1 Kings Chapter 12
Rehoboam and Jeroboam
A. Rehoboam and the division of Israel
1. (1 Kings 12:1-5) The elders of Israel offer Rehoboam the throne of Israel
KJV TEXT
“And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt, that they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous, now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.”
a. Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king
Rehoboam’s journey to Shechem marked what he and all Israel assumed to be the natural continuation of the Davidic monarchy. David was succeeded by Solomon, and by common expectation Solomon’s son would continue that line. Yet the setting of this coronation already revealed that Rehoboam’s kingship would not be as secure as that of his predecessors. Shechem, rather than Jerusalem, was chosen as the assembly location because it was the long recognized center of the northern tribes. Its selection implied that the ten tribes held the stronger political position. A son of Solomon who possessed true wisdom would have discerned that the power dynamic was shifting. Instead of summoning the northern leaders to Jerusalem, Rehoboam traveled to their ground. This revealed a position of weakness rather than kingly strength.
i. Rehoboam was the only recorded son of Solomon
Scripture reveals something striking and tragic. Although Solomon accumulated one thousand wives and concubines, only one son is recorded by name. This is all the more sobering when remembering God’s repeated warnings regarding the dangers and consequences of Solomon’s excessive marriages. His polygamy violated the divine design for the family and created a fractured domestic world. The fact that the only named heir is a foolish one underscores that a man cannot build a stable family through sensual indulgence. Sin never produces the legacy men imagine it will produce. Solomon’s life proves that no amount of worldly pleasure can substitute for obedience in the home.
ii. The observation of Knapp
Knapp notes that it is difficult to believe Solomon had no other sons, yet Rehoboam alone is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:10. The absence of other named sons emphasizes the theological point. God intends for the reader to see the vanity of Solomon’s harem and the futility of building a dynasty apart from obedience. It is a sobering commentary on the consequences of compromise in the family realm.
iii. The history and symbolism of Shechem
Shechem held deep historical and spiritual significance. Abraham first worshipped God there according to Genesis 12:6, which says, “And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh, and the Canaanite was then in the land.” Jacob purchased land there and built an altar according to Genesis 33:18-20, which says, “And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe Israel.” Joseph’s bones were buried there according to Joshua 24:32, which says, “And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver, and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.” Its central location among the northern tribes made it a symbolic rallying point. For Rehoboam to meet Israel there rather than in Jerusalem was an ominous sign. He was not setting the terms of his rule. He was being summoned and evaluated by the very tribes he hoped to lead.
b. When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it
Jeroboam had been previously mentioned in 1 Kings 11:26-40, where God announced through the prophet Ahijah that Jeroboam would rule over ten tribes as judgment against Solomon’s idolatry. Jeroboam’s return from Egypt was therefore politically and prophetically significant. He did not merely join the delegation to Rehoboam as one among many. He was central to God’s unfolding judgment on Solomon’s line. It is notable that Jeroboam was included among the elders who addressed Rehoboam. The man whom God had chosen to lead the divided northern kingdom now stood before the son of Solomon, signaling that divine judgment was already set in motion.
c. Thy father made our yoke grievous, now therefore lighten the burdensome service
Solomon’s reign, though marked by wisdom and prosperity, placed a heavy burden on the people. Forced labor, significant taxation, and large-scale public works had pressed the nation hard. The request made to Rehoboam was simple. If he would reduce the harshness of their service, they would gladly serve him as king. The people were not rejecting the Davidic throne. They were requesting relief from the extremities of Solomon’s policies.
i. God had warned Israel of the consequences of monarchy
This moment recalled the warning delivered through Samuel when Israel first demanded a king. 1 Samuel 8:10-19 warned that a king would take from their sons, daughters, fields, flocks, and labor. Now Israel had lived under a king who fulfilled that prophecy. Solomon had taken generously. The elders now pleaded for restraint.
ii. Their request lacked spiritual concern
What is troubling is the absence of any spiritual appeal. They did not mention Solomon’s idolatry. They did not grieve over the moral corruption Solomon tolerated. They asked only for political relief rather than spiritual renewal. The elders of Israel had learned to carry the burden of Solomon’s idolatry without protest, which reveals a nation slipping into compromise. They wanted an easier king, not a holier nation.
