The Israelites
persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the
Lord removed them from his presence (2 Kings 17:22,23).
Jeroboam son of
Nebat, the first king of Israel the Northern Kingdom, knew that if anyone made
the trip back to worship in Jerusalem, they might realize the error of their
ways and return their allegiance to Rehoboam of Judah (1 Kings 12:27). He had
two golden calves fashioned to represent the gods who had brought the people out of Egypt,
appointed a new priesthood and built shrines on the high places, all of which
were abominations before God.
King after king,
generation after generation, the people continued to worship the calves
stationed at Bethel and Dan (conveniently located in a neighborhood near you!),
as well as worshiping at the high places scattered throughout Israel. After
Jeroboam, 18 kings ruled in Samaria and almost every single one had the same epitaph:
He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Even Jehu – responsible for purging the evil
Omride dynasty (Ahab and Jezebel) from Israel – did not turn away
from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat (2 Kings 10:29).
The nicest thing
said about any king of Israel was said about Hoshea (Israel’s very last king): He
did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded
him (2 Kings 17:2).
TODAY’S MEDITATION
What spiritual heritage are
you leaving to your great-grandchildren? What will historians write about you?
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