“Therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city, the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it.” (1 Kings 14:10,11)
People come to God for a variety of reasons. Even men and women who live in their “evil ways” will want to experience God’s “ministerial hands.” At one point in their existence when they are pressed against the wall of an impossible need, they seek God. This is Jeroboam’s situation. His son is dying. Not one calf in any high place whether they are in Dan or Shechem can assuage his fear of losing a son. How many fathers have watched their sons die in agony and thought, “If I could only take your place, son….” He feels helpless. The cultic worship he started is religion that merely mimics the rituals of real worship. But how does he petition the gods he himself created? Maybe out of desperation or simply because he has run out of solutions, Jeroboam gives in to a nagging thought to seek the help of that one person who “spoke concerning [him] that [he] would be king over this people.” (1 Kings 11:29-32) At the core of his being, he knows WHO to run to.
On second reading however, Jeroboam may not be running towards God, but only toward a person he used to know.There was this moment, when this prophet, Ahijah, tore apart an expensive new, cloak before him, dividing it into twelve pieces and giving him ten pieces representing ten tribes. That prophecy has been fulfilled. He is now king, and he recalls that moment of revelation. That keen moment has been lost on him until this time, when he is desperate for a similarly clear and definite sign. He needs an answer fast. Something tangible; like the gods he made.
But he lies even as he desires a quick, positive hand of blessing for his son. Here is a man who is obviously in need, yet he won’t expose himself to be in need. Probable reasons could be that he fears that if word comes out about him-the King- seeking the help of a prophet from Judah – all his subjects would think, “Oh, don’t we have our own prophets here in Israel?” Or simply, that this act will discredit everything that he has already put in place. Talk about possible self-destruction.
Jeroboam was not ready to let go of this little Kingdom. In the high places, as long as the people believe that they are worshipping the same God they are worshipping in Jerusalem, Jeroboam feels safe and secure in his throne. Nothing, not even the dramatic and authoritative warnings of a true prophet from God, can turn him back. This is a case of extreme stubbornness, where pride and haughtiness rule, and where lying is a primary tool for self-preservation. What he needs is a stab right where he will truly hurt, but not even the death of his son made him return to the true faith of his fathers. He does not deserve mercy, but God in his mercy spared the only one with whom “something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel.” This one and only good seed had to die early, while still innocent, so he won’t be tainted with the sins of his father. Then from hereon, the story gets darker, everybody in Jeroboam’s clan dies; every son is either ravaged by the vultures or eaten by dogs.
Interesting to note that Jeroboam’s sons, both slaves and free, are compared to “dung.” In many ways, this is always the fate of those who insist on their corrupt and “evil” ways. Their sons and daughters won’t escape the stigma, their relatives will swear that they are not relatives, and people will remember them in the lowliest terms. Unfortunately these “dung” of the earth won’t turn over their graves to stop their “dung” relatives from spreading more “dung.” History may be the final judge of who compose the “dung” of every nation. But the curse extends to those who have let any small to big smelly corruption go unchecked. How polluted this earth has become, with all the “dung” of leadership being heaped on the mantle of every a people’s trust.
God’s judgment to Jeroboam’s family is irreversible
for the LORD has spoken it.Who knows how many good acts Jeroboam did for the economic development of his nation, or for the unity of his followers, or for the education of the young, or for the building of public institutions. But everything worked in reverse for Israel. Its failure to comply with moral and religious precepts God gave is spotlighted as the main culprit for the loss of national identity and autonomy.
Today, we simply stare at moral weaknesses, calling them weaknesses. We each go about our own relative comfortable religions. We have taken forgranted how much we have covered our noses until we don’t anymore notice the insidious bad smell of our present times.
© by Jophen Baui September 29, 2006 Batangas City
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