Bible Studies
Unfaithfulness In the North; Unfaithfulness In the South (1 Kings 14)
Series: Studies in First KingsIntroduction:
1. It is a pattern in the Books of the Kings. Each king is evaluated in terms of his relationship to God. 2. The king is either said to have done what was right in the sight of the Lord or he is said to have done evil in the sight of the Lord.a. Kings that did what was right were often compared to David.
b. Those who practiced evil were often said to be like their father or to have walked in the way of Jeroboam who set up idols in Dan and Bethel.
3. 1 Kings 14 describes the conditions in both the north, under king Jeroboam, and in the south, under king Rehoboam.Discussion:
I. Sickness in the household of Jeroboam led to the revelation that his dynasty would end (1 Kings 14:1-5).A. The Lord had spoken to Jeroboam twice before.
1. Ahijah, the prophet, had indicated that he would have 10 tribes because Solomon’s house had forsaken God and worshiped idols (1 Kings 11:33).
2. The second time, a man of God had spoken a message to him condemning the altar he had set up in Bethel (1 Kings 14).
B. Now Jeroboam’s son, Abijah, was sick.
1. He called on his wife to disguise herself for the blind prophet Ahijah.
2. And to inquire of him about her son who was sick.
C. But the Lord had already spoken to Ahijah and revealed her identity and given Abijah a harsh message(14:5-15).
1. God would bring calamity upon the house of Jeroboam and he would be completely cut off, i.e., his dynasty would end.
2. His sons dying in the city would be eaten by dogs. Those dying in the country would be eaten by the birds.
D. As indication of the truth of the prophecy Jeroboam’s son, Abijah, would die when his mother returned (14:12-18).
1. The account interprets his death and burial as a positive thing (14:12-13).
2. Those left unburied were those who came to a dishonorable end.
E. “They have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger” (15).
1. Asherah, Asheroth (alternate form), Asherim (pl). In Ugaritic she is the goddess of the sea and the consort of El, She is described as the progenitress of several gods including Baal.
2. NASB margin—“wooden symbols of a female deity.”
3. Sometimes coupled with Baal worship in O.T. usage (ex. Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 18:19; 2 Kings 23:4).
4. In 1 Kings 14 Asherim are associated with the sins of Jeroboam, i.e., the idolatry of Jeroboam.
5. Asherim were to be cut down (Ex. 34:13) or burned (Deut. 12:3). They provoked the Lord to anger (1 Kings 14:15).
II. “Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 14:21ff).A. While the situation in the north was characterized by idolatry, the situation in the south was just as bad.
1. Rehoboam, the king is introduced. Twice it mentions that his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess (v. 21, 31).
2. This description traces back to 1 Kings 11 and Solomon’s marriages to foreign women.
3. Milcom was the idol of the Ammonites.
4. Solomon had built a high place for Molech the idol of the sons of Ammon (11:3-8).
B. But it is interesting to note that it is not Rehoboam who is mentioned in the description of having done evil in the sight of the Lord, but Judah. Probably indicative of the broad effect that idolatry had on the whole nation of Judah.
C. “They built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree” (14:23).
1. This is the very same practice that characterized the north.
2. They also had built Asherim (14:15).
3. C. F. Keil says these were not actual images of gods, but stones set up as memorials (Gen. 31:13; 35:20; Ex. 24:4), more especially stone monuments set up in commemoration of a divine revelation (Gen. 28:18, 22; 35:14). He says they were generally devoted to Jehovah; but were forbidden under the law. They easily degenerated into idolatry because the Canaanites had erected such monuments to Baal by the side of his altars (Ex. 23:24; 34:12; Deut. 7:5).
D. “There were also male cult prostitutes in the land” (14:24).
1. Keil translates that there were “prostitutes in the land” and says the Hebrew is a generic name, including both males and females.
2. He says, “The males had emasculated themselves in religious frenzy in honor of the Canaanitish goddess of nature.
3. Shrine prostitutes are associated with such fertility cults in Hos. 4:11-14. Their precise function in the cultic practices is never made explicit in the O.T.
E. It is clear that they were associated with the practices of the Canaanites which the Lord had dispossessed when He had brought Israel into the land (14:24).
F. The consequence, like during the days of the Judges, was oppression. In this case it was Shishak, the king of Egypt (14:25-28) and civil war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually (14:29-31).
III. What are we to take from this? There are various observations that we can make.A. From Jeroboam’s attempt to deceive the prophet—God sees and knows, therefore there is no need for pretending. We are only fooling ourselves.
B. Burying the dead demonstrates respect and honor, to be eaten by dogs and birds means to come to a dishonorable end.
1. We need to honor the bodies of the dead.
2. It is a reflection of civilized approach.
3. Such traditions as funerals, mourning, burials are appropriate.
C. There can be NO compromise of the religion of Jehovah, nor melding together of His religion with others.
1. They provoked Him to jealousy (14:22).
2. His relationship with us is exclusive, like that that exists between husband and wife.
3. This same language is used in the N.T. See James 4:4-10.
D. There are consequences to unfaithfulness.
1. For the north (14:15-16). Assyrian captivity fulfills this prediction.
2. For the south (14:25). Cf. 2 Sam. 7:14.
3. Yet there was graciousness (2 Sam. 7:15).
4. While there was correction for the south God would act through them to establish a kingdom.
5. That kingdom is available to all those who repent of their wickedness and accept Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins.
Conclusion:
1. We all are concerned about the governmental conditions of our country and of the world. 2. We lament the deterioration we see. We see the consequence of unfaithfulness in these biblical accounts. We see godlessness and false religion in our own world and ask, “How long can it last?” 3. But our real concern needs to be our own relationship with the Lord. We need to think about loyalty to the Lord from a personal perspective. 4. Are you unfaithful?
