Topical Bible: Calf: Images of, Set up in Beth-El and Dan by Jeroboam

◄ Calf: Images of, Set up in Beth-El and Dan by Jeroboam ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The establishment of calf images in Beth-El and Dan by Jeroboam is a significant event in the history of Israel, marking a pivotal moment of religious apostasy. This act is recorded in the First Book of Kings and is a critical point of reference for understanding the spiritual decline of the Northern Kingdom.

Historical Context

Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, rose to power following the division of the united monarchy after the reign of Solomon. Concerned about the potential political and religious allegiance of his subjects to the southern kingdom of Judah, where the temple in Jerusalem was located, Jeroboam sought to establish alternative centers of worship within his own territory.

Biblical Account

The narrative of Jeroboam's establishment of the golden calves is found in 1 Kings 12:28-30 : "After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, 'It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land 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."

Jeroboam's decision to create these images was a direct violation of the commandments given to Israel, particularly the prohibition against idolatry as outlined in Exodus 20:4-5. By presenting these calves as representations of the God who delivered Israel from Egypt, Jeroboam not only led the people into idolatry but also distorted the true worship of Yahweh.

Religious and Cultural Implications

The establishment of the calf images had profound religious implications. It represented a deliberate departure from the divinely ordained worship centered in Jerusalem and the temple. Jeroboam's actions were motivated by political expediency rather than spiritual fidelity, as he sought to consolidate his rule by providing convenient worship sites that would prevent his subjects from traveling to Jerusalem.

Theologically, the calf images were reminiscent of the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32), where the Israelites, in Moses' absence, fashioned a calf and declared it to be their god. This parallel underscores the recurring temptation of Israel to revert to idolatrous practices, despite the clear commandments and warnings from God.

Prophetic Condemnation

The prophets of Israel consistently condemned the idolatry initiated by Jeroboam. Hosea, for instance, speaks against the calf worship in Hosea 8:5-6 : "He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria."

The prophetic denunciations highlight the spiritual adultery of Israel and the inevitable judgment that would follow. The calf worship became a symbol of Israel's unfaithfulness and was a contributing factor to the eventual downfall and exile of the Northern Kingdom.

Legacy

The legacy of Jeroboam's calf images is one of spiritual compromise and decline. It set a precedent for subsequent kings of Israel, who continued in the sins of Jeroboam, leading the nation further away from the covenant relationship with God. The narrative serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of idolatry and the importance of adhering to the true worship of God as prescribed in the Scriptures.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Kings 12:28-33
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
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2 Kings 10:29
However, from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
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Library

Political Religion
... of that sort is ever made against the calf worship ... The images were meant, just as
Aaron's, of which they were a ... had so cared, he could not have set up the calves ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/political religion.htm

The Assyrian Captivity
... Amos and Hosea, the Lord had repeatedly set before the ... therefore it is not God: but
the calf of Samaria ... Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 23 the assyrian captivity.htm

Letter of Origen to Gregory.
... and to cause them to say to the golden calf, "These are ... is said in the word to have
been set up in Dan. ... Some of these images, then, are close to the borders of ...
/.../unknown/the passion of the scillitan martyrs/letter of origen to gregory.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... own temple at Jerusalem they had set up the image ... In the time of Jeroboam II., Bethel,
Gilgal, and ... into open conflict with the worshippers of the golden calf. ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm