Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20030525.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part X: Trusting God's All-Sufficiency As A Leader To Keep A Supportive Following
(1 Kings 12:25-33 with 1 Kings 11:29-40; 12:1-24)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the great challenges people in oversight face is the perceived or sometimes real threat of losing the confidence and will of their subordinates to want to continue to follow their leadership.
    2. A huge lesson to learn for the believer is the all-sufficiency of GOD to maintain a supportive following among his subordinates, a lesson seen in 1 Kings 11:29-12:33 as follows:
  2. Trusting God's All-Sufficiency As A Leader To Keep A Supportive Following, 1 Kings 11:29-12:33.
    1. Once Jeroboam was made king of the ten tribes that had broken away from Rehoboam's rule, he turned his attention to doing what he could do to preserve his kingdom's security:
      1. First, Jeroboam built up Shechem on the West Bank to establish his influence in that area, 12:25a.
      2. Second, he built up Penuel East of the Jordan to protect the eastern tribes from invasion by Rehoboam of Judah or by Shishak of Egypt, 1 Kings 12:25b; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. To 1 Kings 12:25.
    2. However, Jeroboam took unrighteous steps to SECURE a supportive following through instituting an idol worship to replace God's true worship, 12:26-33:
      1. At the time, the people of Israel under Jeroboam were required by God's Law to return three times a year to Jeroboam's capital city of Jerusalem to worship God at the temple, cf. Exodus 23:17.
      2. Jeroboam saw this issue as a threat to his power as king of the ten tribes: he felt if his subjects returned to Rehoboam's Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they could turn back to follow Rehoboam as quickly as they had left Rehoboam to follow him, an event Jeroboam wanted to avoid, 1 Kings 12:26-27.
      3. So, taking counsel from his subordinates, Jeroboam used political savvy in setting up a golden calf just eleven miles north of Jerusalem in Bethel and another one up in Dan to the far north to keep his people home and away from Rehoboam's influence, 1 Kings 12:28-29. He developed his own religion around these calves, effectively replacing the worship of God in Jerusalem in stark disobedience to the Mosaic Law, 1 Kings 12:30-33 with Ex. 20:1-6.
    3. Yet, Jeroboam had come to power, he had been promised security and he had been sustained as king all by GOD, so he should have trusted God to keep his following without such sin (11:29-40; 12:1-24):
      1. Jeroboam had come to power only by God's enabling:
        1. While Solomon ruled all Israel, and Jeroboam was Solomon's servant, God told Jeroboam by the prophet, Ahijah He would give ten of the tribes to Jeroboam to rule, 1 Kings 11:28, 29-32, 35.
        2. God then protected Jeroboam so he could escape Solomon's effort to kill him, and Jeroboam was later able to return and was readily crowned by the northern tribes, 1 Kings 11:40; 12:1-2, 16, 20.
      2. Jeroboam was promised oversight security in his reign were he to obey the Lord:
        1. God promised Jeroboam could reign over all his soul desired of these tribes, 1 Kings 11:37.
        2. God's prophet had also urged Jeroboam to obey the Lord once he came to power so that the LORD might be with him and build him a "sure house" as God had done for David, 1 Kings 11:37-38.
        3. In fact, along with this promise, God had revealed to Jeroboam through Ahijah that the reason for the kingdom split was judgment for Solomon's departure from the Lord to worship idols, 11:33. Thus, Jeroboam had good cause to AVOID getting involved in idolatry himself!
      3. Jeroboam had already been sustained in his new position by God's provision:
        1. When Rehoboam soon planned to attack Jeroboam to regain power over the ten tribes, God had sent the prophet, Shemaiah warning Rehoboam it was God's will for Jeroboam to rule them, 12:21-24a.
        2. Rehoboam thus stopped his plan for war, giving Jeroboam time to set up his administration, 12:24b.
      4. Hence, Jeroboam had every cause to have trusted God to KEEP his followers supportive instead of resorting to his errant activity, especially as that activity fostered a false idol worship!
Lesson: Jeroboam failed to see that the SOURCE of his INFLUENCE as a king was rooted ONLY in GOD, and this led him to ERRANT sin in trying to PRESERVE his influence once he became king.

Application: As overseers in marriage, family, church, business or government positions, we must see the INFLUENCE we have is God's GIFT and RELY on HIM to MAINTAIN our FOLLOWING.