I Kings 14
14
Judgment on the House of Jeroboam
1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that #1 Kin. 11:29–31I would be king over this people. 3#1 Sam. 9:7, 8; 1 Kin. 13:7; 2 Kin. 4:42Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.” 4And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose #1 Kin. 11:29and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.
5Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”
6And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: #2 Sam. 12:7, 8; 1 Kin. 16:2“Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8and #1 Kin. 11:31tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, #1 Kin. 11:33, 38; 15:5who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9but you have done more evil than all who were before you, #1 Kin. 12:28; 2 Chr. 11:15for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and #2 Chr. 29:6; Neh. 9:26; Ps. 50:17have cast Me behind your back— 10therefore behold! #1 Kin. 15:29I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and #1 Kin. 21:21; 2 Kin. 9:8will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, #Deut. 32:36; 2 Kin. 14:26bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11The dogs shall eat #1 Kin. 16:4; 21:24whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!” ’ 12Arise therefore, go to your own house. #1 Kin. 14:17When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him #2 Chr. 12:12; 19:3there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
14#1 Kin. 15:27–29“Moreover the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will #Deut. 29:28; 2 Kin. 17:6; Ps. 52:5uproot Israel from this #(Josh. 23:15, 16)good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them #2 Kin. 15:29beyond the River, #(Ex. 34:13, 14; Deut. 12:3)because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger. 16And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, #1 Kin. 12:30; 13:34; 15:30, 34; 16:2who sinned and who made Israel sin.”
17Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to #1 Kin. 15:21, 33; 16:6, 8, 15, 23; Song 6:4Tirzah. #1 Kin. 14:12When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, #1 Kin. 14:13according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
Death of Jeroboam
19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he #1 Kin. 14:30; 2 Chr. 13:2–20made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. #1 Kin. 15:25Then Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah
21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. #2 Chr. 12:13Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city #1 Kin. 11:32, 36which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. #1 Kin. 14:31His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22#2 Chr. 12:1, 14Now Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they #Deut. 32:21; Ps. 78:58; 1 Cor. 10:22provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23For they also built for themselves #Deut. 12:2; Ezek. 16:24, 25high places, #(Deut. 16:22)sacred pillars, and #(2 Kin. 17:9, 10)wooden images on every high hill and #Is. 57:5; Jer. 2:20under every green tree. 24#Gen. 19:5; Deut. 23:17; 1 Kin. 15:12; 22:46; 2 Kin. 23:7And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the #Deut. 20:18abominations of the nations which the Lord had cast out before the children of #(Deut. 9:4, 5)Israel.
25#1 Kin. 11:40; 2 Chr. 12:2It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26#1 Kin. 15:18; 2 Chr. 12:9–11And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields #1 Kin. 10:17which Solomon had made. 27Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.
29#2 Chr. 12:15, 16Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was #1 Kin. 12:21–24; 15:6war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31#2 Chr. 12:16So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. #1 Kin. 14:21His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then #2 Chr. 12:16Abijam his son reigned in his place.
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I Kings 14: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 14
14
Ahijah Announces Jeroboam’s Downfall.#The last major unit of the Jeroboam story recounts the story of Ahijah of Shiloh’s oracle condemning the entire house of Jeroboam; this is followed by a formulaic notice of Jeroboam’s death and the succession of his son. Compare the first unit of the Jeroboam story, 11:26–43, which recounted Ahijah’s oracle proclaiming Jeroboam’s kingship, followed by the formulaic notice of the death of Solomon. 1At that time Abijah, son of Jeroboam, took sick. 2#1 Kgs 11:29–39. So Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go and disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you as Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh, where you will find Ahijah the prophet. It was he who spoke the word that made me king over this people. 3Take along ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the child.” 4The wife of Jeroboam did so. She left and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah.
Now Ahijah could not see because age had dimmed his sight. 5But the Lord said to Ahijah: Jeroboam’s wife is coming to consult you about her son, for he is sick. Thus and so you must tell her. When she comes, she will be in disguise. 6So Ahijah, hearing the sound of her footsteps as she entered the door, said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you in disguise? For my part, I have been commissioned to give you bitter news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I exalted you from among the people and made you ruler of my people Israel. 8I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. Yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with his whole heart, doing only what is right in my sight. 9You have done more evil than all who were before you: you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke me; but me you have cast behind your back. 10#1 Kgs 15:29–30. Therefore, I am bringing evil upon the house of Jeroboam:
I will cut off from Jeroboam’s line every male
—bond or free—in Israel;
I will burn up what is left of the house of Jeroboam
as dung is burned, completely.
11#1 Kgs 16:4; 21:22. Anyone of Jeroboam’s line who dies in the city,
dogs will devour;
anyone who dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour.
For the Lord has spoken!’ 12As for you, leave, and go home! As you step inside the city, the child will die, 13and all Israel will mourn him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s line will be laid in the grave, since in him alone of Jeroboam’s house has something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, been found. 14The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam—today, at this very moment! 15The Lord will strike Israel like a reed tossed about in the water and will pluck out Israel from this good land which he gave their ancestors, and will scatter them beyond the River,#The River: the Euphrates; see note on 5:1. because they made asherahs for themselves, provoking the Lord. 16He will give up Israel because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and caused Israel to commit.” 17So Jeroboam’s wife left and went back; when she came to Tirzah and crossed the threshold of her house, the child died. 18He was buried and all Israel mourned him, according to the word of the Lord spoken through his servant Ahijah the prophet.
19The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, these are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20The length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years. He rested with his ancestors, and Nadab his son succeeded him as king.
III. KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL#14:21–16:34] The treatment of the events of Jeroboam’s reign shows that the author believes that the political division of the kingdoms embodies the Lord’s will, but that their religious separation is undesirable. The Israelites are, in effect, one people of God under two royal administrations. This complex arrangement is reflected in the way 1–2 Kings organizes the history of the divided kingdoms. Each reign is treated as a unity: the kings, whether of Israel or Judah, are legitimate rulers. But the accounts of northern and southern kings are interwoven in the order in which each came to the throne, without regard to which kingdom they ruled: the people of God is one.
Reign of Rehoboam. 21#The account of each king’s reign follows the same basic pattern: a formulaic introduction, a theological evaluation based on religious fidelity, a brief account of an event from the king’s reign, and a formulaic conclusion. Rehoboam, son of Solomon, became king in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city in which, out of all the tribes of Israel, the Lord chose to set his name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
22Judah did evil in the Lord’s sight and they angered him even more than their ancestors had done. 23They, too, built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and asherahs,#Asherahs: see note on Ex 34:13. upon every high hill and under every green tree. 24There were also pagan priests in the land. Judah imitated all the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the Israelites’ way. 25#14:25–28, 30] The narrator recounts Shishak’s campaign here to imply that it was punishment for Judah’s evil, and perhaps to cast him as supporting Jeroboam in his constant warfare with Rehoboam. (Shishak was named as Jeroboam’s protector and patron in 11:40.) Egyptian records of the campaign list one hundred fifty cities conquered in Israel as well as Judah, but Jerusalem is not one of them. Chronicles has a parallel version of this account in 2 Chr 12:9–11. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem. 26#1 Kgs 10:16–17. He took everything, including the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the house of the king, even the gold shields Solomon had made. 27To replace them, King Rehoboam made bronze shields, which he entrusted to the officers of the guard on duty at the entrance of the royal house. 28Whenever the king visited the house of the Lord, those on duty would carry the shields, and then return them to the guardroom.
29The rest of the acts of Rehoboam, with all that he did, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. 30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31Rehoboam rested with his ancestors; he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. His son Abijam succeeded him as king.
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