1 kings . Bible lesson 21
Just for your thoughts:
1 Kings, Bible Lesson 22: A great punishment God gives to a disobedient man is this — He allows him to go his own way. This is something Bible scholar Wiersbe would often write. This is exactly what happened in the life of Jeroboam.
God appointed a man with no background or special talent as the leader of Israel. He took the kingship away from the family of David and gave it to Jeroboam. But Jeroboam did not obey God’s commands or laws (1 Kings 14:7–8).
Right from the beginning, God warned him — through an ordinary man of God whose name was not even mentioned. Just as that man of God said, the altar split apart, and ashes poured out. When the king stretched out his hand, it shriveled and became stiff, unable to return to its former position. Only when the man of God prayed to the Lord did the king’s hand return to normal.
Even after witnessing such great miracles, Jeroboam did not repent or walk in the ways of the Lord. Instead, he hardened his heart and disregarded God’s warning. He failed to appoint godly men to positions of leadership and instead appointed priests for the high places from among all kinds of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest was consecrated for service.
The Bible mentions Jeroboam’s sins in 22 places. It is very rare for someone’s sins to be recorded this many times — it shows that there was no one quite like him.
Because Jeroboam ignored God’s warnings, God let him go down the path he chose. As a result, his son died. That wasn’t the end — another son, Nadab, became king of the nation and was murdered by Baasha within two years (1 Kings 15:25–31).
The life of Jeroboam stands as a serious warning for us:
"He who is often rebuked and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” — Proverbs 29:1
Ezekiel Shanmugavel