How did Jeroboam fail to follow David's example in 1 Kings 14:8? The Original Call and Contrast 1 Kings 14:8: “I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. Yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart by doing only what was right in My eyes.” The verse itself lays out the comparison: • David: kept God’s commandments, followed with all his heart, did only what was right. • Jeroboam: did not do the same. David’s Pattern of Wholehearted Obedience • Single-minded loyalty – “A man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22; cf. 1 Samuel 13:14). • Centralized, God-directed worship in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17). • Quick repentance when he sinned (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51). • Summary testimony: “David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life—except in the matter of Uriah” (1 Kings 15:5). Jeroboam’s Diverging Choices 1. Idolatrous worship system • Made two golden calves—one in Bethel, one in Dan—saying, “Here are your gods, O Israel” (1 Kings 12:28-29). • Violated the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-4). 2. Invented priesthood and calendar • Appointed priests “from all sorts of people” rather than Levites (1 Kings 12:31). • Instituted a feast “in the month he devised in his own heart” (1 Kings 12:33), rejecting God’s set times (Leviticus 23). 3. Fear-driven self-preservation • Acted to keep the people from going to Jerusalem lest the kingdom “return to the house of David” (1 Kings 12:26-27). • Trusted political strategy instead of God’s promise (1 Kings 11:37-38). 4. Stubborn unrepentance • Even after the prophetic sign of the withered hand and the altar split (1 Kings 13:4-5), he “did not turn from his evil way” (1 Kings 13:33). 5. Legacy of sin • His course became “the sin of Jeroboam” that ensnared every northern king after him (1 Kings 15:30; 2 Kings 17:21-22). Key Takeaways • Wholehearted obedience (David) versus calculated disobedience (Jeroboam). • True worship according to God’s word versus man-made religion for convenience and control. • Trust in God’s covenant promise versus fear that seeks security outside His will. Jeroboam failed to follow David’s example by rejecting God’s commandments, instituting idolatry, and hardening his heart, whereas David pursued God with undivided devotion and quick repentance. |
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