Jeroboam I Kings and Prophets I Kings 12:20 to 14:20 02.21.2016
Overview Texts: 1 Kings 12:20 to 14:20 Background: 1 King 11: 14 to 12:24 (Last Week s lesson) Canaanite Religion Jeroboam 1, King of Israel: Calling, Reign, Accomplishments, and consequences Prophets: Man of God, Ahijah
Background Jeroboam and his appointment: I Kings 11:26-40 Son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, son of a widow Divinely appointed by God through Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, to become King of Israel, the Northern Kingdom Reason and Details of the appointment. Reign from 931 BC to 910 BC
God s Calling on Israel At Mt Sinai, God made a covenant with the Israelites and called them His treasured possession and a kingdom of priests and a holy nation The 10 Commandments (Ex 20): You shall have no other gods before me You shall not make for yourself an idol... Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy (Lev 19:2, 20:7, 11:44, I Peter 1:15-16, 2:9) Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut 6:4-5) Fear the Lord, serve Him, be faithful to God, and worship God alone
Religion of the Canaanites The effects of Canaanite religion became one of the greatest source of temptation to Israelite from the time of Exodus, through the conquest of Canaan, to the Babylonian exile. The fall of Samaria was attributed to idolatry (2King 17) The destruction of Jerusalem was also attributed to idol worship (2King 21:10-15)
Ras Shamra Religion of the Canaanites Ancient Ugarite village excavated in 1928 Text
EL Religion of the Canaanites Nominal head of the Canaanite Pantheon Text
Asherah Religion of the Canaanites Asherah Ugaritic goddess. The consort El. Lady of the sea Appears 40 times in in OT. A fertility goddess, El and Asherah produced 70 Elims (gods and goddesses). The best known is Baal ( master or lord ). Asherah is associated with the symbol of a wooden pole (perhaps phllic symbol but not clear how it related to a female goddess) Asherim:wooden poles which stood at Canaanite sites of worship.
Baal Religion of the Canaanites Baal: master or lord. God of fertility and storm
Anat Religion of the Canaanites Anat: Sister and spouse of Baal. The Virgin, was also goddess of passion, sex, and war Ferocious Warrior. Anat in Ugarite Anat in Egypt Anat in Mesopotamia Anat and Athene
Ashtoreth/Astarte Religion of the Canaanites Ashtorath/Astarte
Molech Religion of the Canaanites Text
Chemosh Religion of the Canaanites Moab national god of war. Moabite Stone / Mesha Stone
Dagon Religion of the Canaanites A god of the Philistine: likely a grain god of Philistine. (dagan: grain). A type of fertility god. the principal deity of the middle Euphrates region. Fish god?
High Places Open-air shrine (bamah) and worship site which usually contains an altar Play a prominent role in assessing the performance of a king
High Places Bamah could mean back, height, ridge, hill, or cultic high places. In Biblical context, could mean back of one s enemies, height, back of clouds, waves of sea Therefore, the idea of that which stands out in the background, rather than the idea of hill or mountain. The most important notion of high place is that it is a place of religious PROMINENCE Thus, Bamah can be used to describe shrines that were not located on the hills. In Bible text, high places were found in hills, towns, gate of Jerusalem, urban centers, ravine, and valley.
High Places A high place has the essential features of a platform, usually associated with building, for religious purposes. A king s attitude toward the high places will be one of the criteria on which the narrator judges him: If he attempts to destroy them, he is good; if he leaves them alone, he is mediocre; if he worships there, he is evil to the core.
High Place: Tel Dan Jeroboam made 2 golden calves and placed one in the shrine at Bethel and the other one in the shrine at Dan and established these two sites as sites of worship.
High Place: Tel Dan
Bethel A city located west of Ai and 12 mile N of Jerusalem Identified with modern day Beitin or el-bireh by archeologists Originally known as Luz Abraham built an altar near Bethel and called on the name of the Lord God spoke to Jacob in a dream there. And Jacob named the place Bethel (House of God). Deborah lived in the vicinity of Bethel According to LXX, the Ark was brought to Bethel (Jgs 2:1 LXX) during Judges and was moved to Shiloh later. It remained an important worship center until time of Saul and David. It regain prominence during the beginning of the Divided Kingdom where it became one of the two worship center of the Northern Kingdom.
High Places Before the Temple was built, Israelites worshipped at the high places Such worship was tolerated but not ideal Some authority believe authentic worship of Yahweh took place at these high places. But it is the association of syncretism or foreign religion, along with with present of Asherah pole and other religious objects, that became the problem. Other text suggest that regardless of presence or absence of other religious objects, there is something wrong with the high place themselves just by their pagan origin.
