What are the consequences of following "the sins of Jeroboam" today? Setting the Scene “Jeroboam caused Israel to sin” is repeated like a warning siren throughout Kings (e.g., 1 Kings 13:34; 2 Kings 17:22-23). His main fault? Re-inventing worship to suit convenience and political security. The Sins of Jeroboam, Summarized from 1 Kings 12:28-33 • Golden calves set up at Bethel and Dan • A new feast day “in the month he had devised in his own heart” (v. 33) • Priests chosen “from all classes of people who were not Levites” (v. 31) • An altar of his own making, bypassing Jerusalem Consequences in Jeroboam’s Day • 1 Kings 13:34 - “And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam… it was to destroy it and wipe it off the face of the earth.” • 1 Kings 14:16 - “He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and caused Israel to commit.” • 2 Kings 17:22-23 - “For the Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed… So the LORD removed Israel from His presence.” Why These Consequences Still Speak to Us 1 Corinthians 10:11 reminds us that “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings to us.” God’s character and standards have not changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Modern Parallels • Re-imagining God to fit cultural taste rather than revealed truth • Replacing Christ-centered worship with self-centered experience • Appointing leadership by popularity, not biblical qualification (Titus 1:5-9) • Substituting man-made traditions for God’s commands (Mark 7:8-9) Expected Consequences Today • Spiritual Drift – Loss of first-love devotion (Revelation 2:4-5) – Confusion about God’s nature and will • Division in the Church – Competing altars create rival loyalties (1 Corinthians 1:11-13) • Moral Compromise – When worship is casual, holiness erodes (Hebrews 12:14) • Diminished Witness – A syncretistic church cannot shine distinctly (Matthew 5:13-16) • Divine Discipline – “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31) – Christ walks among His lampstands and can remove one (Revelation 2:5) Guardrails to Keep Us from Jeroboam’s Path • Anchor every belief and practice to clear Scripture (Acts 17:11) • Exalt Christ alone as Head of the church (Colossians 1:18) • Appoint biblically qualified leaders, not cultural celebrities (1 Timothy 3) • Celebrate God-ordained ordinances—no substitutes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) • Cultivate reverent fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) Closing Reflection Jeroboam shows how small compromises in worship lead to national ruin. Remaining rooted in God’s unchanging Word safeguards today’s believers from the same tragic fallout. |
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