How can we avoid repeating "the sins of Jeroboam" in our lives? Digging into the Text “Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, the heart of this people will revert to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to Rehoboam.’ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.” (1 Kings 12:26-30) The Heart Roots of Jeroboam’s Sin • Fear of losing position and control • Self-preservation that outweighed loyalty to God • Convenience elevated above obedience (v. 28) • Idolatry: substituting man-made images for the living God (Exodus 20:3-4) • Rejection of God-ordained worship centers and priesthood (Deuteronomy 12:5-6; Numbers 18:1-2) Modern Parallels We Must Watch For • Designing worship around personal comfort rather than divine command • Treating Scripture as optional when culture offers easier paths • Allowing fear of people’s opinions to reshape doctrine (Galatians 1:10) • Appointing unqualified leaders because they are popular or convenient (1 Timothy 3) • Blending biblical truth with secular ideologies until a different gospel emerges (Colossians 2:8) Practical Steps to Avoid Jeroboam’s Pitfalls • Anchor every belief and practice in clear, rightly handled Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15) • Submit to worship patterns God prescribes—spirit and truth, not novelty for its own sake (John 4:24) • Trust God’s sovereignty instead of manipulating outcomes; fear of man yields compromise (Proverbs 29:25; Psalm 56:3-4) • Seek counsel from mature, Bible-saturated believers, not those who merely echo personal preferences (Proverbs 13:20) • Regularly gather with and stay accountable to a faithful church community (Hebrews 10:24-25) • Guard the heart through consistent prayerful intake of the Word (Psalm 119:11; 1 Timothy 4:13-16) • Cultivate humility; leadership is stewardship, not personal empire-building (1 Peter 5:2-3) Encouraging Promises to Stand On • “The LORD is the strength of His people, a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.” (Psalm 28:8) • “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10) • “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Clinging to these truths and practices keeps hearts aligned with the Lord and far from repeating the sins of Jeroboam. |
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