Jeroboam
1 Kings 12
Why? A lovely question often prompted by the reading of the Bible. Why did God choose Jeroboam? We aren't given any indication that he showed any allegiance to the Lord. Yet, God prophesied through Ahijah that Jeroboam would be king over ten tribes. Through this prophet, God also promised all the blessings of David to Jeroboam, if Jeroboam obeyed (1 Kings 11:29-40). Great promises.
Yet, we know the end of the story. Jeroboam led the people into idolatry. He became the standard measuring stick of evil as recounted in the book of Kings (i.e., King So-and-So did evil in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of Jeroboam...). He set Israel on a course that led to the exile. We know the end of the story; God did too.
Why God? Why choose Jeroboam? Might not you have chosen someone who wouldn't have led them to such evil so quickly?
There are interesting allusions in the account of Jeroboam to the first exodus. Jeroboam had fled to Egypt and returned to the Promised Land from Egypt to free his people. The Israelites petitioned him for deliverance from oppression as Solomon had put a heavy yoke on them (just as God had promised to deliver his people from the yoke of the Egyptians, Ex. 6:6, 6:7; Lev. 26:13). In short, Jeroboam is portrayed as a new Moses.
Yet, he was an old Aaron (1). Like the previous Aaron, he made golden calves. And history repeats itself--the people fall into idolatry.
Perhaps, perhaps, God chose Jeroboam precisely because he knew history would repeat itself. Another leader would fail. Perhaps Israel had to fail. No human leader could ever be the true solution. There needed to be a new Adam, a new Moses (as Deut. 18:15, 18 promised), a new David (as the prophets promised), a new creation (Isaiah and other prophets), a new heart (Jer. 31; Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:25-27). Time after time, we see the same patterns in the history of Israel that point out the inability of human beings to truly deliver the people. We see God's promises, God's leaders... and failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Equals despair. Will anything change? Will there ever be the deep peace, the fulfillment of the promises, the true blessing that God promises but Israel kept falling short of due to sin and rebellion? Failure foreshadows Jesus, the only One who could truly obey, the only One who could truly fulfill the law and the promises. All Scripture is given to teach us. Perhaps these patterns of failure remind us not to trust in man, but in God alone. God's grace alone. Christ alone. For there is salvation in no other name.
NOTES
(1) Thank you to Sinclair Ferguson in his exposition on 1 Kings for making the point about Moses/Aaron. The other parallels mentioned are my speculations.
Why? A lovely question often prompted by the reading of the Bible. Why did God choose Jeroboam? We aren't given any indication that he showed any allegiance to the Lord. Yet, God prophesied through Ahijah that Jeroboam would be king over ten tribes. Through this prophet, God also promised all the blessings of David to Jeroboam, if Jeroboam obeyed (1 Kings 11:29-40). Great promises.
Yet, we know the end of the story. Jeroboam led the people into idolatry. He became the standard measuring stick of evil as recounted in the book of Kings (i.e., King So-and-So did evil in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of Jeroboam...). He set Israel on a course that led to the exile. We know the end of the story; God did too.
Why God? Why choose Jeroboam? Might not you have chosen someone who wouldn't have led them to such evil so quickly?
There are interesting allusions in the account of Jeroboam to the first exodus. Jeroboam had fled to Egypt and returned to the Promised Land from Egypt to free his people. The Israelites petitioned him for deliverance from oppression as Solomon had put a heavy yoke on them (just as God had promised to deliver his people from the yoke of the Egyptians, Ex. 6:6, 6:7; Lev. 26:13). In short, Jeroboam is portrayed as a new Moses.
Yet, he was an old Aaron (1). Like the previous Aaron, he made golden calves. And history repeats itself--the people fall into idolatry.
Perhaps, perhaps, God chose Jeroboam precisely because he knew history would repeat itself. Another leader would fail. Perhaps Israel had to fail. No human leader could ever be the true solution. There needed to be a new Adam, a new Moses (as Deut. 18:15, 18 promised), a new David (as the prophets promised), a new creation (Isaiah and other prophets), a new heart (Jer. 31; Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:25-27). Time after time, we see the same patterns in the history of Israel that point out the inability of human beings to truly deliver the people. We see God's promises, God's leaders... and failure.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Equals despair. Will anything change? Will there ever be the deep peace, the fulfillment of the promises, the true blessing that God promises but Israel kept falling short of due to sin and rebellion? Failure foreshadows Jesus, the only One who could truly obey, the only One who could truly fulfill the law and the promises. All Scripture is given to teach us. Perhaps these patterns of failure remind us not to trust in man, but in God alone. God's grace alone. Christ alone. For there is salvation in no other name.
NOTES
(1) Thank you to Sinclair Ferguson in his exposition on 1 Kings for making the point about Moses/Aaron. The other parallels mentioned are my speculations.
Interesting; I was just reading this morning the beginning of Matthew's gospel which describes Joseph taking Mary & Jesus to Egypt, and then returning to Israel in obedience to the angels' directions. Jesus, too, came "out of Egypt," fulfilling the prophesy: "Out of Egypt I called my Son" (Hosea 11:1). No matter how good a person seems (Moses, Jeroboam in his earlier days), none of us will ever come close to who Jesus is. Ever so grateful for salvation through Him.
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