Lessons taken from king Jeroboam’s failures
King Solomon, at the later part of his life, allowed his non-believing foreign wives to influence him to the point of him bowing down and worshipping with them their false Gods!
By doing that, he greatly offended Yahweh, the True God of Israel!
Yahweh sent then a prophet to one of Solomon’s officials named Jeroboam and foretold him that he would be the future king of the ten northern tribes of Israel, leaving only the tribe of Judah to Solomon’s son, because of Solomon unfaithfulness!
And indeed, after Solomon’s death, Jeroboam was made king of the northern tribes at their request.
As soon as he was made king, Jeroboam made two temples and placed in each of them a golden calf, ordering all his subordinates to worship them, instead of worshipping Yahweh in Jerusalem, (Judea), as God demanded it.
The ten northern tribes of Israel readily did so, and this had a terrible effect on their kingdom who was from then on plagued with wars and instability until the Assyrians finally deported them all from the land God had given them some 250 years later.
They were not heard off ever since…
The question now arises:
“Why did the all-knowing God choose such an unfaithful person as king of these 10 tribes?
Couldn’t he see what kind of a man he was, couldn’t he foresee what would happen?”
He could, of course, but God was very disturbed by the hypocritical self-righteousness that the Israelites had developed, and he needed to expose the wretchedness of their faith in him: They were phenomenally keeping certain laws and traditions, thinking their “religiosity” would satisfy and appease their God when in fact their lack of true commitment and eagerness to please him was deeply disturbing him!
He wanted to expose and correct their hypocrisy and chastise them for it, but first he had to prove them to be as unfaithful to himself as he knew they were. So, he chose to give them the opportunity to do what was utterly offending him: Idolatry.
He put over them a king that was much like themselves. As soon as he became king, he took the opportunity to get rid of this demanding God of theirs and replace him by a more accommodating one… And they grabbed that opportunity with both hands…
The Israelites proved to be incorrigibly untrustworthy towards their Creator and they were eventually taken away for good from God’s land and care…
Lesson to be taken:
God arranges events in our lives to test our words and hearts so as to make clear to himself and us weather we are or not as good as we think or claim to be!
The truth must be determined above all doubt with facts, for he will not reprimand or condemn anyone on mere suspicions: We must be given the opportunity to do what he hates and forbids,
and only if we pass the test will we live in his presence.