Making The Same Mistake

When Rehoboam insisted on raising taxes, most of the people voted with their feet to leave, much like what has been happening in California for several years with the businesses and working class people.  The only ones who stay are the extremely wealthyor those who profit from the various government programs and the people who can’t afford to leave.   Kearing that Jeroboam had returned, the people made him king over all but Judah, as I Kings 12:20 tells us.  “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.”

Angered by the people’s revolt, and determined to have his way, Rehoboam decidecd to stop Jeroboam and his government any way possible, much like what happened with the 2016 presidential election, as I Kings 12:21 describes.  “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. “

God plainly told them that the people’s choice of Jeroboam was what he had planned and they were not to stop him, in I Kings 12:22-24.  “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.”  Acceding to God’s will, Rehoboam and the people of Judah stopped their efforts to discredit and destroy Jeroboam. 

God gives man the freedom to decide what they want to do.  He had chosen both Saul and Solomon, and both of them turned away from God, although David stayed faithful.  God had chosen jeroboam, and like Saul and Solomon he would turn away, as I Kings 12:25-33.  “Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.  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.  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.”

Like Saul, Jeroboam didn’t really trust God to unite the people behind haim and decided he had to do something to unite them.  With that in mind, he started his own religion, using things from Israel’s past, such as the golden calf of Exodus 32, and religious rituals and ceremonies similar to those in the Law becaquse they were familiar things and the people readily accepted them.  It was especially easy for the people to accept afte Solomon’s building temples to other gods in Jerusalem and around he country.   

When one does the same thing others have done, he should expect the same results, but obviously Jeroboam didn’t learn from his predecessors.  We don’t have to make the same mistakes, because as I Corinthians 10:11 tells us, “…all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”