2. (1 Kings 12:6-7) The counsel from Rehoboam’s older advisors
KJV TEXT
“And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people. And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever.”
a. Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon
Rehoboam demonstrated initial wisdom by seeking counsel from the elders who had served Solomon. These were seasoned men who had witnessed the glories and failures of Solomon’s reign. They understood the temperament of the nation, the burdens the people carried, and the proper tone a young king needed to take. Though Rehoboam lacked the spiritual depth of his grandfather David and the early wisdom of his father Solomon, he did at least take the first step toward wise leadership by seeking experienced counsel. Scripture consistently affirms the value of wise counselors, as in Proverbs 11:14, which says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
b. If thou wilt be a servant unto this people today, then they will be thy servants forever
The elders’ advice was profoundly wise. They understood that Rehoboam lacked the stature, achievement, and spiritual credibility of Solomon. Solomon had earned the respect of the nation through wisdom, prosperity, and the temple. Rehoboam had earned nothing. Therefore he must lead not through dominance but through humility. A servant spirit would earn loyalty that force could never secure. The elders recognized that servant leadership is not weakness. It is strength in the form God honors.
Their counsel echoed the principles later embodied perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ, who taught in Matthew 20:26, “But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.” Although this is centuries earlier, the truth remains timeless. A king who serves his people wins them. A king who oppresses them drives them away. The elders presented Rehoboam a path to unity and blessing. Sadly, he rejected it.
3. (1 Kings 12:8-11) The counsel from Rehoboam’s younger advisors
KJV TEXT
“But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him. And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter. And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us, thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke, my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”
a. But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men
Before Rehoboam ever approached the younger men, he had already made a foundational decision. He rejected the counsel of the elders. This reveals his heart. He did not want wisdom. He wanted validation. He did not want truth. He wanted confirmation of his own pride. The elders represented experience, restraint, and the memory of God’s dealings with Solomon. The younger men represented impulse, immaturity, and bravado. Rehoboam chose the latter because it suited his flesh.
i. Advice shopping and the danger of selective counsel
This behavior is common. Men who do not want truth will continue to seek counselors until they find someone who echoes their desires. This is not genuine pursuit of wisdom. It is manipulation disguised as inquiry. Scripture warns against this spirit. Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Rehoboam did not want counsel. He wanted a license for tyranny. A wise man is willing to hear correction. A fool looks only for affirmation of what he already intends to do.
Godly leadership requires listening to those who will speak truth even when it is inconvenient. Rehoboam rejected this entirely.
b. And consulted the young men who had grown up with him
The younger men represented a circle shaped by shared privilege and identical immaturity. They were not seasoned by hardship. They were not tested by responsibility. They were not diversified in experience. They stood before Rehoboam as loyal companions, but loyalty without wisdom becomes fuel for disaster. By turning to those who had the same background, the same blind spots, and the same pride, Rehoboam showed that his inquiry was only for appearances. He was not seeking a godly answer. He was seeking a justification for prideful rule.
i. Outsiders often see more clearly than those inside the same circle
The younger men lacked perspective. They lacked distance from Rehoboam’s world. People often gather friends who are just like themselves, which creates a closed echo chamber. A man trapped inside such a circle receives no challenge, no balance, and no caution. He receives only reflections of his own weaknesses. Rehoboam sought counsel from men who were the least qualified to give it.
