's yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Judah would turn their favour back towards Reheboam. He decided to set up his own centres of worship, in Bethel and Dan. He made golden calves for the people to worship and set up his own priesthood, from anyone who wished to become a priest. What he was doing was setting up a counterfeit religion. It had similarities with the Jewish faith but it was a false religion.

One day a prophet came to Bethel, with a message for Jereboam. He predicted the downfall of Jereboam's priesthood, at the hands of a future king. He even names this king, Josiah. To give validity to his prophecy, he says the altar will crack and its ashes flow out, and sure enough that happens. In outrage, Jereboam points at the prophet and orders him taken, but his hand is frozen in place. He then asks the prophet to pray for his release, which he does, and safely leaves the king, only to meet his own fate on the way out of the country.

There are many people about who are good leaders, strong leaders, and people are naturally drawn to them. Many are gifted by God with the ability to lead; however with that gift comes responsibility. There are many who set themselves up as God's mouthpiece, and lead their followers astray. We must remember that there is one way to God. There are many other ways that look similar, maybe look more attractive, but they do not lead us to God. It's good to be encouraged and guided by a spiritual person, but our sight must always be set on Christ. If someone adds or takes away from what Christ has said, the danger bells should ring.

We also need to be careful with the gifts God has given to us. He gives us gifts that can be used to please Him and glorify Him, but they can also be abused, and turn others away from God. A leader can draw people to Christ, or they can draw people to their own ideas. A great preacher can fill people with an awe of God, or he can fill them with an awe of the preacher. What gifts has God given to you? Use them wisely, and with humility.