How does Jeroboam's action in 1 Kings 12:33 reflect disobedience to God's commands? Setting the Scene “On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up at Bethel. So he instituted a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to burn incense.” (1 Kings 12:33) Jeroboam’s Deviations in 1 Kings 12:33 • Picked “a month of his own choosing,” ignoring the divinely appointed seventh-month Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–36). • Built his own altar at Bethel, rivaling the Lord’s altar at Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5–7). • Personally “went up…to burn incense,” though only Aaronic priests were authorized to do so (Numbers 16:39-40; 2 Chronicles 26:18). • Instituted a festival not commanded by God, reflecting self-made religion rather than revealed worship. Why His Choices Violate Specific Commands 1. Location of Worship – Deuteronomy 12:13-14: “Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place the LORD chooses.” – Jeroboam ignored that command by setting up Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-29). 2. Object of Worship – Exodus 20:4: “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” – Jeroboam’s golden calves (1 Kings 12:28) revived the sin of Exodus 32. 3. Priesthood Qualification – Numbers 3:10: Only descendants of Aaron were to serve as priests. – Jeroboam appointed “priests from every class of people who were not Levites” (1 Kings 12:31). 4. Timing of Worship – Leviticus 23 sets God’s calendar; altering it was tantamount to rewriting God’s Word. – Jeroboam’s eighth-month feast replaced the God-ordained seventh-month feast. Wider Pattern of Disobedience • 2 Chronicles 11:13-15 notes that faithful Levites left the northern kingdom because Jeroboam “appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.” • His innovations became “the sin that caused Israel to fall” (1 Kings 14:16). • The prophetic warning of 1 Kings 13 underscores how seriously the Lord viewed Jeroboam’s counterfeit worship. Lessons for Us Today • Worship must align with God’s revealed Word; creativity becomes rebellion when it contradicts Scripture. • Convenience or political motives never justify altering God’s commands. • Spiritual leadership carries weighty accountability; personal preference must yield to divine instruction. • Faithfulness means conforming to both the form and the heart of God’s worship—even when culture, tradition, or expediency pull in another direction. |
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