This stands in stark contrast to the wisdom seen in Proverbs 19:20, which says, “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” Listening to wisdom requires humility. Rehoboam had none.
c. And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke
The younger men pushed Rehoboam not toward restraint but toward escalation. Their answer did not appeal to justice or righteousness or the welfare of the people. It appealed to dominance. They wanted Rehoboam to rule through fear rather than trust, through threats rather than persuasion. This revealed their immaturity and their ignorance of true leadership.
i. Solomon led through vision and purpose, not terror
Solomon placed burdens on Israel, yet the people followed him because they believed in the mission. The building of the temple, the establishment of peace, and the expansion of the kingdom were national achievements in which the people shared. They sacrificed because they saw purpose. Tyrants always lack purpose beyond self. Rehoboam desired submission but did not offer meaning. He did not appeal to any sense of national unity. He did not call Israel to anything noble. He wanted obedience without inspiration.
A king who demands fear while offering nothing worthy of loyalty is doomed to lose the hearts of the people.
ii. Dilday’s observation
The younger men’s counsel led Rehoboam to speak twelve reckless words that opened the door to centuries of warfare, division, and eventual national collapse. One moment of pride can undo the blessings of generations. Solomon established a united kingdom through wisdom. Rehoboam fractured it through arrogance.
4. (1 Kings 12:12-15) Rehoboam answers Jeroboam and the people harshly
KJV TEXT
“So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him. And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke, my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people, for the cause was from the Lord, that He might perform His saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”
a. So the king did not listen to the people
Rehoboam responded with harshness, pride, and total rejection of wisdom. There are times when a leader should not yield to popular demands, but this was not one of them. The people’s request was legitimate, and the elders had confirmed that responding with humility would secure the stability of the kingdom. Instead, Rehoboam’s harshness revealed his own foolishness.
i. Solomon feared being succeeded by a fool, and his fear was fulfilled
Solomon saw this possibility in Ecclesiastes 2:18-19, which says, “Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool. Yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.”
The tragic answer is now seen. The man who followed Solomon was indeed a fool. Rehoboam inherited a golden kingdom and shattered it in a moment.
b. For the turn of events was from the Lord
God oversaw the unfolding of these events, not by forcing Rehoboam to act wickedly, but by allowing him to follow the desires of his own sinful heart. God had already decreed judgment against Solomon’s line through the prophet Ahijah. The division of the kingdom fulfilled God’s word. God’s sovereignty does not make men sin, but God uses even the sins and stupidity of men to fulfill His purposes. He rules over all things without being the author of evil.
i. Spurgeon’s observation
Spurgeon notes that God was in these events in a mysterious yet undeniable way. God did not author the sin of Solomon or the folly of Rehoboam, yet He overruled both to accomplish His judgment. God is sovereign even in the midst of human rebellion. The breaking of the kingdom was both the result of human sin and the fulfillment of divine purpose.
5. (1 Kings 12:16-19) Rehoboam is rejected as king over the ten northern tribes
KJV TEXT
“So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse, to your tents, O Israel, now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute, and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died, therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.”
a. “What share have we in David”
Israel’s response was a direct renunciation of the house of David. Rehoboam’s arrogance pushed them beyond rejecting the man. They rejected the dynasty. They cried out that they had no inheritance in the son of Jesse. This was a tragic reversal of centuries of unity. David had been the ideal king. Under him the tribes were united in worship, purpose, and military strength. Now, because of the folly of David’s grandson, the people rejected the very dynasty that God Himself had chosen.
Their cry, “To your tents, O Israel,” was the ancient way of announcing secession. They declared their independence from the Davidic monarchy. Rehoboam’s foolishness did not merely offend the people. It fractured the covenantal structure of the kingdom. The rebellion of Israel was the political result of spiritual decline that began in Solomon’s idolatry and now burst fully into the open under Rehoboam’s incompetence.
b. King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue, but all Israel stoned him with stones
Rehoboam misread the situation entirely. Instead of responding with humility, he attempted to enforce authority through fear. He sent Adoram, the official responsible for forced labor and taxation. This was a provocative move that ignored the grievances of the people. Adoram was the worst possible representative for reconciliation. He was known for harsh labor policies as seen in 1 Kings 4:6, which says, “And Ahishar was over the household, and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.” He was also over the forced labor in 1 Kings 5:14, which says, “And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses.”
