Few Old Testament kings wielded greater influence than the first king of the divided Israel, Jeroboam I. His reign produced major changes and, over and over again, the moral and spiritual conditions of the nations are attributed to him. Even after his death, he is cited fourteen times in the books of the Kings, always as a pattern for wickedness. He became synonymous with corruption and evil (see 1 Kings 16:26, 31; 22:52; 2 Kings 13:2; 14:24, etc.).

We would expect such a notorious figure to have had exceptional talents. Such was indeed the case. Jeroboam, who is described as a 'mighty man of valour' (1 Kings 11:28), was a dynamic and resourceful leader. This made him all the more dangerous. When the Ten Tribes revolted, Jeroboam faced the awesome task of organising a new kingdom. His own power had to be consolidated, a new headquarters had to be set up and so a new national consciousness was to be established.

The Sin of Jeroboam I⤒🔗

Not the least of Jeroboam's problems was that of providing for the spiritual instincts of his people. The northern Ten Tribes were all nominal worshippers of Jehovah, who gave to Moses the civil laws at Mount Sinai. Their natural attachments were to the temple at Jerusalem with all its divinely-established rituals. The annual festivals brought people from all parts of Israel to Jerusalem to worship.

Jeroboam's problem was obvious. Unless something was done, the people would naturally gravitate to the south where his rival Rehoboam reigned. His dilemma is described in 1 Kings 12:26, 27:

And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: if these people go to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah (NKJV).

It was at this point that Jeroboam moved to introduce a new form of religion. He set up two calves of gold, one in Dan and the other at Bethel, audaciously proclaiming, 'Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!' (12:28). He built altars of sacrifice in the hills, established religious festivals and sacrificed animals to the calves that he had created.

Since the priests in the Aaronic line had for the most part gone to the south, Jeroboam was without an order of priests. He quickly moved to solve this problem. He went through the land selecting young men at his own discretion and consecrating them to the priesthood (1 Kings 12:31). Thus, at a stroke, the new king of Israel filled the religious void. He had objects of worship: two golden calves, dazzling in workmanship, awesome in appearance. He selected, as suitable places for devotional exercises, the numerous high places in the forested hills. A religious calendar was ordained with festivals suitably like those to which the people had been accustomed.

The problem with this new system of religion was that it was, in the eyes of the true God, nothing but abominable idolatry. To Jeroboam and his poor, duped followers, the sacrifices were a most satisfactory religious exercise but to Jehovah they were sin. Of these calves it is said,

Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.1 Kings 12:3

A double guilt lay on the shoulders of the son of Nebat. He personally departed from the worship of the true God of heaven and by his corrupt leadership he 'made Israel sin' (1 Kings 22:52). God's displeasure was announced immediately to the presumptuous king. An unnamed prophet stood by the altar at Bethel and cried out against it, announcing that a future follower of God would destroy the corrupt priests of this obnoxious religion by putting them to death on the very shrines set up by Jeroboam. His arrogant will-worship was destined to fall under awful judgment.

Jeroboam's new system of worship had many attractive features to it which made it all the more subtle. For one thing, it was convenient. The golden calves were placed in strategic geographical locations, one in the north at Dan and one in the south at Bethel. A look at the biblical map for this period shows that Bethel was on the direct route to Jerusalem. Any worshipper in the North whose heart was set on the traditional activities at the temple would have had to pass in plain view of Jeroboam's golden calf.

Also, by the shrewd design of Jeroboam, the golden calf-worship was sanctified by identification with the traditional religion of Israel. He did not pretend to be establishing a new faith, contrary to the convictions of his people, for this obvious apostasy would have been rejected by many of them. The idols he set up were proudly introduced as being the same God who had so triumphantly led Israel in the past.

Here are your gods, O Israel, Jeroboam announced, 'which brought you up from the land of Egypt.1 Kings 12:28

Thus the important element of continuity was established.

Then, too, Jeroboam's new worship had the advantage of being popular and people-centred. The Mosaic rituals were administered by priests who received their authority by descent from Aaron. Consecration to their office was through an elaborate procedure ordained by God. Intrusion into this position without proper credentials was a serious offence, as king Uzziah found out to his dismay. But Jeroboam sought to avoid this cumbersome pattern and selected priests from the ordinary people.

He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.1 Kings 12:31

This procedure was a daring and wicked departure from God's ordained plan.

Jeroboam's calf-worship was a religion of convenience, motivated not by spiritual but political considerations. It did not reveal the character of the true God to the people but bound them to superstition. The Mosaic sacrifices were designed to set forth the true way of redemption through the promised Saviour. They portrayed accurately man's guilt and foreshadowed faithfully the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But the sacrifices of Jeroboam by his self-appointed priests on the high places of the north served only to gratify the senses of its devotees. These religious rites were blasphemous and idolatrous and they were condemned outright by God.

A Warning for Us Today←⤒🔗

Jeroboam's calf-worship is the prototype of all compromising religion which is introduced in the name of the true God. It serves as a warning that religious activities are not necessarily acceptable to God simply because they are instituted in His name. Rituals of worship can be convenient, popular and sanctified with the sacred name of Jesus and yet be delusive. The Lord's repudiation of Jeroboam's worship is a lesson to the godly of all ages that they should seek to maintain the worship God has ordained in Holy Scripture and not to substitute something in its place.

Corrupt worship, instituted by man and not by God, is a problem in every age. The amalgamation of Christian theology and pagan superstition which produced the medieval ecclesiastical hierarchy is well known. But no age is free from this danger. Much religious fervour in evangelical circles today is, if carefully analysed, a poor caricature of the spiritual worship God instituted in His church. This fact poses important questions. Is the message we preach biblical and faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ or is it corrupted by the hedonistic culture which surrounds us? Do our public services lead people to the true worship of God or are they calculated merely to be aesthetically pleasing? Christianity can adapt itself to cultural or social styles only provided it remains faithful to the Word of God.

Paul warns against preaching 'another Jesus' (2 Corinthians 11:4), one who is different from the historical Christ who lives in the gospels. This shows us that a mental image named 'Jesus' can be proclaimed which is not identical with the one preached by the apostles. For example, we often hear Jesus Christ portrayed as a revolutionary who advocates anarchy or political and social instability. At other times Jesus is identified as one who loves and accepts everything and everybody and is devoted to one thing only, making everybody 'feel good'. But the Christ of Scripture, though compassionate and forgiving, denounced sin and warned of eternal punishment in hell.

As the example of Jeroboam shows, simply sanctifying religious exercises with the trappings of 'tradition' is not enough. His ridiculous claim that the golden calves were the ancient God of the Hebrews did not make it so Similarly, we may dress up 'religion' today with the nomenclature of past orthodoxy and associate such worthy names as Calvin, Luther and Wesley with it. But would they really approve? Such men laboured and fought to reform the church and conform it to the Scriptures. It is dishonest to wrest their teachings to justify theologies and practices which any honest person should know they would have repudiated. Even worse, to classify semi-pagan theories and practices as 'Christian' is a sacrilegious affront to the Holy Spirit. Jesus warned of 'wolves in sheep's clothing'. There is all too much reason to fear that many evangelicals have forgotten Jeroboam.