Jeroboam’s New Religion

Synopsis     1Kings 12:32-13:4     5/7/2019 

Jeroboam was made king by the tribal leaders from the north of Israel. So, as the new king of the north, he began to build up Schechem as the capital city of the north. But Schechem was located in the tribal lands of Ephraim. And Ephraim was not very far from Jerusalem. 

Before very long, Jeroboam recognized the danger of Jerusalem. Solomon had made it a prestigious city filled with culture and the center of worship of the one true God. He reasoned that if the people went to Jerusalem to worship God, they would eventually want to reunited the nation under King Rehoboam.  

So, he decided to create an alternative to the worship of God at Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. As a result, he set up new temples in Ephraim and in the northern area of Dan. And Rehoboam established a new priesthood comprised of ordinary Israelites, not Levites. All of this, of course, was in contradiction to the Law of Moses.

After some time, God sent a true prophet from the tribe of Judah to confront Jeroboam at the illegitimate altar in Bethel. He prophesied against the altar and Jeroboam’s newly created religion. Jeroboam was unsurprisingly enraged by the prophet. But as he commanded the prophet to be apprehended, his arm was afflicted with paralysis. 

A New Religion 

Jeroboam could not make the Law of Moses conform to his plans. He wanted to build up his kingdom to ensure the success of his reign. But he feared that following the Law of Moses would undermine his success. So, he invented a new system of religion and commanded the northern Israelites to worship in this way.   

Unfortunately, Jeroboam suffered paralysis as a warning against his audacity. Even so, God restored his arm from the paralysis. Yet, the faithful recognized that the Jeroboam’s new religion could only bring the eventual destruction of Israel.  

God On My Terms 

Create my own religion…. It’s a huge temptation. That’s not to say that I’m ambitious enough to actually form a new theological and cosmological understanding. But then, I don’t even have to form an alternative priesthood to form a new religion. Or I don’t have to suggest different physical locations for worship – although God is everywhere – right?  

I don’t have to write books or round up a bunch of followers. All I have to do is read God’s word and then decide that some inconvenient portion doesn’t really apply. Maybe it doesn’t apply because times have changed. Or, maybe because culture has changed. Or maybe God’s word doesn’t apply to me because His true meaning has been perverted through a corrupt traditional understanding.  

And there I have it – my own religion. God on my terms.  

“You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.” James 2:19