High Places Why are the high places so problematic? These shrines compromise God s claim on Israel It goes against God s expressed desire to choose a place of worship that bears His name. It nurture false notion of God as one who is localized and who has a shrine in different location just as how Baal is perceived to be the lord of each land he is at. It nurtures syncretism, which leads to idolatry, which leads to apostasy, which leads to judgement and destruction.
Detestable Practices Sacrifice your son and daughter in the fire Practice divination or witchcraft Interpret omens Engage in witchcraft, or cast spell Be a medium or spiritist or consult the dead Anyone who does this is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God drive out those nations before you Chemosh and Molech are specifically mentioned as detestable
The Worship of Yahweh and Canaanite Religion El and Yahweh Yahweh and Asherah Baal Motif High Places, Sacred Prostitutions, Molech Cult Israelite Calendar and Kingship
Religion of the Canaanites What drew the Israelites to the religion of the Canaanites? The lure of spiritual unfaithfulness The lure of deception The lure of syncretism in culture and in religion The lure of sight, sound, and the senses
Jeroboam Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and son of a widow (Zeruah) A capable official of Solomon who became in charge of the labor force of the house of Joseph Received prophetic appointment to become King of Israel thru Ahijah the prophet. This prompted Jeroboam to rebel against Solomon. (see I King 11: 29-33) The Kingdom was divided because of Solomon s apostasy and unfaithfulness to God.
Jeroboam Conditional Promise to Jeroboam : Obedience to God will result in an a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David Solomon tried to killed him but he escaped to Egypt under Shishak the king. He returned after death of Solomon The Israelites made him king of the northern tribes Fortified Shechem as the first capital. Later, Tirzah became the second capital. Reign from 931 BC to 910 BC
Jeroboam Text: 1 King 12:20-33 Question: 1.What leadership challenges did Jeroboam face? 2.How did he meet those challenges? 3.What were the results of his actions? 4.What can you learn from Jeroboam?
The Sin of Jeroboam Break up the unity of God s people Created man-made idols (2 calves) to be worship as national gods at the shrines he built at Bethel and Dan. Built shrines on high places. Appointed priests from all sort of people and possibly taking on the role of the priest. Instituted new religious festivals and calendars.
The Sin of Jeroboam Sin of Jeroboam appeared 22 times at the book in Kings Each of those actions defied and broke the law, thus, such actions directly forfeited God s promise Established a tradition of religious apostasy which became the hallmark of the Northern Kingdom, which also led to their destruction in 722 BC. 2 Kings 17:21-22: Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He has warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
Man of God from Judah Passage: I Kings 13 An unnamed prophet from Judah was sent by God to proclaim judgement upon the altar of Bethel, and a warning to Jeroboam. The message came when Jeroboam stood at the altar to make an offering Message: This altar will be rendered useless and be defiled by Josiah, a son of David. Confirmation: Altar split apart with ashes fell out + Jeroboam s hand shriveled up and could not be pull back
Man of God from Judah Read I King 13 Questions: 1.What were the instructions that God gave to the Man of God? 2.What happened to the Man of God and what lessons could you derive from it? 3.What impact did the events from this chapter have on Jeroboam? 4.What have you learned from this text?
Group 1: Man of God: 1 Kings 13 Questions: 1.What were the instructions that God gave to the Man of God? 2.What happened to the Man of God and what lessons could you derive from it? 3.What impact did this event have on Jeroboam? 4.What are some lessons you learned from this passage Group 2: Ahijah: 1 Kings 14:1-20 Questions: 1.What are some challenges and potential danger Ahijah faced? 2.How did he respond? 3.What can you learn from his response?
Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh Prophet of Shiloh who played a crucial role in the formation of the Divided Monarchy. Shiloh: Religious center in the Hill Country of Ephraim where some of the tribal allotment were made, the Tabernacle was set up, and where Eli and Samuel ministered.
Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh Events associated with Ahijah 1.The prophetic announcement and symbolic action in appointing Jeroboam as King of Israel.(1 Kings 11:26-40) 2.The prophetic denouncement of Jeroboam because of his apostasy, with pronouncement of the death of Abijah, Jeroboam s son, as a confirmation of the prophetic message. (1 Kings 14:1-18) 3.The Chronicler refers to the prophecy of Ahijah as one of the sources for the reign of Solomon.
Ahijah Prophet of Shiloh 1.Read 1Kings 14: 1-20 2.What are some challenges and potential danger Ahijah faced? 3.How did he respond? 4.What can you learn from his response?
The End of Jeroboam A promising beginning but a bad ending He was defeated by Abijah King of Judah. 2 Chr 13:20: Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died His Legacy: The Sin of Jeroboam 2 Kings 17:21-22: Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He has warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
Closing comments Deut 10:12-13: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
For Next Week King Ahab The Prophet Elijah Text: I Kings 16:29 through 1 Kings 22