The prophet Ahijah had told Jeroboam that the LORD was giving him the ten northern tribes because of Solomon’s sin. But, though Jeroboam would be used by God in this way, he was not a man of faith. Once he had succeeded in leading the ten northern tribes to independence, he would not trust in God to keep his position. The main threat to his authority over Israel was the likelihood that the people would keep going down to Jerusalem in Judah to worship at the great temple of Solomon. So, Jeroboam took things into his own hands and his tactic would lead Israel into an apostasy from which they would not recover. He established an alternate worship cult at two sites with two golden calves. It was a smart move politically because it was very intuitive for the people in these times to worship something they could see and touch. We must always bear in mind that there is a continual battle for our souls. We have a spiritual enemy, Satan, who is constantly trying to secure our allegiance to his rebellion. He wants us to live independently of God, to devise our own goals and live out our own agendas. As Jeroboam sought to prevent people from visiting the temple of God, so Satan wants, above all, to keep us from the place of worship, that is, from yielding ourselves to God. Do not be unaware of his schemes and be always vigilant about countering his temptations.
Worship God.
Read 1 Kings 12:25-33
