First Kings

Chapter 14 The End of Jeroboam

by

Jim Bordwine, ThD

Introduction

It seems as if the testing of God never ends. Our record as a race is filled with examples of our foolish opposition to God and His Word. Even when He warns us and instruct us, we still fail to grasp the obvious, which is God’s sovereignty over all things, including the rise and fall of kingdoms, and the lives and deaths of kings.

We have reviewed the history of Israel from the death of David to the division of the kingdom. We have seen how disregard for the law of God was common after David’s time. Even the wisest man ever to walk the earth looked pathetic at the end of his days. Throughout these stories, we have also witnessed God’s repeated calls to repent and His patient warnings of coming judgment in response to faithlessness. But still, most have not responded rightly to God’s admonitions. They have chosen to follow their own desires, rather than submit to the LORD’s requirements. In every case, the outcome is the same.

Destruction is threatened, sin continues, warnings are repeated, transgressions are multiplied, and finally God’s judgment falls. His people suffer through the instability of wicked leaders and are, themselves, pulled into sin. Strength wanes, hope vanishes, and misery increases. All this happens for the simple reason of man’s stubborn refusal to recognize God as God. He is generous, patient, protective, and forgiving, but God is also just and will defend His holy character. Therefore, the wicked rulers have faced the calamity of being removed by God Himself.

And this brings us to the king recently under consideration, Jeroboam. In 1 Kings 14, the end of Jeroboam is recorded.

01. The Sickness of Jeroboam’s Son (vv. 1-4)

1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.” 4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.

The record of the end of Jeroboam’s reign begins with a sick child. His son “fell sick,” as the text says, so Jeroboam told his wife to go and speak to Ahijah, a prophet in Shiloh. As Jeroboam states, this is the prophet who first announced to Jeroboam the LORD’s intention to put him over ten of the tribes of Israel. Jeroboam’s wife disguised herself, as instructed, took some food, and traveled to the home of the prophet.

Jeroboam was a father, and as expected, he was worried about his sick child. He had personal contact with a man who told him about the future. Knowing now that the man’s word was accurate, Jeroboam’s assumption was that the prophet would be able to reveal the outcome of the boy’s illness.

02. The Prophecy Regarding Jeroboam’s Son (5-16)

The second section of this passage provides the most information concerning how Jeroboam’s reign declined and ceased to exist. The LORD speaks to the prophet and provides two pieces of information: first, Ahijah is told to expect a visit from the wife of Jeroboam; second, Ahijah is given a specific word to be delivered to Jeroboam’s wife.

It’s worth noting here that Jeroboam turns back to a prophet of God when he is faced with a situation that causes him great concern. This is the man who succeeded in disrupting and supplanting the religious system of Israel. From the beginning of his rule, Jeroboam has demonstrated disregard for the law of God. He has deliberately led the whole nation into the sin of idolatry. But now, now that he has a sick child, where does he turn? Jeroboam looks to the one man he knows who is a servant of Jehovah because he is desperate for an answer regarding his son’s illness.

Most of us have probably known someone who had little use for God and the church until they found themselves facing something really frightening and out of their control. It might have been a diagnosis they received from a doctor, a medical problem with a loved one, sudden unemployment, or any number of circumstances in which it became immediately obvious that they were unable to change the situation and, therefore, had one option, which was to wait and see how things turned out.

One of the most influential men of history had one of these experiences. In his own words, Martin Luther described the circumstances of his conversion:

Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners . . . I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.

Having given much attention to Paul’s epistle to the Romans, Luther says he was greatly agitated by the phrase, “the righteousness of God,” which comes in the first chapter as Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the gospel, for in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. Luther writes that he understood only one thing when speaking of the righteousness of God—God’s determination to pour out wrath on sinners. Luther confesses, however, that Paul’s language puzzled him; he longed to know what Paul meant. The turmoil swirling in Luther’s heart is dramatically portrayed in his testimony. He was facing an issue that was driving him to despair, and he could find no answers.

Luther continues:

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words . . . There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.

This crisis in Martin Luther’s life led him to understand and embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. Needless to say, his entire life was changed and he became a powerful element in God’s unfolding plan of redemption. He eagerly sought God in his misery and what mattered most was truth and understanding. But consider Jeroboam—a completely contrary figure. When facing his crisis, he did seek help from God, in essence. The matter was too big for him, too frightening; he sought help from the only source he knew to be reliable—a prophet of God.

