Let us turn in the Scriptures, please, to the book of 1 Kings chapter 11. The 1 Kings chapter 11, and there's just one verse we're going to read. It's the verse 28 of 1 Kings chapter 11. First Kings chapter eleven and the verse twenty-eight. And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor, and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. Amen. We know that God will bless the reading of his word to our hearts. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for the word of God as we consider it now. We pray you would write it upon our hearts. that the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. Amen. In this little journey through the biographies of the scripture, we're coming today to Jeroboam. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, is the individual who goes down in history as the man who made Israel sin. It takes a remarkable kind of an individual to establish a nation. It is one thing to be a monarch or to be a ruler, to be a prime minister or a president, but to actually be the founder of a nation and of a new dynasty, that takes a person with particular kind of skills, force of personality, On this account, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the first monarch who reigned over the northern kingdom known as Israel, was one of the most important and influential figures in all of Old Testament history. He was also an apostate. An apostate is someone who has the truth, but he falls away from that truth. An apostate is not a backslider. The apostate is one who totally and absolutely turns their back upon what they claim to believe and charts an altogether different course without so much as any sign of conviction or a desire to return to God. This was Jeroboam. So on account of that fact, a study of the life of Jeroboam is also a study of apostasy. what apostasy is. I count it twenty-two occasions where he is described as the man who made Israel sin. Fifteen of his successors were characterized as following in his ways. And that very often is how the Kings of Israel were characterized after the division between the north and the south. The kings of the north were generally characterized as following in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin. And that's altogether different from the kings of Judah, because the kings of Judah, when they were good kings, they walked in the ways of David. If they were bad kings, they didn't walk in the ways of David. was the standard for Judah in terms of godliness and righteousness, but Jeroboam was the standard for Israel in terms of his wickedness and his apostasy. Only kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, and within the church, only ministers of the gospel can do what Jeroboam did and lead others in a path to their destruction. It is one thing to destroy one's own soul, But it is quite another to not only destroy one's own soul, but by leadership, to destroy the souls of others. And in terms of Jeroboam and his influence, his influence extended not only through his generation, but through all of the other generations until the kingdom of Israel was dissolved. And so it is the career and influence of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that we're going to think about today. Let's think about his ability, first of all. And we are introduced to him here in 1 Kings 11, 28. And he is promoted by Solomon, because Solomon noticed this young man. He was a mighty man of valor, so he was capable of war, of acting as a soldier. He was capable of leading others. But he was also industrious. He was a hardworking individual. And he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. We learn a little bit more about him in verse 26. Just cast your eyes back a couple of verses there to verse 26 of 1 Kings 11. And Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite. That means he came from the tribe of Ephraim. And that's why he was made charge over all the house of Joseph, because Joseph was divided into two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. And in the north, Ephraim dominated. Ephraim was the most dominant tribe. And so he came from Joseph's stock. His mother's name was Zariah, a widow woman. And so this man, he grew up in an impoverished situation. His mother suffered widowhood and she had to raise a son alone. But despite all of that and the disadvantages of that in terms of his education, in terms of not having a father to guide him, this man Jeroboam, he was so well gifted that King Solomon recognized that he could make use of him, and so he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. Jeroboam had blessings on account of his family background. We are told in the book of Genesis, at the very end of Genesis, that the branches of Joseph would run over the wall. Joseph was a fruitful tribe. And we're also told that A greater blessing would come upon Ephraim than upon Manasseh, and we see some of that fulfilled in a very practical way in the life of Jeroboam. And so he was a man who was gifted, and God gave him those gifts, and God gave him those abilities. If you have abilities today, if you have talents, and everybody has talents, everybody has energies, everybody has skills, where do they come from? They come from God. And they ought to be used for the glory of God. Don't squander them because Jeroboam would squander all the abilities that he had received. And then we look at his calling now as well. And God had a tremendous purpose for this man, Jeroboam. Because Solomon had sinned terribly. And we notice this as we ponder the life of Solomon. Solomon loved many strange women. He took wives of the various pagan nations round about. Not only did he do that, not only did he live in this immoral lifestyle, but he worshiped the gods of these heathen nations. And because of that, judgment was coming upon the whole nation of Israel, because Solomon reigned over one united kingdom, as did his father David. But God was going to divide that kingdom