An unnamed prophet
caught up with Jeroboam at his altar in Bethel, but addressed both
altars including the one in Dan.
He did not address the king.
He did not address the king.
It is a remarkable
prophesy, reflected in Isaiah 9: a book that starts about 100 years before the
reign of Josiah and ends in the exile period.
Certainly, the prophet in 1 Kings 13 names the child to be born, as Josiah. There was only one king who ever fulfilled that.
Certainly, the prophet in 1 Kings 13 names the child to be born, as Josiah. There was only one king who ever fulfilled that.
Isaiah 9 is the most messianic of all old testament prophecies, speaking of those who
dwell in darkness seeing a great light, for “unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulder”.
The prophecy confirmed God’s prescience. Despite what would happen in the intervening years, he planned to raise a
deliverer out of Judah, not out of Jeroboam’s northern kingdom.
That deliverer would “rend”
the altars of Jeroboam and completely burn it to ashes. The bones of Jeroboam
would be consumed on the altar.
He pronounced God’s
indignation over the profane altars of
Jeroboam.The king tried to usurp the prophet but as he reached out him his hand withered and he
could not harm him.
The king pleaded for the
healing of his hand, which the prophet secured. The king then offered to dine
with the prophet who refused, even to the point of declining half his kingdom.
The prophet went away,
but an old prophet heard what he did and went after him. God had told him not
to turn back, but he went with the old man and supped with him.
Then God spoke
judgment over him for his disobedience. After he
left, a lion killed him. So the old man buried him in his own sepulcher and ordered that he be buried alongside him.
Sadly, Jeroboam
refused to repent of his ways and appointed the low-lifes of Israel to serve as
his priests. The kingdom was in disarray.
The decline of Jeroboam and Rehoboam (1 Kings 14)
Jeroboam’s son,
Abijah, was very sick, so he disguised his wife and sent her to Shiloh to see Ahijah: the prophet who had proclaimed his own reign.
Though blind and aged,
the prophet knew who was calling and told her that as she crossed her threshold, the child would die. He also prophesied the total
demise of Jeroboam’s line.
It happened as
predicted.
Rehoboam did not tear down the pagan altars, so the king of Egypt came
against Jerusalem and plundered all the relics of the house of God and all of
Solomon’s golden shields.
His realm was in decline and he too died, but before
Jeroboam left the stage. His son Nadab reigned after him for 2 years, followed by Baasha.
A new era (1 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 13-14)
For 3 years after the death
of Rehoboam, Abijam ruled over Judah. 1 Kings labels him as a bad
king. In contrast, 2 Chronicles records his overthrow of Jeroboam.
He went to war against
Israel, in Jeroboam’s 18th year. He assembled 400,000 Judean
warriors against Jeroboam’s 800,000.
The odds were against
Abijam, yet he cried to God, sanctified the holy place, renewed the priests and
invoked the Davidic covenant. He may not have been a righteous king, but he
understood the power of David’s covenant.
Jeroboam set an ambush
behind Judah which left Abijam’s forces caught in the middle. But he cried out
to God, who fought for the sons of Judah. Jeroboam was forced to
retreat, but the cost was appalling. 500,000 men died.
For a time, Israel was
subject to Judah. Abijam pursued
Jeroboam and seized some Israelite cities, but the king escaped. However, he
never recovered. God smote him and he died.
Abijam then partied
with 14 wives who gave him 22 sons and 16 daughters. In his place rose Asa,
a great king with a heart like David’s. He would rule for 41 years.
In 2 Chronicles, a million Ethiopians assembled against
Judah’s 500,000 men. It was one of the great battle-fields of ancient history. Asa cried to God and
God fought with them, routing the Ethiopians.
They fled to Gerar, but Asa pursued
them. They never recovered, but Asa claimed substantial spoils from that war.
Asa turned his people back to God (2 Chronicles 15-16)
In the 15th
year of Asa’s reign, the prophet Azariah reminded Asa of God’s faithfulness and of
the many times he had saved his people when they turned back. He sadly
confessed that for a long time there was no true God in Israel, for the people
had turned to idols.
Asa was so stirred up that
he tore down the high places and they sacrificed their spoils of war in
covenant to God. It ensured 20 years of peace - until his 36th year.
Then the new king of
Israel, Baasha started to build the city of Ramah, to prevent
Judeans from going to the city.
Asa had an ally in
Damascus, Hezion the king of Syria. He took a considerable amount from the royal
treasury to get Syria to break its alliance with Baasha, who summarily fled.
Asa then built Geba in
Benjamin and Mizpah, but Hanani the prophet berated him for turning to
Syria instead of God, especially after God saved them from the Ethiopians.
That forged an alliance that would come back to hurt Judah in the future.
That forged an alliance that would come back to hurt Judah in the future.
Asa reigned another 5 years and then died. He was greatly mourned.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