Unlike Luther and countless others throughout history, however, Jeroboam’s sincerity was momentary, as we are going to see. In spite of warnings from the LORD and even in spite of this most dreaded of circumstances—the illness of his son—Jeroboam’s heart remained hardened.

Our text continues in v. 5:

5 And the LORD said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.” When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, 10 therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the LORD has spoken it.”‘ 12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, 15 the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”

Jeroboam instructed his wife to wear a disguise presumably because he feared the prophet would not speak to her if he recognized her. Jeroboam may have believed the prophet would have nothing to do with her because of her husband’s wickedness. The plan was useless, however, since the LORD told the prophet that Jeroboam’s wife was on her way. As soon as Ahijah heard her voice, he knew who she was and said so. (v. 6) He asked her why she pretended to be someone else, but didn’t wait for her answer. Instead, he made that ominous declaration: “I am charged with unbearable news for you.” That is not what you want to hear from a prophet of God! There’s no way to interpret that statement that allows you to think anything less than the worst.

The word translated “unbearable” refers to that which is cruel or extremely harsh. Whatever the prophet has to say will cause distress. The message Ahijah relates to Jeroboam’s wife comes directly from God and is intended to be both a judgment of Jeroboam’s conduct and a pronouncement of God’s intended response.

The word to Jeroboam begins with a quick review of God’s kindness toward him: “I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel . . .” This emphasizes Jeroboam’s meager beginnings; his rise to the throne was a result of God’s activity, not his own. Further, the prophet said: “. . . and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you.” This is the detail that is most significant. God divided the kingdom of Israel, once ruled by a single and obedient king, David, and gave a sizeable portion to Jeroboam, a man lifted up only by God’s mercy and according to God’s purposes. The extraordinary privilege given to Jeroboam failed to impact his character in the proper way.

The second fact highlighted by the LORD is that disobedient pattern established by Jeroboam: “you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all this heart . . .” (v. 8) Throughout this section of the book of 1 Kings, you may have noticed, David’s example is referred to several times as the standard against which other rulers are measured. In each case, it is David’s heart-felt submission before God that stands in contrast to those who failed to obey consistently and who demonstrated unacceptable views toward God’s kindness and His laws.

The record shows that Jeroboam behaved horribly and led the whole northern kingdom into idolatry simply to preserve his position of power. Obviously, his concern was not that God be honored, but that his own throne be protected. That seems to be one aspect of our fallen natures that shows up in politics routinely. When men gain a position of authority, they are often reluctant to surrender that power even when it is lawful to do so. I would say that many so-called “career politicians” struggle to remain in office for selfish reasons. They like the pay, the perks, and the respect. This can lead to conduct that is questionable or even plainly illegal.

Jeroboam scrambled to prevent his subjects from returning to Jerusalem, which was Rehoboam’s territory. His solution, as we saw, was the creation of an entirely new (and unauthorized) religious system. Now the cost of that sinful behavior is being revealed by the prophet to Jeroboam’s wife.

Listen to the specific charge against the king: “You have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back.” That is an interesting way to describe the sin of Jeroboam: “you have cast me behind your back.” The word used here (shawlak) means more than simply placing something behind you out of the way or stepping in front of something to get around it. This term refers to hurling something far away. God accuses Jeroboam of taking regard for God and His laws and throwing it as far as he could behind himself, indicating that he had no expectation of ever needing either one. This is not how you treat anything you think might be needed at some point in the future. This is how the LORD describes the attitude and behavior of Jeroboam.

I want to pause and point out that God’s patience toward His people and the grace He extends to us are remarkable. All of us could have this same charge made against us. We have, at times, cast God behind us, as it were, when we chose to indulge in sin. At that moment, we choose to ignore God and His Word. As His redeemed, however, He brings us back into line. He doesn’t allow our casting off of Him and His law to become irrevocable and for that, we should be eternally grateful. How many times in our lives have we done something similar to what is here attributed to Jeroboam—maybe not as extensive or prolonged, but in principle the same? Yet we are forgiven and God refuses to cast us behind Him.

