Jeroboam Protected in Egypt
Synopsis 1Kings 11:33-43 5/1/2019
Ahijah the prophet declared a prophecy to Jeroboam. In it, he described the splitting of the Israelite nation into two kingdoms as a result of Solomon’s unfaithfulness. More than this, he prophesied that Jeroboam would become king over the northern tribes of Israel. And, he described God’s intent – which was to humble the house of David.
Solomon somehow recognized that Jeroboam was a threat. And so, he made an effort to have him killed. As a result, Jeroboam fled to Egypt and hid until Solomon’s death.
Solomon died after reigning in Jerusalem for forty years. The people buried him in Jerusalem. And his son, Rehoboam became king.
Jeroboam Protected in Egypt
Jeroboam fled to Egypt. And Egypt allowed this for its own, mainly political, reasons. Accordingly, Jeroboam bided his time. Knowing the prophecy of God’s plan for his life, he matured in asylum. He prepared himself for the possibility foretold.
Protection in Egypt
There is a strange, symbiotic tension between the Authentic Community of God and the synthetic communities constructed by men. The synthetic community is only a construction of human effort and ingenuity.
Of course, there a lots of different kinds. For example, human beings have chosen to create democracies, and republics, and even tyrants monarchies. And each represents the various forms of human invention to regulate behavior. Accordingly, each seems to help satisfy the essential need we have to live in order and community.
And so, at the very least, the phenomena of synthetic community points to the natural moral law. Humans have a very real and essential need. But still, man’s inventions are not necessarily the wisdom of God. So, they never satisfy completely.
It seems the human effort to live simply, as God intended, cannot be achieved naively. Like a child who only learns by defying the wisdom of parents, we go through the frustration of failure before we collectively choose the wisdom of God.
And perhaps, this too is essential for man in community. At the very least, it’s clear that God allows for it and provides through it. He allowed Israel to grow up in Egypt. And, He even allowed the Messiah to grow up in Egypt.
So, there is a wisdom to all this. There is a wisdom to Egypt. God allows you and me to experience the misfortune of the synthetic community. But He does to prepare us for the final hope of heaven in the community of saints. And like Jesus, He will call us out to our greatest possibility in the fullness of time – when we are ready.
“Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matt 2:15