as a judgment. And the instrument that he would use to divide that kingdom would be this man, Jeroboam. And yet all of this would be of God. And you look at verse 29, and Jeroboam, he is met by Ahijah, the prophet, the Shillanite. Jeroboam had clothed himself with a new garment. He was dressed fit for a king. That's the implication here. The two were alone in the field, and Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and he tore it into 12 pieces. And he gave 10 pieces to Jeroboam, and he said, 10 tribes are going to be given to you. You're going to rule over ten tribes. You're going to divide the nation of Israel. And this would be a judgment upon Israel because of the sin of Solomon. It would not happen in the time of Solomon, but it would happen after Solomon's demise. Now, Solomon heard about all of this, and he sought Jeroboam to have him executed, but Jeroboam fled. he would return at a later time to fulfill this calling. But let's just pause and think about how God can judge a people that he has blessed. Israel were a nation highly favored by God. And God had blessed Solomon exceedingly. Had given him territory that Israel really would never have in the subsequent years. Solomon's reign was the high point of the whole life of Israel as a nation. And yet God, who had blessed and favored those people, he would bring them down and punish them and judge them because of their sin. And how would he do that? He would do that by dividing them and creating two nations out of them. And that, of course, would introduce a weakness, because where there is disunity, there is weakness. But that disunity was a judgment of God upon the people. Whenever I look at the history of the United Kingdom, it strikes me that we have been a nation highly favored by God. And whenever you look at the history of Christian influence and since the Reformation Protestant influence in our nations, we can trace the hand of God's favor. And the reason why we are a united kingdom is because the Anglo-Saxons and the Celts of Scotland and Wales and yes, of Ireland too were brought together because there was a commonality in faith. And God had given us that common denominator of faith. And that was one of the things that locked our nations together. And it is no accident that upon the Union flag, we have three crosses. And the cross, of course, is a great symbol of the Christian faith. But we are living in days when our heritage has been neglected. People no longer understand their history. People no longer understand their Christian heritage, and the Christian heritage is being undermined continually. And at the same time, there is a disunity in the nation, and the old union is being questioned, as it never has been questioned before. And God can break that union. And I will interpret that as a judgment from God. And whenever God decided to break Israel, it was going to be His will and plan. And nothing would detract them from that. Because Israel had forsaken God. And Jeroboam would be the instrument of judgment. God raises up instruments of judgment. Just listen to the news. Listen to the unspeakable things that are happening. The crimes and the abuse. in a so-called civilized society. It's horrendous. Things we wouldn't even speak about. And you can't help but feel that our land is ripe for judgment. And that's a solemn thing. Let's also look at his rebellion. So after Solomon died, Rehoboam became king, the son of Solomon. And this was Jeroboam's opportunity. He returns from his exile in Egypt. Solomon was so strong, so powerful, no one could stand before Solomon. But whenever Rehoboam came, Jeroboam was able to return. And he led the people. And the people of the north, they came and they gathered around Jeroboam. And together, they challenged Rehoboam. And Jeroboam was a very clever man. Politically, he was an astute individual. You just can't break a nation in two all of a sudden. You have to create a reason. You have to create a cause. You have to look for grievances. And he found the grievances and the heavy taxes that Solomon had exacted from the people. And so he encouraged the people to ask Rehoboam for a lower tax system. Rehoboam refused, listening to the counsel of the young men who said, tax them even harder than your father. And the old men said, no, act with grace. He listened to the young men. He thought he could be stronger and tougher than his father, but he was no Solomon. And as a consequence, Jeroboam had all the reason he needed to take 10 tribes away and create a new nation and create a new dynasty. Jeroboam was a man, he knew how to manipulate a situation to his advantage. And that was one of his strengths. And he used it to great effect. If you look at verse 20 of 1 Kings 12, And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. And there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. He was most successful in that rebellion, but ultimately, This was God's doing. God had given him this calling. God had given him this opportunity. He only had this position because God had placed him there. That's something we have to keep before our minds. Let's just think briefly upon his opportunity now. Whenever Jeroboam became king, he had a remarkable opportunity for doing good. Because this rebellion was of God. This rebellion was planned in the courts of heaven. Jeroboam might have been made king by the people, but he was first of all made king by God. That gave him an opportunity. And if you look at 1 Kings chapter 11 and verse 38, the word of Ahijah to Jeroboam. and it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. That was the charge that he received from the prophet. When you're king, David's to be your example. You're to walk in the ways of David. You're not to make the same mistakes as Solomon made. You're to follow a path of righteousness. That's your opportunity for doing good in this role that God has for you. Of course, there was an implication there that if he did evil, that God would turn against him. And so he had this charge. We are responsible and answerable to God. Whatever opportunities God has given to us, and we all have sacred opportunities that God has given to us in life, we need to use them well for the master. And if we honor God, he will honor us. But if we refuse to honor God, we'll suffer for that. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. What are we doing with our opportunities, with our skills, with our talents, with our time? With what God has given to us, for nothing has come about as a result of ourselves. It's come about from God. We should never forget the hand that gives. But tragically, Jeroboam did this, because now we must look at his apostasy. Jeroboam became absolutely and completely intoxicated by power. Power can be a very intoxicating thing. He became drunk on the wine of power. He would do anything to hold on to power, and he forgot that all power was of God. And powerful people can become very insecure people. It is one thing for a political party to win an election, but then it's another thing to hold on to those gains. That's a constant battle. The Labour government has had the euphoria of a landslide victory, but now they have the battle to hold on to those gains. That's a struggle that every government has in a democracy. Even for Jeroboam, who did not live in a democracy, he was a dictator. Even he suffered the insecurities of power because the people turned against him. Every ruler needs the consent of the people. Any ruler can suffer from a coup d'etat. And if you look at verse 26 of 1 Kings 12, Jeroboam said in his heart, now shall the kingdom return to the house of David. This was his worry and his fear that the people would go back to David. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord of Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again onto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam, king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah. Let's just stop there. God had given Jeroboam promises that he would be king over this northern kingdom. Why was he worried about the people killing him? Did God not give him this position? See how insecure he was feeling? He had lost sight of God, you see. And what really troubled him was this, that when the people worshipped God, they had to go to the temple. They would have to cross the border. They would have to go to Jerusalem. They would have to go to the great temple. He would not be able to wean the people away from that unless he did something. And he worried that if they went year after year for the great offerings and sacrifices and feasts to Jerusalem, that ultimately their hearts would be drawn back to the throne of David again in Jerusalem. And so this was his problem. This was his insecurity. So what did he do? Verse 28 says he made two calves of gold. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold, thy God's away Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Israel, out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. He fashioned these golden calves. It was the old sin of Aaron again, wasn't it? The religion of the golden calf. He created a religion of convenience. You don't have to travel across the border to Jerusalem. You can stay here, and here's a calve, and no doubt it was built very finely and well-fashioned. It was placed in a temple in Dan, and Dan was in the north and in the south at Bethel. Here's another calve, so you don't have to go all the way to Jerusalem. There's a calve nearby. You can worship God there. And he mimicked the religion of Israel. He had a priesthood, but he made priests of the lowest of the people, not of Levi, verse 31. And verse 32 says, he ordained a feast in the eighth month and the 15th day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah. So he mimicked the religion of God. but it was his own religion, a man-made religion. He introduced his new innovations into it, and he distracted the people away from the God-ordained pattern. This was how he made Israel to sin. It was a very cunningly devised method. It was all designed to keep the people at home, but it took the people away from the God of Israel. He changed that which he had no right to change. Yes, he could have his kingdom, he could have his throne. That was of God. But he had no right to change the way by which God was worshipped. He had no right to change the priesthood. He had no right to change the sacrifices. He had no right to turn God into a golden calf. He had no right to do that. He did that which he had no authority to do. And that was his apostasy. That was his falling away from the truth and from the faith. There are things we cannot change. We can't change the gospel. We can't water down the gospel. We can't change or alter God's Word. If we add anything to it, take anything away from it, our names will be taken away from the book of life. We can't change the methods we use to give the world the gospel, the preaching of Christ. We cannot make the gospel more palatable or Make it politically correct for this generation, we have to stick simply to the old truths and to the old ways. It is not our task to alter what God has given to us, but to remain close to the heritage that we have. There are churches which have Sunday worship, which open a Bible, where a minister speaks, where Christ is not presented, where warnings are not presented, where the gospel is not proclaimed. where people are not taught that they need to be born again of the Spirit of God. That, as well, is a mimicking of the worship that God has given, a recreation of the golden calves. Dr. Stephen Cotterell, who is Archbishop of York, he said quite recently, very recently, he said, the Lord's Prayer is not helpful for women who have been abused by men. Because the Lord's Prayer begins, Our Father which art in heaven, therefore we should rethink that. But who is it that gave us the Lord's Prayer? It is Christ. So if you question the wisdom of Christ in calling God our Father, if you question the wisdom of the one who is at the heart of the Christian faith, then you question everything. You change what you have no right to change. You lower God to the common denominator of man. We cannot do that. That's apostasy, a living, breathing example of it. He did that which was expedient. He did that which seemed easy, which seemed convenient, but it was all wrong. What is convenient? What is easy? What makes sense to our corrupt and twisted mindset? It's not right if it contravenes the word of God. This was the apostasy of Jeroboam. Then we have his messenger now. You come to verse 13 and verse 1, and you read about a man of God coming out of Judah by the word of God onto Bethel. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. God sent a man of God to Bethel, to this golden calf, to the very king, to challenge him, to speak to him. Whenever Jeroboam reached out his hand away from the altar in verse four, calling upon the people to lay hold on the man of God, what happened? At the end of verse four, the king's hand dried up so that he could not pull it again. As he reached out his hand to lay hold upon God's servant, the hand just withered. Strength was gone. It became deformed all of a sudden. And Jeroboam said in verse 6 to the man of God, pray to the Lord, and he used the holy name for God here, Jehovah, pray to God for me that my hand might be restored. And the man of God sought Jehovah and the king's hand was restored. And so there, Jeroboam was confronted not only with truth, but with the power of God. That was a God of grace. Even in the midst of Jeroboam and all of his sinfulness and wickedness, God still sent a servant to him to bring him the word. There's a grace when God speaks. There's a grace when God lay holds upon our sin. God even answered this man's prayer for Jeroboam. But did it change him? It's striking. He had turned away from God, and yet, when he needed prayer, it was Jehovah he was looking to. But did it change him? No, it didn't. Verse 33 of 1 Kings 13. After this thing, Jeroboam returned not again from his evil way. He still continued in his path of wickedness. We'll finish off with the tragedy of Jeroboam. You come to chapter 14, and you read that his son Abijah, he takes sick, verse one. And what does he do when his son takes sick? He tells his wife to disguise herself. Go to Shiloh where I hide you the prophet." I saw that was the man that years earlier had given Jeroboam the calling to be king. But his son is sick. He's not looking to the golden calves. He's looking to the God of Israel. And he's asking his wife, disguise yourself and go and ask for the Lord's servant to pray. During the days of the Scottish Covenanters, it is said that those who were persecutors of the Covenanters, when they wanted prayer, they would ask for covenanting ministers because they knew they were the men of God. And yet they were still persecuting them. This was what Jeroboam was doing. But the word was not good. The son died. The message was that not only would Jeroboam's son die, but Jeroboam would die and all of Jeroboam's seed would die as well. Judgment would fall upon his house for what he had done. In 2 Chronicles 13 and 20, we read about the death of Jeroboam and the Lord slew him. The Lord dealt with him. But not only that, but you look at 1 Kings 15 and the verse 29. After Jeroboam dies, Nadab, his son, becomes king. He suffers a coup d'etat at the hand of Basha, the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar. And verse 29 tells us what happened. And it came to pass when Bashar reigned that he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He left not to Jeroboam any that breathed until he had destroyed him. No one was left of Jeroboam any that breathed. all were destroyed, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Ahijah, the Shillinite, because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger. And so Jeroboam's very brief dynasty came to a sudden, crashing, bloody, brutal end. It was a God of judgment. We can't provoke God to anger, we can. We need to be careful how we walk, how we talk. We need to live in the fear of God. We need to stay close to the book. We must remain faithful to the old gospel. These are the lessons we get. And we know solemnly that God is a God of judgment, as well as a God of mercy. but in wrath he does remember mercy. But let's listen to the word of God and think hard upon the words. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. Speak to our hearts and to our soul. Solemnize us in your presence. Help us not to walk in the ways of Jeroboam, but rather in the ways of David. in the Savior's name. Amen. We're going to sing a closing hymn. Just before we sing it, I've got a thank you note here I ought to have read earlier. I received this from Darren and Dawn Culperson. The committee gave a gift to the appeal that there was by way of the morning. Coffee morning to provide some love and support for Darren and Dawn and it's just a little card to say thank you very much for your very generous gift. It is very much appreciated as are all your prayers and we appreciate that very much. Let us sing the hymn 638. Remain seated while your tithes and offerings are collected. Visit his lord with Whereas our hope of survival save in thy life giving breath. ♪ And with His throne in His right hand ♪ ♪ He'll have the power to lead ♪ ♪ The whole world in His right hand ♪ Oh for the breath of His Spirit. Stop. Father, we thank you for the giving of your people to the treasury of the Lord. We pray that you would bless the giving of your people and give the session and committee wisdom and all the work that they do in the administration of the finances of this house. We thank you, Lord, for your presence with us today. Take us to your homes in safety. By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, our Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide and be with you all now and evermore. Amen.