The third part of this message from the prophet is the judgment coming against Jeroboam. Beginning in v. 10, the LORD makes known how He will respond to Jeroboam: “I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel.” This is a solemn declaration that the line of Jeroboam is finished. God will not allow the house of the king to survive. Imagine all those who are going to be affected by this coming judgment as a result of this man’s sin.

The house of Jeroboam will be destroyed as that which has the value of dung, the prophet relates. God is promising to oppose Jeroboam and his family until they are no more. Those with no direct part in Jeroboam’s transgressions are going to suffer humiliating deaths—some will die in the city and be eaten by dogs; others will die in the open country and be eaten by the birds of the heavens. There is no hope for the house of Jeroboam and this all rests upon his disdain for the law of God and his thankless response to the favor of the LORD.

In the ministry, I have seen many examples where people have been greatly blessed by God only to act as if His favor is a common thing. They experience God’s kindness repeatedly, but then if you look at their lives, you find glaring contradictions to the manner in which the LORD has treated them. In the context of wonderful provisions from God, some people continue in sinful patterns as if they had received nothing. And this has caused me to ask more than once why God allows such things. Why does He bless some who do not respond in humble obedience to His Word? Why does He favor some who continue to fail at the most elementary of Christian duties?

Those are questions we cannot answer. What we can know, however, is how we should react to God’s blessings. We should be grateful and we should make a greater effort to walk honorably before Him. We should become generous people ourselves toward those in need; we should be willing to speak of the goodness of God whenever an opportunity comes.

God’s treatment of others must remain His business; our response to Him, however, is our concern and it is a shameful thing when we fail to acknowledge God’s favor in our conduct, as well as our words.

The matter that originally caused Jeroboam to send his wife to the prophet is addressed in v. 12: “When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.” The death of the son will be the first blow struck by the LORD against the house of Jeroboam. We may fail to understand the significance of this. The last judgment on Egypt, you’ll recall, was the death of the firstborn of every house. There is more behind such an action than merely causing the parent heartache. The killing of the heir is a powerful statement from God; it says that this line, this family name, will not endure on the earth. It is not just the death of a child, as horrible as that would be, it is a sign of severe judgment against the very name of the family and against the family’s head. Jeroboam’s sin will result in many deaths and, as we’ve seen, the extermination of his line.

Verse 13 states that the people will mourn for this son and he will be buried in an ordinary fashion, unlike the other male descendants of Jeroboam. Following that, we come to the fourth aspect of this word against Jeroboam and that is God’s promise to raise up another king over Israel who will carry out God’s wrath against the house of Jeroboam. The nation, however, is bound for difficult days. Jeroboam encouraged idolatry, but the people bore responsibility, too; they followed him and forsook the LORD and His laws.

Israel’s future, therefore, is bleak, indeed. The nation’s strength will not be regained. God is going to uproot them, as it were, from the promised land they now inhabit, and cause them to be scattered. They have provoked God to anger with their transgressions; they will be “given up,” the LORD vows “because of the sins of Jeroboam.” In time, this judgment manifested itself in the invasion of a foreign army and the people of Israel were carried off as the spoils of war.

3. The Death of Jeroboam’s Son (vv. 17-20)

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

The word of the LORD, delivered through the prophet, came to pass. The child died and the nation mourned. At that point, the writer wraps up the life of Jeroboam with a reference to the record of the Chronicles in which Jeroboam’s reign is summarized. Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years. His son Nadab took his place. I will remind you of God’s promise to destroy the house of Jeroboam by violent means. Two years after he comes to the throne, Nadab will be murdered by a rival.

Application

In the sermon, I mentioned that it is not unusual to find people crying out to God when facing the unknown even though they showed very little interest in God before. That is not the way in which to have a relationship with God. We understand that. On the other hand, even believers who have a fairly regular relationship with God can fall into this same trap. They can fall into the trap of having little to do with God on a really personal level unless they are worried about something. They go to church, listen to the sermons, and pray before meals. But they don’t necessarily have frequent communion with God in prayer and they don’t remind themselves how powerful and merciful and kind God is until they face a problem. Then, of course, prayer becomes the number one concern.

