Jeroboam Prophecy

Synopsis     1Kings 11:22-31     4/30/2019 

God raised up adversaries against Solomon. These included Hadad, the Edomite who received a long asylum in Egypt before returning to his homeland.

And then there was Rezon, who was from the north near Damascus. So, during Solomon’s reign, Israel had enemies in both the north and the south. 

However, Solomon had a servant named Jeroboam that more greatly concerned him than either of these foreign enemies. Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim. He was intelligent and hardworking.  

During the time of forced labor, Jeroboam became overseer for the workers from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. One day, late in King Solomon’s reign, Jeroboam walked alone in the countryside. As he walked, Ahijah the prophet suddenly joined him. While they were together on the road, the prophet gave a prophecy to Jeroboam. Ahijah revealed that God intended to make him the king over the northern tribes of Israel.

Jeroboam Prophesy 

God was neither surprised nor injured by Solomon’s unfaithfulness. And so, the prophecy concerning Jeroboam was not merely a reaction to Solomon.  

In fact, it’s better to think of Jeroboam as his own person. He was a son of Israel, who was a son of Adam, who was a son to God. He (and his life story) stands as more than simply a foil by which we understand Solomon. God took a legitimate and loving interest in Jeroboam. The Creator of the Universe had a purpose and a plan even for him.

The Prophecy of You 

You and I are not different than Jeroboam or Solomon. God has created everything with purpose and a plan. And if it was needful for you to hear it as Jeroboam did, then he would also send a prophet to speak
personally to you. If it was in any way necessary, He would whisper directly into your ear.

But until such time, it’s important to know that He has already spoken to you. And unlike either Solomon or Jeroboam, we live in the time of fulfilled revelation. Accordingly, we know the full extent of God’s great love in a way that they could not.

We have already seen the depth of His compassion and mercy. And we have experienced through the gifts of scripture, and church, and the sacraments, all the grace needful for life and Godliness.

You have what you need. And if you give your heart a few minutes of quiet, you probably have to admit that you know how God has called you. Deep down, you have some burgeoning sense of what you must do. 

“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:6