Jeroboam thought to himself, “Unless I am careful, the kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple of the Lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and make him their king instead.” So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan…But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols… – 1 Kings 12:26-30 (NLT)
Jeroboam’s rise as the king of the northern kingdom of Israel was divinely planned by God. This was confirmed by the prophet Ahijah following the sin of King Solomon – 1 Kings 11:29-39.
God promised that if Jeroboam, remained obedient, He would establish an everlasting dynasty for him just as He did for David. “And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.” 1 Kings 11:37-38 (NLT)
To gain and retain the people’s loyalty, Jeroboam made two gold calves and placed them at Bethel and Dan. At each worship centre, Jeroboam erected a temple to house the sacred golden calf and an altar for the people to offer sacrifices.
This was a miscalculation by Jeroboam. By adhering to human wisdom instead of divine or godly wisdom and direction, he led the people into idol worship which became a great sin.
When he was advised by his counsellors surely, he must have been aware of God’s promise through the prophet Ahijah. A promise to make him a ruler over ten of the tribes of Israel and establish for him an enduring dynasty.
The promise of God did come to pass in Jeroboam’s life, he did become the king of Israel. His fear, however, showed a lack of confident trust in God who promised him the kingdom.
It is possible that Jeroboam probably didn’t intend for these golden calves to be seen or construed as pagan worship. The idols to him, were meant to be a representation of the invisible God, who brought them out of Egypt. But the problem with this is that it transgressed the second and third of the Ten Commandments.
Did Jeroboam forget the commandments of God? Did he know the history of Israel and the golden calf? Who were Jeroboam’s advisers? What role did the people play in this whole saga? And what does this mean for us today?
We will discuss these in the next blog.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 