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“Jeroboam's Fear”
Categories: Meditations
If there is anything I have learned in life, it is this: When we are guided by our fears, we bring the thing we fear upon ourselves. Like a girl in a horror movie, the harder we run from something, the more likely we are to find ourselves face-to-face with it. This happens all the time, with the insecure boyfriend who drives his girlfriend off by being too clingy, with the secretary who lies because she’s afraid of losing her job but gets fired for lying, and with the older man who is worried about not having enough to retire on, puts his nest egg in a rash investment, and loses it all. Love of money may be the root of all evil, but fear isn’t far behind.
Over and over again, the Bible bears witness to the destructive irony of fear. One of the foremost examples of this is the first king of divided Israel, Jeroboam. In 1 Kings 11:37-38, he receives a promise similar to the one that David received. God would make Jeroboam king, and if he stayed faithful to God, his descendants would become an enduring line of kings after him.
In 1 Kings 12:20, the first part of the promise is fulfilled. Jeroboam does indeed become king over Israel. However, rather than being guided by faith, he chooses instead to be guided by fear.
We see him make this fateful decision in 1 Kings 12:26-30. Jeroboam starts worrying that if the people go to Jerusalem to worship, eventually they will go back to the Judahite king Rehoboam and kill Jeroboam. As a result, Jeroboam sets up alternative worship centers in Dan and Bethel and gives the Israelites two golden calves to be their gods.
On one level, this works. Jeroboam’s idolatry does ensnare the people. They faithfully worship at Dan and Bethel until God destroys Israel for her unfaithfulness. Other than a remnant, the Israelites never worship at Jerusalem again.
However, Jeroboam’s apostasy spells disaster for his house. In 1 Kings 14:8-11, Ahijah the prophet predicts that because of his sin, his family will be destroyed. In 1 Kings 15:29, this dire prophecy is fulfilled. If Jeroboam had been faithful, his house would have endured for centuries despite his concerns. However, because he listened to his fears, his line was destroyed.
Today, the devil frequently attempts to use fear to keep us from serving God. He wants to scare us into disobedience like he scared Jeroboam. However, we must remember that God is faithful. He will keep His promises to us, no matter how unlikely that seems.
Instead, true danger lies in the false security of following our fears. Whatever it is that we think we have to protect by disobeying God will surely be lost to us. Whatever sorrow we hope to avoid through sin, we will surely encounter. When we fear, we shrink back to destruction. Only by boldly entrusting ourselves to God will we be safe.
