Jeroboam I

Kings and ProphetsI Kings 12:20 to 14:20

02.21.2016

Overview

Texts: 1 Kings 12:20 to 14:20

Background: 1 King 11: 14 to 12:24 (Last Week’s lesson)

Canaanite Religion

Jeroboam 1, King of Israel: Calling, Reign, Accomplishments, and consequences

Prophets: “Man of God”, Ahijah

BackgroundJeroboam and his appointment: I Kings 11:26-40

Son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah,

son of a widow

Divinely appointed by God through Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, to become King of Israel, the Northern Kingdom

Reason and Details of the appointment.

Reign from 931 BC to 910 BC

God’s Calling on IsraelAt Mt Sinai, God made a covenant with the Israelites and called them His treasured possession and “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”

The 10 Commandments (Ex 20):

You shall have no other gods before me

You shall not make for yourself an idol....

Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”

(Lev 19:2, 20:7, 11:44, I Peter 1:15-16, 2:9)

Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut 6:4-5)

Fear the Lord, serve Him, be faithful to God, and worship God alone

Religion of the CanaanitesThe effects of Canaanite religion became one of the greatest source of temptation to Israelite from the time of Exodus, through the conquest of Canaan, to the Babylonian exile.

The fall of Samaria was attributed to idolatry (2King 17)

The destruction of Jerusalem was also attributed to idol worship (2King 21:10-15)

Ras Shamra Religion of the Canaanites

Ancient Ugarite village excavated in 1928

Text

EL Religion of the Canaanites

Nominal head of the Canaanite Pantheon

Text

Asherah Religion of the Canaanites

Asherah Ugaritic goddess. The consort El. “Lady of the sea” Appears 40 times in

in OT. A fertility goddess, El and Asherah produced 70 Elims (gods and goddesses).

The best known is Baal (“master” or “lord”). Asherah is associated with the symbol of a

wooden pole (perhaps phllic symbol but not clear how it related to a female goddess)

Asherim:wooden poles which stood at Canaanite sites of worship.

Baal Religion of the Canaanites

Baal: “master” or “lord”. God of fertility and storm

Anat Religion of the Canaanites

Anat: Sister and spouse of Baal.

“The Virgin”, was also goddess of passion, sex, and war

Ferocious Warrior.

Anat in Ugarite

Anat in Egypt

Anat in Mesopotamia

Anat and Athene

Ashtoreth/Astarte Religion of the Canaanites

Ashtorath/Astarte

Molech Religion of the Canaanites

Text

Chemosh Religion of the Canaanites

Moab national god of war.

Moabite Stone / Mesha Stone

Dagon Religion of the Canaanites

A god of the Philistine:

likely a grain god of Philistine. (dagan: grain). A type of fertility god.

the principal deity of the middle Euphrates region.

Fish god?

High PlacesOpen-air shrine (bamah) and worship site which usually contains an altar

Play a prominent role in assessing the performance of a king

High Places“Bamah” could mean back, height, ridge, hill, or cultic high places.

In Biblical context, could mean

“back of one’s enemies”, “height”, “back of clouds”, “waves of sea”

Therefore, the idea of that which stands out in the background, rather than the idea of hill or mountain.

The most important notion of high place is that it is a place of religious PROMINENCE

Thus, “Bamah” can be used to describe shrines that were not located on the hills.

In Bible text, high places were found in hills, towns, gate of Jerusalem, urban centers, ravine, and valley.

High PlacesA high place has the essential features of a platform, usually associated with building, for religious purposes.

“A king’s attitude toward the high places will be one of the criteria on which the narrator judges him: If he attempts to destroy them, he is good; if he leaves them alone, he is mediocre; if he worships there, he is evil to the core.”

High Place: Tel DanJeroboam made 2 golden calves and placed one in the shrine at Bethel and the other one in the shrine at Dan and established these two sites as sites of worship.

High Place: Tel Dan

BethelA city located west of Ai and 12 mile N of Jerusalem

Identified with modern day Beitin or el-Bireh by archeologists

Originally known as Luz

Abraham built an altar near Bethel and called on the name of the

Lord

God spoke to Jacob in a dream there. And Jacob named the place

Bethel (House of God).

Deborah lived in the vicinity of Bethel According to LXX, the Ark

was brought to Bethel (Jgs 2:1 LXX) during Judges and was

moved to Shiloh later. It remained an important worship center

until time of Saul and David.

It regain prominence during the beginning of the Divided Kingdom

where it became one of the two worship center of the Northern

Kingdom.

High PlacesBefore the Temple was built, Israelites worshipped at the high places

Such worship was tolerated but not ideal

Some authority believe authentic worship of Yahweh took place at these high places. But it is the association of syncretism or foreign religion, along with with present of Asherah pole and other religious objects, that became the problem.

Other text suggest that regardless of presence or absence of other religious objects, there is something wrong with the high place themselves just by their pagan origin.

High PlacesWhy are the high places so problematic?

