It’s a sad thing to see the state of both the king and his people.
-Their main focus was on worldly political issues. Taxes and labor.
-No one was seeking the Lord.
-No one was lamenting over the idolatry that has overtaken Gods chosen.
-Rehaboam took 3 days to seek counsel but never once did he seek after the Lord’s counsel as David often did.
(Personal Challenge) are you being a Rehaboam or a David with our life decisions.
-Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding
The only time we even hear from the Lord is through this profit in more like the speech of a narrator saying this was all God’s plan in the grand scheme of things.
The amazing thing is that there were always options or choices for the people and those in power, but whatever they chose to do …. the will of God still prevailed!
It is a comfort even in our time with world leaders making all kinds of bad decisions to know that our King is on His throne and He has already won the victory over sin and death and has overcome this world. AMEN!
Read 25-28
Here we see Jeroboam becoming paranoid as if he did not receive this amazing promise from God previously.
The promise God made Jeraboam
1 Kings 11:38-39 CSB
[38] “‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight in order to keep my statutes and my commands as my servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel. [39] I will humble David’s descendants, because of their unfaithfulness, but not forever.’”
Definition-Unjustified suspicion and mistrust of other peoples actions.
GREEK PARA – IRREGULAR NOIA- MIND
Being paranoid makes us go out of our minds!
(Oysters and Advice)
-Out of fear he sought advice. The wrong advice! One can only see that he found wisdom that was not from above, but the wisdom that the book of James speaks of that is below. (demonic)
James 3:13-18 CSB
[13] Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. [14] But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. [15] Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. [16] For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. [17] But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. [18] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
-He headed wicked wisdom from whomever gave him advice because we are about to see a very demonic plan unfold as we look at the evils Jeraboam puts in place as part of His paranoid power grab.
Read 28-33
2 Golden Calves
It was already bad that these golden calves appeared again and that he reinforced more idolatry by setting up shrines in the high places, but the worst part of this whole thing was he was making the effort to totally erase God by making his own false religion.
Here are your gods who brought you up out of Egypt.
-Exodus 20:2 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
-Yahweh identified himself by this very act. Jeroboam was stripping it away and placing it upon a familiar idol.
-He allowed anyone who wanted to be a priest to be allowed to no matter if they were qualified or not. No regard to the qualifications that God had set in place by his commands.
-This office was only to be reserved for those of the priestly tribe of Levi by the command of the Lord.
Deut 18:5
For the LORD thy God hath chosen him (LEVI) out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever.
-He then made his own festival in place of a high holy festival of booths or better known now as sukkot.
Leviticus 23:41-44 CSB
[41] You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; celebrate it in the seventh month. [42] You are to live in shelters for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in shelters, [43] so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” [44] So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.
Jeraboam was erasing the true faith out of fear that he would lose everything.
Reminds me of what Jesus is found in every gospel account saying.
Luke 9:24 CSB
[24] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.
HE HAD THE PROMISE!!!!!
So sad that he did not have the faith to receive it. He trusted not in God but trusted his own ability, hard work ethic, and ambition to deliver him.
-At the end of chap 13 it shows how well that worked out for him.
-1 Kings 13:34 CSB
[34] This was the sin that caused the house of Jeroboam to be cut off and obliterated from the face of the earth.
-Instead of being established he was obliterated!
-It always goes Back to the Garden…Did God really say that?….. doubt….. paranoia…..is God good?
-Why do things His way by His rules!!!! These are the seeds of doubt that the enemy and the world system speak Earthly sensual, Demonic!
-The Gospel may even sound too good to be true……But it is!!!!! Hallelujah
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
-What can we learn from these men who had access to great wisdom, great promises but no faith to walk it out and submit to the true King of Kings?
-Let us open our eyes before us and see the great wisdom and great promises that are set before you in His word.
