Most Christians, especially children, when they read the Bible or they hear passages from the Holy Book, assume that everyone mentioned in it is some kind of Saint or that everyone is a good character or hero that helped Jesus on His path or saw God or something similar. Sadly, this could not be further from the truth. Jeroboam was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel.
He is known today by the phrase “Jeroboam Sin,” and as you guessed it, he disobeyed God. There are more evil individuals in the Holy Book than you could possibly think of. So is reality. But this is not a bad thing at all, as it is crucial for Christians to understand why those evil individuals are mentioned. The answer is: because we can all learn from their mistakes.
By now, everyone knows that God is extremely kind and that His mercy knows no bounds. However, He did not exactly forgive every single person who wronged Him. There are some really wicked kings that used to rule Israel who did some unbelievable and terrifying things. Such is the case with Jeroboam in the Bible. We learn about Jeroboam today to never forget that God is always watching, and He can’t be evaded, misled, or tricked.
Did Jeroboam Talk to God?
God was and will always be extremely helpful if you let Him into your life. He never asks for materials, only that you show your love. It was the same case for Jeroboam in the Bible. God told him, “If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David, my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:38) But Jeroboam did the exact opposite.
People often wonder why some of these evil kings chose to disobey God, especially since we know the tale of Saint Dismas, who became a Saint in his last minutes alive after asking God for mercy and realizing that his life of sin was not worth anything.
Saint Dismas understood in the last hours of his life that nothing is more important than God, and for that, he was given a place in Heaven for all eternity. But as we clearly mentioned above, you can’t trick God. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people throughout history who tried to “cheat” in their relationship with God.
Jeroboam in the Bible is mentioned as “the one who made Israel sin” (2 Kings 17:22). The country rebelled against him. By disobeying God, Jeroboam essentially drove his family into a curse. When his reign came close to the end, God Himself told Jeroboam, “You have done more evil than all who lived before you.” (1 Kings 14:9). To this day, this sentence remains one of the strongest ones in the Bible.
What Did Jeroboam in the Bible Do to Upset God?
Jeroboam in the Bible was an extremely troubled individual. The main reason that made God extremely upset with him was because he promoted idolatry. He selected his own priests and overall decided that he didn’t need God’s help to rule Israel. “Appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people.
Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth” (1 Kings 13:33).
The tale of Jeroboam teaches us that we are never too important to God. We are never too good to ask God for help, and most importantly, it is never a good idea to worship false gods. God’s intentions with Jeroboam were pure. He wanted Jeroboam to be the one who saved the people and led them back to Him.
Jeroboam received some clear instructions. Do good, be a good leader, and you will be awarded a long-lasting reign, and you will have a legacy as enduring as David did. But, in the end, chasing the wrong rewards, Jeroboam embraced the wrong habits and traditions, which ultimately put him in the grave.
The only good thing that Jeroboam in the Bible did is he became a lesson to Christians. A lesson of what not to do when God speaks to you. God speaks to us in different ways every single day. Sometimes it’s good to set aside everything and listen. And if you’re good, God will never lead you to your doom.
Why Did God Mention David’s Legacy?
Aside from a few individuals, David is one of the most important ones mentioned in the Holy Book. The reason is simple: David was “the golden child.” David was the standard when it came to showing or proving your loyalty to God. (1 Kings 11:6; 15:3; 2 Kings 14:3; 16:2; 18:3; 22:2). It is not uncommon for kings to be compared to David, as he was extremely loved by God and vice-versa.
David proved time and time again his obedience, and that made him “the perfect ruler” that other rules should aspire to be. Jeroboam in the Bible, on the other hand, is the “anti-David.”
For some reason, many kings who ruled after Jeroboam decided that they didn’t need God’s help and that other entities could help them more than God ever could. Unfortunately for them, they learned the hard way that this could never be the case, as there is nothing in the world better than God Himself.
There is no corner of this world that could shield you from Him. The stories of Jeroboam and David are still talked about to this day, specifically to make Christians understand the contrast. The tale of Jeroboam is extremely important because his life was proof enough to God. He couldn’t rely on other humans to save humanity.