I’m not suggesting that we need to be in “crisis mode” all the time. I’m saying that there is something in need of attention if our most personal times with God come only in the midst of a trial. If God only sees us on our knees when we are facing the extraordinary, then we might need to examine ourselves and see if we have fallen into that routine I described a moment ago—that routine of pouring our hearts out to God and pleading with Him only when we are worried.

If you had someone in your life who rarely spoke or made contact unless they were in trouble, what would you think? Would you be convinced that this person truly views you as a dear friend? Most of us, I believe, would conclude that, while there may be a genuine element to that person’s regard for us, the fact that we rarely hear from them unless they need something from us indicates a shallowness to our relationship. I would say that the same thing could be true of your relationship with God if it resembles this description.

A second word of application can be taken from God’s repeated use of David as an example worth imitating. I noted how David’s behavior is referred to several times by God as He speaks to the men who serve as kings. This happens so many times that we might miss the significance. David, a man favored by God, became a standard against which other men were measured. What more could a man ask for than to be pointed to by God as an example of righteous behavior?

Have you ever given thought to this notion? That is, have you ever thought about your life being used to instruct others and used as an example of living that pleases God? Could you ask for anything more honorable? My guess is that few people consider the ongoing impact of their lives. I wonder how many believers ever think about their lives, their conversations, and their choices as establishing a rod of measurement, as it were. Do you foresee God ever pointing to your life as worth imitating? Could you see your walk with God being referred to as worthy of imitation?

The truth is, your life is being observed by others more than you think. God may never speak your name as a model for a relationship with Him, but you can believe that your choices and your reactions to life’s challenges are being watched. This is without a doubt the case if you are a parent. Your relationship with God, the way you respond to His Word, the way you react to troubles in life—all of this is being considered by your children. Yours is the first relationship with God they have a chance to see and learn from.

Whether you want this to be true or not, dads, your children are developing a theology based on your life. They are forming opinions about God according to what they see in you. They are learning about leadership, responsibility, and love from you. Take this matter seriously and be sure you are providing a worthwhile pattern for them.

The same exhortation applies to moms. In your life, your children are learning how to find satisfaction in their calling, how to relate to authority, and how to make the best use of what God supplies. Here, too, there is need for serious reflection. As children grow up, their understanding of God and their lives before God are going to be formed largely by what they’ve seen in their parents. As I noted, we need to be absolutely certain that the example they witness in us is one worthy of imitation.

Third, I want to call your attention to something I said earlier about how we should respond to the kindness of God. I noted how I have seen people fail to be thankful and humble even after being greatly and repeatedly blessed by the LORD. I added that while I cannot always understand why God chooses to continue blessing some who seem to have little regard for Him and His Word, I can know what I am supposed to do. When I consider what God has done for me in Christ, I am to respond with thanksgiving. When I meditate on what God has promised me, I am to respond with humility. I know how I’m supposed to react to God’s favor toward me. How others react is not necessarily my concern.

I’d ask you, therefore, to take a moment and review in your mind what God has done for you. You may think about your health and safety, you may think about your family—both at home and here in this body. And you should certainly think about your Savior. Nothing in life would have any meaning were it not for the Savior.

Jesus Christ is the foundation on which your entire existence rests. Whatever joy you have, whatever peace you know, whatever relief you receive is because of Him. He met that essential need you had to be reconciled to God. Without Him, you would still be condemned and still be alienated; your future would be dark, indeed.

Make sure that you do not fail to be a thankful person. Make sure you honor God by walking cheerfully and obediently before Him every day. Address your problems by following His Word; run your home by following His Word; love your spouse according to His Word; raise your children according to His Word. Bring your entire existence into conformity with what God has revealed. That is how a person properly responds to God’s grace.

Prayer

Baptism of Mara Chrysanthemum Eaton

Hymn for Communion

Conclusion

As you think about my exhortation regarding how you are responding to the blessings of God, let this sacrament encourage you and instruct you. Here we are remembering the ultimate act of God’s love, which is the provision of a Mediator and Substitute. Here we are also able to communion with our wonderful Savior as we receive that which He appointed to remind us of His sacrifice. Meditate on Him and His greatness, His mercy, His glory as your eat the bread and drink the wine.

Measure your concerns against what He has provided for you. Be encouraged by the sure knowledge of your eternal security in Him.

Matt. 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”