The Sentencing of Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:33-14:20)
1 Kings 13:33-14:20
This morning, we are picking back up
With the life and legacy of Jeroboam.
“The King who caused Israel to Stumble”
We initially saw him two weeks ago,
As God approached him and said,
I will tear 10 tribes from the son of Solomon and give them to you.
If you will follow Me like David did, then I will make you an enduring house, just as I have made for him.
But of course, Jeroboam did not.
He was afraid that as long as people continued to travel to Jerusalem to worship, then they would return to Judah’s King (Rehoboam)
So Jeroboam built two golden calves.
One in Dan, and one in Bethel, and told Israel that this was their new place of worship. He made priests who were not Levites, and changed the calendar for the feasts.
It was a horrible display of rebellion against God.
As we saw last week, God was not at all pleased
And so He sent the “man of God” to Bethel
To prophesy against Jeroboam’s altar.
He prophesied that some day there would be a King named Josiah,
Who would sacrifice the pagan priests and burn their bones on that altar.
Now you may remember,
That Jeroboam was not all that enthused with this sermon.
1 Kings 13:4 “Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.”
And you may also remember that his tune was changed.
1 Kings 13:6-8 “The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.”
And at that point, the “man of God” leaves Jeroboam to go home.
We are left then, wondering what Jeroboam did with the warning.
THAT IS WHAT WE SEE THIS MORNING.
For as we saw last week, the “man of God”
Was deceived by a lying prophet,
He did indeed return and eat bread, and God killed him.
And that is precisely where the text picks up for us this morning.
There are two main points I want you to see as we close out the life of Jeroboam.
#1 THE STUBBORNNESS OF JEROBOAM
1 Kings 13:33-34
And really everything in regard to the stubbornness of Jeroboam
Is seen in the first sentence of verse 33.
“After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way,”
• He had built two forbidden high places – he did not remove them.
• He had ordained priests who weren’t Levites – he did not remove them.
• He had changed the feast schedule – he did not cancel them.
(33) “After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.”
Everything he had done, was offensive to God,
And Jeroboam did not care.
The man had preached…
The man had performed a sign…
The man had shown him mercy…
BUT JEROBOAM DID NOT CARE
It was overwhelmingly obvious what God wanted and expected,
But Jeroboam did a great job of ignoring it.
WE CALL THAT STUBBORNNESS
Sometimes the Bible refers to it as being “stiff-necked”
It is anytime a person refuses to see their sin,
Or refuses to repent of it, when they do see it.
There are several classic examples.
Esau was an example:
Hebrews 12:15-17 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”
Israel in Jesus day:
Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon inthe day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
And in reality, it is seen in anyone who refuses to repent of their sin and confess Christ.
Romans 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
They are all just like Jeroboam.
Men who have been warned…
Men who have been told…
But men who loved their sin too much to depart from it.
They are stubborn.
And let me just say that God is infuriated by such rebellion.
Jeremiah 6:15 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 3:8-9 “For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against His glorious presence. The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.”
God has always promised to judge the stubborn.
And so it is not surprising what we see occurring here.
First, the stubbornness of Jeroboam.
#2 THE SENTENCING OF JEROBOAM
1 Kings 14:1-20 (read 1-5)
After Jeroboam’s rebellion, the Bible says that his son became sick.
Scripture does not say that God did it,
But there is no doubt the sickness was meant to get Jeroboam’s attention.
And so, he contacts Ahijah, the same man who anointed him.
But even then, he does so in an interesting way.
His approach still screams of stubbornness, pride, and rebellion.
1) He does not go, he sends his wife
2) He has her dress up, namely because he doesn’t want a lecture
3) He doesn’t request anything of the LORD, he only wants to know the future.
This is not a man who is ready to repent of sin,
This is just a man who wants to know the future.
He is not humble, nor is he broken.
He is just as stubborn and hard headed as ever.
But of course, God was light years ahead of Jeroboam,
And the prophet was expecting his wife.
And now we see how God responds to this stubborn king.
3 things
1) GOD’S PROSECUTION (6-9)
As soon as the woman shows up, the prophet exposes her
And lets her know that the message is a harsh one.
The child would die, and God wanted the woman to know why.
The child would die because of the extreme rebellion of Jeroboam.
(READ 7-8)
Jeroboam had been UNCOMMITTED
David served with a whole heart, Jeroboam did not.
(9a) “you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourselves other gods and moldten images to provoke Me.”
Jeroboam was also UNFAITHFUL
Jeroboam was a spiritual harlot.
(9b) “and have cast me behind your back.”
Jeroboam was also UNINTERESTED
He did not care what God thought, and did not care if God was pleased.
Jeroboam carries all the attributes of a bad spouse.
