00:00Ever feel like you're trying to trick fate, or maybe even God?
00:04It's a classic move, and one we see play out in a big way with King Jeroboam.
00:08Let's dive into this wild story of disguise, prophecy, and the high caste of disobedience.
00:14So, Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, has a big problem.
00:19His son, Abijah, is critically ill.
00:22Now, you'd think a king would turn to God, right?
00:25Well, Jeroboam has a complicated relationship with God.
00:28He's the guy who set up golden calves for people to worship, leading the entire nation away from the real
00:34deal.
00:34He knows he's messed up.
00:36So, instead of praying honestly, he comes up with a plan.
00:39He tells his wife, hey, disguise yourself, put on some old clothes, change your voice, whatever you need to do
00:46so no one knows you're the queen.
00:48Then, go see the prophet Ahijah.
00:50This is the same prophet who once told Jeroboam he would become king.
00:54Hmm. Jeroboam figures if he can fool the prophet, maybe he can get a good word from God without having
01:00to face the music for his own actions.
01:02So, the queen puts on her disguise and travels to Shiloh to find Ahijah.
01:06There's just one tiny problem with this plan.
01:09You can't really hide from God.
01:11Ahijah is old and blind, but before the queen even walks through his door, he tells him exactly who is
01:17coming and what to say.
01:18The queen arrives, probably trying to sound like a commoner, and Ahijah doesn't miss a beat.
01:24He calls out, come in, wife of Jeroboam.
01:27Why are you pretending to be someone else?
01:29I have some bad news for you.
01:31Can you imagine the shock?
01:32Her cover is blown instantly.
01:34The disguise was completely useless.
01:36Ahijah then lays it all out.
01:38He reminds her how God raised Jeroboam up from nothing and gave him the kingdom.
01:43But instead of being grateful and obedient, Jeroboam turned his back on God.
01:47He made other gods, these golden calves, and provoked God's anger more than anyone before him.
01:53Because of this, God is bringing disaster on Jeroboam's house.
01:57The prophecy is cheerlingly specific.
01:59Ahijah says that every male in Jeroboam's family will be cut off.
02:03Those who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the country will be
02:08eaten by birds.
02:09It's a prophecy of complete and total annihilation for his dynasty.
02:13And then comes the most heartbreaking part.
02:15The answer to the question she came to ask, Ahijah tells her,
02:19As for your son, as soon as you step back into your city, he will die.
02:23But there's a small, sad glimmer of mercy in it.
02:26Her son is the only one from Jeroboam's family who will be given a proper burial.
02:30Because in him, God found something good.
02:33For everyone else, it's a grim, dishonorable end.
02:36Finally, Ahijah delivers a prophecy for the entire nation of Israel.
02:40Because of the idolatry Jeroboam led them into,
02:44God will uproot Israel from the good land he gave their ancestors and scatter them.
02:48They will be shaken like a reed in the water.
02:50This is a direct consequence of following a disobedient leader.
02:54The queen goes home, her heart heavy with this terrible news.
02:58And just as the prophet said, the moment she crosses the threshold of her house,
03:02her son dies.
03:03The prophecy begins to unfold immediately.
03:06Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom of Judah, things aren't much better.
03:10Rehoboam, Solomon's son, is king, and he's also leading his people down a dark path.
03:16They build high places, sacred stones, and a shearer poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
03:22The Bible even mentions the presence of male shrine prostitutes.
03:26Judah was doing all the detestable things the nations before them had done,
03:30provoking God's anger just like their northern neighbors.
03:34Because of their unfaithfulness, God allows Shishak, the king of Egypt, to come and attack Jerusalem.
03:40He carries of the treasures of the temple and the royal palace,
03:43including all the gold shields Solomon had made.
03:46Rehoboam, in a symbolic move, replaces these magnificent gold shields with bronze ones.
03:52It's a perfect picture of the kingdom's decline.
03:54Trading the glorious and valuable for something common and cheap, all because they had abandoned God.
04:00The reigns of both Jeroboam and Rehoboam are marked by constant warfare between Israel and Judah.
04:06It's a sad state of affairs for a people who were meant to be one nation under God.
04:10Their leadership failures, rooted in idolatry and disobedience,
04:14created division, instability, and brought judgment upon everyone.
04:18Jeroboam reigns for 22 years, and his story ends with a dire warning hanging over his lineage.
04:25His attempt to deceive God through a disguise not only failed,
04:28but also resulted in a swift and devastating judgment.
04:32It's a powerful lesson.
04:33You can't hide from the consequences of your choices.
04:36Authenticity and obedience are what God desires, not clever tricks or half-hearted gestures.
04:42This whole saga shows us that leadership has consequences.
04:45Jeroboam's sin didn't just affect him.
04:47It set the entire nation on a course for disaster.
04:50It led to moral decline, political instability, and ultimately, exile.
04:56God's promise of blessing was always tied to obedience.
04:59When the kings and the people chose idolatry, they chose the curse that came with it.
05:04But even in the midst of this harsh judgment, we see a flicker of God's character.
05:08God's discipline isn't random cruelty.
05:10It's a response to sin, a way of showing the severity of turning away from him.
05:15It's a painful, but necessary, reflection of his holiness and his love for a people
05:20he wants to be in a right relationship with.
05:22The story of Jeroboam is a sobering reminder that our choices matter,
05:26and true wisdom is found not in disguise, but in humbly turning back to God.
05:31Thanks so much for watching with me today.
05:33If you found this story as fascinating as I do, make sure to hit that like button.
05:38And subscribe for more deep dives into these incredible biblical narratives.
05:43See you next time, and God bless.
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