Sending Adoram revealed that Rehoboam intended to respond to rebellion with intimidation rather than repentance. Israel responded decisively. They stoned Adoram to death. The death of the tax master was an unmistakable declaration that the northern tribes considered themselves fully separated and would not submit to Rehoboam’s rule by coercion.
i. Adoram was the wrong man to send
Rehoboam’s decision to send a man known for harshness confirmed his lack of discernment. This was not a moment for force. It was a moment for humility. His attempt to intimidate a nation already on the brink only hardened their rebellion. His tough man posture failed instantly. When Adoram fell under a hail of stones, Rehoboam realized the seriousness of the crisis. He fled to Jerusalem because his life was in danger. This moment marked the end of a united monarchy.
c. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day
This phrase marks a permanent historical shift. From this moment forward, “Israel” referred to the ten tribes of the north, while “Judah” referred to the southern kingdom made up of Judah and Benjamin. The split was not a temporary political dispute. It became a defining structure of Israel’s history.
i. Long standing tension between the tribes
The division did not appear suddenly. It had deep roots. Immediately after Absalom’s rebellion there were disputes between the northern tribes and Judah according to 2 Samuel 19:40-43, which records intense arguments over loyalty to David. This tension escalated into Sheba’s rebellion in 2 Samuel 20:1-2, where Sheba declared, “We have no part in David,” almost identical to the present cry.
The seeds of division were already planted. Rehoboam’s foolishness watered them.
ii. Knapp’s observation
Knapp notes that Rehoboam should have been grateful that God, out of love for David, left him even two tribes. God’s covenant with David preserved Judah when Rehoboam’s actions deserved total collapse. The existence of the southern kingdom was not due to Rehoboam’s leadership. It was due entirely to God’s faithfulness to His promise in 2 Samuel 7.
6. (1 Kings 12:20-24) Rehoboam attempts to re unify the nation by force
KJV TEXT
“And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel, there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel, return every man to his house, for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord, and returned to depart, according to the word of the Lord.”
a. When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and made him king
The northern tribes immediately recognized Jeroboam as God’s appointed leader. This fulfilled the prophecy given by Ahijah in 1 Kings 11:29-39. At the time it was delivered, the prophecy seemed unlikely. Solomon was powerful, and Jeroboam was merely an official in his administration. Yet God’s word is certain. What He declares comes to pass regardless of political strength or human assumptions.
i. Distinguishing Jeroboam I
This first Jeroboam is often called Jeroboam I to distinguish him from a later king in Israel named Jeroboam, usually known as Jeroboam II who reigned during the time described in 2 Kings 14:23-29. Jeroboam I established the northern kingdom, though his later policies tragically led Israel into deep idolatry.
b. To fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam
In a predictable yet misguided attempt at restoring his authority, Rehoboam assembled an army of one hundred and eighty thousand warriors from Judah and Benjamin. His plan was to force the ten tribes back into submission through war. This reveals that Rehoboam had learned nothing from what had already occurred. Instead of humility, he returned to pride. Instead of repentance, he pursued military force.
But God intervened. He spoke through Shemaiah the man of God. The prophet delivered a direct command. Judah was not to go to war against Israel. God declared, “This thing is from me.” The division was not merely political. It was divine judgment. Rehoboam was not fighting Israel. He would have been fighting against the decree of God.
To Rehoboam’s credit, or perhaps because he lacked courage, he obeyed the word of the Lord and abandoned his military plan.
i. Spurgeon’s observation
Spurgeon marvels at Shemaiah. He appears briefly in Scripture and then disappears, yet in a single moment this little known prophet halted one hundred and eighty thousand armed men. He did so not through eloquence, but through the simple authoritative word of God. Spurgeon laments that modern preachers lack this power because they often speak their own thoughts rather than the pure Word of God. True authority comes only when one speaks God’s Word as God’s Word.