One who seems to enter covenant,
But is uncommitted, unfaithful, and uninterested.
When God approached him and offered him the kingdom,
Jeroboam quickly accepted it,
but never intended to keep his end of the bargain.
His religion was for show and it was a sham.
All he really cared about was his own personal comfort and glory.
He is seen today in those who accept an offer to go to heaven,
But then return to the sin they once enjoyed.
2 Peter 2:20-22 “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
That was Jeroboam.
Jeroboam was a liar and a fraud,
And God prosecutes him on those very grounds.
God’s prosecution
2) GOD’S PROMISES (10-16)
(10) “therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.”
Now if you are one who likes powerful imagery,
The prophet Ahijah gives some to Jeroboam’s wife.
Suppose God had a house that He lived in, and it was one that He liked to keep clean. Then suppose God had some animals who were in that house, who pooped on the floor.
No, Jeroboam is not the animal.
Jeroboam was the poop.
God says, “I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it.”‘
How would you like it if that is how God saw you?
And incidentally , it has already begun.
First on the list, is the child you are inquiring about.
(12-13) “Now you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city the child will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.”
This boy had a good heart before God,
And so even though he was a victim of Jeroboam’s stubbornness,
He gets a privilege. After he dies, he will be buried.
And that is more than can be said for anyone else in Jeroboam’s line.
In fact, God is so angry that He is about to completely remove them all.
(14) “Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on.”
To play with the imagery,
God is about to hire a carpet cleaner to remove all the poop from Israel.
Back in chapter 11 God said:
1 Kings 11:38 “Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”
That word “if” was a pretty big word.
Jeroboam was stubborn in sin, and God was removing him.
THE FIRST PROMISE OF GOD IS THAT HE WILL SWEEP THE POOP
But that is not all that God was promising.
READ VERSES 15-16
We sort of expect God to be angry with Jeroboam,
But here He is angry also with Israel.
God had promised to sweep the poop,
Now God promises to scatter the weeds.
The imagery here is of a weed messing up God’s land.
So God is going to STRIKE IT.
(15) “For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water”
God is going to STRIP IT.
(15) “He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave tot their fathers,”
God is going to SCATTER IT.
(15) “and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger.”
WHY IS GOD DOING THIS?
(16) “He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”
God is judging them,
Because they participated in what Jeroboam did.
That’s not fair, I thought they were the victims.
Wrong, they were his companions.
1 Kings 12:28-30 “So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He set 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.”
God was judging Jeroboam for starting it,
And God was judging the people for participating in it.
NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU SIN
James 1:13-15 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
Just because a king or government may make sin legal,
Does not mean you have the right to participate in it.
God requires you and I to have conviction,
Even when everyone around us give in to temptation.
AND SOME DID
2 Chronicles 11:13-17 “Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him from all their districts. For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD. He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and for the calves which he had made. Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.”
There were some who would not follow Jeroboam’s sin.
They left Israel and returned to Judah.
Sure, they had to leave their houses and pasture lands to do it,
But obedience to God was more important than personal comfort.
And it turns out they made the right decision,
For now all those who stayed in Israel were going to be judged.
They were like weeds that God was going to scatter.
That was a promise from God.
God’s prosecution God’s promises
3) GOD’S PROOF (17-20)
This child’s mother never saw her son alive again.
He died just as God said he would.
And the next thing we read of is the death of Jeroboam.
Jeroboam was stubborn, and God was serious.
SO WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS TEXT?
The point is so obvious, you could almost miss it.
Being stiff-necked and stubborn
Never leads to success before Holy God.
He can break the stiffest neck,
And he can crack the most stubborn mind.
I am always reminded of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel’s day.
He was the arrogant king who refused God.
God caused him to lose his sanity,
And eat grass like a cow for seven years.
Finally, after 7 years he lifted his eyes to heaven and God had mercy.
The final statement he would make after the event was this:
Daniel 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
God can break a stiff neck.
And at the very least God will judge one.
Those who persist in iniquity
Will only guarantee judgment for themselves.
• Jeroboam was king for 22 years before the judgment played out, but the judgment was never in doubt.
• Israel would exist another 200 years before the judgment played out, but the judgment was never in doubt.
• There are those today who think that they are getting away with their sin. BUT THEY ARE NOT
Judgment is certain, for those who rebel against the Lord,
And if not today, then know that it is coming.
THE POINT IS:
DO NOT RESIST THE WILL OF GOD
The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Jeroboam was stubborn in idolatry,
Today many are stubborn in refusing to submit their lives to Jesus
• They have been warned…
• They see the evidence…
• But they are too stiff-necked and proud to submit to it…
Today if that is you,
I want to ask you to quit rebelling against God
And submit your life totally to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Give Him your life, and obey His will.
Don’t end up like Jeroboam.