These shrines compromise God’s claim on Israel

It goes against God’s expressed desire to choose a place of worship that bears His name.

It nurture false notion of God as one who is localized and who has a shrine in different location just as how Baal is perceived to be the lord of each land he is at.

It nurtures syncretism, which leads to idolatry, which leads to apostasy, which leads to judgement and destruction.

Detestable PracticesSacrifice your son and daughter in the fire

Practice divination or witchcraft

Interpret omens

Engage in witchcraft, or cast spell

Be a medium or spiritist

or consult the dead

Anyone who does this is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God drive out those nations before you

Chemosh and Molech are specifically mentioned as “detestable”

The Worship of Yahweh and Canaanite Religion

El and Yahweh

Yahweh and Asherah

Baal Motif

High Places, Sacred Prostitutions, Molech Cult

Israelite Calendar and Kingship

Religion of the CanaanitesWhat drew the Israelites to the religion of the Canaanites?

The lure of spiritual unfaithfulnessThe lure of deceptionThe lure of syncretism in culture and in religionThe lure of sight, sound, and the senses

JeroboamJeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and son of a widow (Zeruah)

A capable official of Solomon who became in charge of the labor force of the house of Joseph

Received prophetic appointment to become King of Israel thru Ahijah the prophet. This prompted Jeroboam to rebel against Solomon. (see I King 11: 29-33)

The Kingdom was divided because of Solomon’s apostasy and unfaithfulness to God.

JeroboamConditional Promise to Jeroboam : Obedience to God will result in an a dynasty “as enduring as the one I built for David”

Solomon tried to killed him but he escaped to Egypt under Shishak the king. He returned after death of Solomon

The Israelites made him king of the northern tribes

Fortified Shechem as the first capital.

Later, Tirzah became the second capital.

Reign from 931 BC to 910 BC

JeroboamText: 1 King 12:20-33

Question:

1.What leadership challenges did Jeroboam face?

2.How did he meet those challenges?

3.What were the results of his actions?

4.What can you learn from Jeroboam?

The Sin of Jeroboam

Break up the unity of God’s people

Created man-made idols (2 calves) to be worship as national gods at the shrines he built at Bethel and Dan.

Built shrines on high places.

Appointed priests from all sort of people and possibly taking on the role of the priest.

Instituted new religious festivals and calendars.

The Sin of Jeroboam“Sin of Jeroboam” appeared 22 times at the book in Kings

Each of those actions defied and broke the law, thus, such actions directly forfeited God’s promise

Established a tradition of religious apostasy which became the hallmark of the Northern Kingdom, which also led to their destruction in 722 BC.

2 Kings 17:21-22: “Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He has warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.”

Man of God from JudahPassage: I Kings 13

An unnamed prophet from Judah was sent by God to proclaim judgement upon the altar of Bethel, and a warning to Jeroboam.

The message came when Jeroboam stood at the altar to make an offering

Message: This altar will be rendered useless and be defiled by Josiah, a son of David.

Confirmation: Altar split apart with ashes fell out + Jeroboam’s hand shriveled up and could not be pull back

Man of God from JudahRead I King 13

Questions:

1.What were the instructions that God gave to the Man of God?

2.What happened to the Man of God and what lessons could you derive from it?

3.What impact did the events from this chapter have on Jeroboam?

4.What have you learned from this text?

Group 1: Man of God: 1 Kings 13Questions:

1.What were the instructions that God gave to the Man of God?

2.What happened to the Man of God and what lessons could you derive from it?

3.What impact did this event have on Jeroboam?

4.What are some lessons you learned from this passage

Group 2: Ahijah: 1 Kings 14:1-20Questions:

1.What are some challenges and potential danger Ahijah faced?

2.How did he respond?

3.What can you learn from his response?

Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh

Prophet of Shiloh who played a crucial role in the formation of the Divided Monarchy.

Shiloh: Religious center in the Hill Country of Ephraim where some of the tribal allotment were made, the Tabernacle was set up, and where Eli and Samuel ministered.

Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh

Events associated with Ahijah

1.The prophetic announcement and symbolic action in appointing Jeroboam as King of Israel.(1 Kings 11:26-40)

2.The prophetic denouncement of Jeroboam because of his apostasy, with pronouncement of the death of Abijah, Jeroboam’s son, as a confirmation of the prophetic message. (1 Kings 14:1-18)

3.The Chronicler refers to “the prophecy of Ahijah” as one of the sources for the reign of Solomon.

Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh

1.Read 1Kings 14: 1-20

2.What are some challenges and potential danger Ahijah faced?

3.How did he respond?

4.What can you learn from his response?

The End of JeroboamA promising beginning but a bad ending

He was defeated by Abijah King of Judah.

2 Chr 13:20: “Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died”

His Legacy: “The Sin of Jeroboam”

2 Kings 17:21-22: “Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He has warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.”

Closing commentsDeut 10:12-13:

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

For Next WeekKing AhabThe Prophet ElijahText: I Kings 16:29 through 1 Kings 22