Jeroboam then built up the city of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and it became his capital. Later he went and built up the town of Peniel. 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—at either end of his kingdom. But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols, traveling as far north as Dan to worship the one there. (1 Kings 12:25-30 NLT)David was dead, Solomon was dead and Solomon’s son Rehoboam was king of Israel. But unlike his fathers, he was stupid. His people came to him and said, lighten our load tax-wise. Solomon had taxed the people to death with all of his building projects and they needed relief.
Rehoboam held a council, both of wise older men and young men. The older men said to do it. Ease their taxes and they will love you.
The younger men said no. Bear down on the people. Make them fear you.
Rehoboam chose the younger men’s advice and he lost his people. They crowned Jeroboam king. He was a guy that Solomon had tried to kill once for being too popular.
Because he was stupid, and listened to the wrong people Rehoboam lost his kingdom. It was whittled down to just two tribes from the original twelve tribes.
This was all God’s doing, and he was the one who took the kingdom away from Rehoboam because of his father Solomon’s sins in worshiping idols.
But the problem was, the worship of idols, the desire to worship these idols, was so ingrained in the Israelites that they couldn’t seem to escape it. The first thing Jeroboam, anointed of God to be the king of Israel, the ten northern tribes, did was to set up two golden calves, one at the top of the country and one at the bottom.
His rationale was that he didn’t want the people in his kingdom to be tied to Jerusalem anymore.
They weren’t. But they also were not tied to God anymore either.
Someone once wrote that those who ignore history and its lessons are doomed to repeat it. Jeroboam could see plainly that all of Israel’s problems could be traced to one thing: idolatry. And he ignored the lesson.
The children of Israel couldn’t leave them alone. They had worshiped them all the way back in time in one way or another. It was almost a fixation to them, an unholy attraction.
So what happened? Israel fell, about 200 years later. Then Judah, the two tribes left to David’s throne, fell about 150 years after that. And when they fell, it more of a whimper than a bang. They had used themselves up and there was nothing left for God.
The lesson in this? Sometimes the smartest and most blessed people of God can do the stupidest things and cause, from them, the most horrible results. By the time these people were finally conquered, they were starving. The God with a cattle on a thousand hills had turned his back on them.
Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God knows what he has planned for you. And nothing can stop it except for you and your attitude.
Solomon had the largest empire on earth at the time, but he couldn’t leave idols and women alone. So he lost it all.
Rehoboam had the chance to be good and a good king, but he decided to be tough and show everybody what a hardcase he was. And he lost it.
God gave it to Jeroboam who couldn’t make new idols fast enough.
It seemed everywhere God turned, no matter how much he blessed them, they turned from him.
When we lose sight of that which is holy – as it seems we have in this country today – we lose God and his blessings.
What stupidity.
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