Saturday 10 May 2014

1 Kings 14 Political subterfuge

1 Kings 14

The son of King Jeroboam of Israel became ill and Jeroboam asked his wife to go in disguise to Shiloh in Judah where a prophet called Ahijah was living.

Ahijah was very old and blind but could tell right away that his visitor was the wife of Jeroboam, mainly because the word of God had spoken to him saying that she was coming!

God's message to Jeroboam was that he had torn the kingdom away from David's descendants and given it to Jerobaom with a promise that if Jeroboam walked according to the law his dynasty would be kings for a long time, but because Jeroboam had been more evil in the eyes of God than anybody before him (persuading all Israel to worship idols he made and appointing anybody priests who wanted to become a priest).

God will destroy the whole family of Jeroboam and raise up another king in Israel.
Jeroboam's son died at the moment his mother entered the palace.
The acts of Jeroboam are recorded in a book "The annals of the kings of Israel".
Having ruled for 22 years, Jeroboam died and he was succeeded by his son Nadab.

Meanwhile King Rehoboam, son of Solomon became king at the age of 41 and reigned for 17 years in Jerusalem.
In spite of having the Temple of God in his city and that Jeroboam in the north had advised his people not to go to the temple, Judah abandon worship of God and set up shrines in high places with shrine prostitutes and the people practised the detestable practises of the the people in the land before Israel.
The king of Egypt, Shishak attacked Rehoboam and Jerusalem and carried off all the treasures that Solomon had made, including all the golden shields. Rehoboam had them remade in bronze.

The events of Rehoboam' reign were recorded in the annals of the kings of Judah.
Rehoboam and Jeroboam were enemies all their lives and there was a continual state of war between them.

Abijah became king of Judah after the death of Rehoboam.


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