B. Jeroboam’s Idolatry
1. (1 Kings 12:25) Jeroboam’s new capital, Shechem
KJV TEXT
“Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein, and went out from thence, and built Penuel.”
a. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim
Jeroboam needed an administrative center because Jerusalem was in the territory of Judah and Benjamin and therefore belonged to the southern kingdom. Shechem was historically significant, centrally located, and already respected among the northern tribes. Abraham worshipped there. Jacob purchased land there. Joshua renewed the covenant there. It remained a strategic and symbolic site. By securing Shechem as his capital, Jeroboam anchored his authority in a place that resonated with the northern tribes’ identity. The establishment of this capital also signaled the permanence of the division. Jeroboam did not intend to rule temporarily. He intended to establish a rival kingdom.
b. He went out from there and built Penuel
The expansion to Penuel showed the early vigor of Jeroboam’s reign. He began with energy, initiative, and opportunity. At this point Jeroboam stood on the threshold of blessing. God had made a monumental promise to him in 1 Kings 11:38, which says, “And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.”
God offered him an enduring dynasty on the condition of obedience. Jeroboam’s early opportunities were enormous. He could have founded a kingdom rooted in fidelity to God and loyalty to His law. Instead, fear and unbelief soon corrupted his path.
2. (1 Kings 12:26-29) Jeroboam makes a religion to serve the state
KJV TEXT
“And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.”
a. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back
The political division between north and south did not remove Israel’s covenant obligations. The Law of Moses required worship at the place God chose. That place was Jerusalem. The northern tribes still had the responsibility to worship at the temple. Jeroboam understood the political implications. He feared that continued worship at Jerusalem would rekindle devotion to David’s line. Jeroboam saw obedience to God’s law as a political threat to his rule. His fear was rooted not in faith but in unbelief.
b. They will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah
Jeroboam forgot, or deliberately ignored, God’s promise given through Ahijah. God had explicitly promised him a secure throne if he walked in obedience. Instead of trusting God’s word, he trusted his own fears. His unbelief created the very crisis he hoped to avoid. Leaders who do not trust God inevitably turn to manipulation, pragmatism, and compromise. Jeroboam feared men rather than God. The throne God promised him could only be secured by radical obedience, yet he abandoned obedience to secure political advantage.
c. Therefore the king asked advice
Jeroboam sought counsel for an evil purpose. Seeking advice is only wise when the heart desires righteousness. When a man has already determined to sin, his counsel becomes corrupt. Jeroboam wanted the best method to carry out wickedness.
i. Jeroboam was even more foolish than it appears
Dilday notes that the Hebrew text indicates Jeroboam took counsel with himself. He consulted no prophet, no priest, and no godly leader. He never sought God. Poole notes that Jeroboam’s error flowed from failing to consult the very God who had given him the kingdom. Jeroboam’s self consultation was arrogance disguised as planning. Men who refuse divine counsel will always fall into idolatry.
d. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt
Jeroboam appealed to convenience. He offered a cheap substitute for genuine worship. True worship requires obedience, sacrifice, and submission. False religion offers comfort and convenience. Jeroboam understood human nature. Most people choose the easy path. By placing idols in Bethel and Dan, he offered a local, accessible, and counterfeit worship that appealed to the flesh.
i. Jeroboam became a political leader who shaped religion for his own purpose
He was not seeking truth. He was shaping religion to secure political power. Throughout history politicians have created or manipulated religious systems to unify or pacify populations. Jeroboam wanted a religion that served the state rather than a state that served God. This made him the prototype of political idolatry.
ii. Here are your gods, O Israel
Jeroboam’s words intentionally echoed Aaron’s words during the golden calf incident. Exodus 32:4 says, “And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”
Jeroboam did not accidentally repeat history. He deliberately revived Israel’s worst national sin.
iii. Jeroboam likely intended the golden calves as representations of the true God
This was not outright rejection of Yahweh. It was corruption of His worship. This is the essence of idolatry. It substitutes human imagination for divine revelation. Jeroboam did not deny the Lord. He redefined Him. Spurgeon said that men are willing to worship God if allowed rituals and symbols of their own invention. Jeroboam used symbolism to distort truth. It was the worship of convenience, not obedience.