-Promise scriptures- there are close to 1,600 if then statements within the scriptures that have either blessings or consequences, or both tied to them.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call all of Heaven and Earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh that you would choose LIFE!!! That you and your seed will live.
Matthew 5:4
The Promise: will be comforted.
The Condition: Those that mourn.
Matthew 5:5
The Promise: You will inherit the Earth.
The Condition: If you are gentle, humble and/or meek
Matthew 5:10
The Promise: The Kingdom of Heaven will be yours.
The Condition: If you have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
Matthew 5:11-12
The Promise: The Son of Man (Jesus) will reward people in Heaven and the reward will be great.
The Condition: If people revile and persecute you for Jesus’ sake and your faith in Him.
Matthew 7:7
The Promise: It will be given you
The Condition: If you ask
The Promise: You will find
The Condition: If you seek
The Promise: It will be opened to you
The Condition: If you knock
Matthew 16:27
The Promise: The Son of Man (Jesus) is going to come in His glory and will reward people.
The Condition: You will be rewarded according to your own deeds in this life.
Matthew 24:14
The Promise: The end (eschaton) will come.
The Condition: When the Gospel has been preached to all nations in the whole world.
Matthew 24:45-47
The Promise: God will make a person ruler over all that is His (His possessions).
The Condition: If that person is faithful and wise in charge of the “little things”.
Mark 9:41
The Promise: A person will not lose their reward.
The Condition: Giving a cup of water (being charitable) in Christ’s name for the exact reason that we belong to Christ.
John 3:16
Promise: You will have eternal life
The Condition: To whosoever will believe that God sent His only begotten son to die in our place as a sin offering.
Romans 8:31
The Promise: No one can be against you.
The Condition: When God is for you.
Philippians 3:21, 4:1
The Promise: Jesus will transform our current perishing bodies in exchange for a body that does not perish like His glorious body (σῶμα πνευματικόν /Resurrection body) (3:21).
The Condition: We must stand firm in the Lord (4:1)
Philippians 4:13
The Promise: We can do all things.
The Condition: If Christ strengthens us.
Colossian 3:1, 4
The Promise: When Christ appears at the second coming, we will appear with Him in glory.
The Condition: If we too are risen or raised up in Christ, and seeking the things above.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
The Promise: The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are still alive will be called up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We will then be with the Lord forever after that.
The Condition: We need to believe that Jesus died and rose again.
1 Timothy 4:1-8
The Promise: There is a crown of righteousness laid up for us by God which I will be awarded with on my day of glory.
The Condition: Those awarded will have loved His appearing and faithfully preach the Gospel and the Word of God in season and out of season.
Hebrews 12:28
The Promise: We will serve God acceptably.
The Condition: If we serve Him with reverence and fear.
James 1:5-6
The Promise: If you ask of God in faith.
The Condition: Wisdom will be given.
James 1:12
The Promise: We will receive the crown of life
The Condition: If we endure trials by temptation and love the Lord.
Revelation 2:7
The Promise: We will be allowed to eat from the Tree of Life which is in the paradise of God
The Condition: If we persevere over evil and endure for Christ’s namesake and overcome (persecution and trials)
Revelation 2:10
The Promise: Jesus Himself will give you a crown of life.
The Condition: Do not fear and are faithful to the point of death.
Revelation 2:11
The Promise: People will not be hurt by the second death which is damnation in the Lake of Fire
The Condition: If they overcome persecution and trials
Revelation 2:17
The Promise: Jesus will allow people to eat of the hidden Manna and will give a white stone with a new name written on it that only the one that receives it will know.
The Condition: If people overcome persecution and trials
Revelation 2:23
The Promise: Jesus will give to every one.
The Condition: According to their works.
Revelation 2:26-28
The Promise: Jesus will give power over the nations and will give the morning star
The Condition: To those that overcome and keep Jesus’ works until the bitter end
Revelation 3:21
The Promise: Jesus will allow people to sit with Him on His throne
The Condition: To those that overcome persecution and trials