1 KINGS 12


26 And Jeroboam [Yarov'am] said in his heart [lev], Now shall the kingdom [mamlachah] return to the house of David [Bais Dovid]:

27 If this people [HaAm Hazeh] go up to do sacrifice [offer zevakhim] in the house [Beis] of Yahweh at Jerusalem [Yerushalayim], then shall the heart of this people [lev HaAm Hazeh] turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah [Rechav`am Melech Yehudah], and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah [return to Rechav`am Melech Yehudah].

28 Whereupon the king [HaMelech] took counsel, and made two calves of gold [eglei zahav], and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem [Yerushalayim]: behold thy gods, O Israel [hinei, eloheicha, O Yisroel], which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt [Eretz Mitzrayim].


How did Jeroboam use his position? In the worst way. He acted with a certain kind of prudence, but of a low order. He acted from natural fear and not from a perception of right. He did not give himself to the obedience of the Law of Moses. He looked at things as a mere politician, and fearing the effect of Israel's continued observance of the feasts at Jerusalem, he appointed institutions of his own, in opposition to the Law of Moses.

He ought to have argued the other way, in view of the divine guarantee he enjoyed. He ought to have said, "So long as I guide this people to walk obediently to the commands of Yahweh, and send them to do sacrifice at the place where He has placed His name, my position will be safe." But he evidently lacked faith in the word of Yahweh to him, and was not concerned to be subject to the commandments. Distrusting the effects of obedience...


29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

Expediency instead of principle is a poor rule of action. So Jeroboam found. His departure from the commandments of the Lord led to the very destruction of his house which he feared might result from an obedient course.

'Moreover the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now'. (1 Kings 14: 7-14)

The history of the fulfilment of this denunciation reveals or illustrates the ways of providence-ways in which human actors impelled by human motives, under an invisible guidance, work out results that are divinely-caused results, though apparently results are due to chance and human caprice.

Ways of Providence Ch 19

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