3. (1 Kings 12:30-33) The establishment of Jeroboam’s religion
KJV TEXT
“And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart, and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.”
a. Now this thing became a sin
It was sin when Jeroboam devised the system, yet it became a sin in a fuller sense once the people embraced it. Idolatry is contagious. When a leader falls into sin, he draws multitudes with him. The people were so drawn to Jeroboam’s counterfeit religion that they traveled to Dan, the far northern border of the land, to worship the golden calf. The distance highlights their zeal for convenience based religion. The attraction of idolatry is always rooted in the heart’s desire for a god who asks less and promises more. What began as Jeroboam’s personal compromise became national corruption.
b. He made shrines on the high places
Jeroboam did not limit the apostate worship to Bethel and Dan. He created numerous high places throughout Israel. These high places offered even greater convenience than the two main centers. High places were the ancient sites often associated with pagan worship. Jeroboam blended familiarity with idolatry and accessibility. His strategy was simple. Provide people a way to worship that is easy, local, and self directed. False worship flourishes when it removes effort and obedience. By multiplying high places, Jeroboam normalized false religion across the land.
c. Made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi
Jeroboam intentionally rejected the God ordained priesthood. God commanded that priests must descend from Aaron and that Levites must bear the sacred duties of temple service. Jeroboam discarded the Word of God and created a priesthood that suited his political aims. This was not only rebellion against Scripture. It was the deliberate destruction of the spiritual order God established. A false religion requires false priests. Jeroboam created both.
i. The Levites and faithful people departed to Judah
The legitimate priests and Levites living in the northern kingdom refused to participate in Jeroboam’s idolatry. 2 Chronicles 11:13-16 records that they migrated south to Judah because they would not corrupt the worship of the Lord. With them came other faithful Israelites who set their hearts to seek the Lord. Spiritually speaking, Israel suffered a double blow. First, Jeroboam introduced a false religion. Second, the faithful departed. The northern kingdom was stripped of godly leaders and godly people. Their absence left the land spiritually barren.
ii. Payne’s observation
Payne notes that Jeroboam believed he could afford to lose the faithful. He thought that priests with higher standards were expendable. This reveals Jeroboam’s political logic. He did not want spiritual men who might call the people to obedience. He wanted compliant men who would reinforce his power.
iii. Knapp’s insight
Knapp explains that Jeroboam’s expulsion of the priests was a political blunder. Their migration strengthened Judah. What Jeroboam removed as a threat became a blessing to his rival. When a nation drives out the righteous, it enriches its enemies and impoverishes itself. The northern kingdom became spiritually weak and politically unstable.
d. In the month which he had devised in his own heart
This phrase is the perfect summary of Jeroboam’s invented religion. It was not shaped by revelation, covenant, or obedience. It was shaped by his own heart. Scripture teaches that the heart is deceitful. Therefore a religion built from the heart is a religion built from deceit. Jeroboam is the quintessential example of men who create their own spiritual path rather than submit to the revealed Word of God.
i. The modern world embraces Jeroboam’s religion
Jeroboam’s religion survives in modern forms. People craft their own beliefs, select their own doctrines, and create their own standards, claiming some personal spirituality. The example of Sheila Larson mentioned in the book Habits of the Heart illustrates this mindset. She described her faith as Sheilaism, her own inner voice. This pick and choose approach rejects the objective revelation of Scripture. It is the twenty first century version of Jeroboam’s religion. It appears harmless, yet it is opposition to the faith once delivered to the saints.
ii. Therefore Jeroboam served as his own priest
Jeroboam took upon himself the role of priest as well as king. Clarke notes that Jeroboam likely performed the functions of high priest so that he could unify civil and religious authority in his own person. This is the pattern of tyrants. Whenever a king claims spiritual authority, both political structure and religious purity collapse. Jeroboam’s usurpation of the priesthood showed that he had completely abandoned the law of God. He crafted a religion where he alone held power and where the people were bound to him rather than to the Lord.
