1 KINGS 12 (PART 2)
Read 1 Kings 12:25-33
Having declared independence, Jeroboam and the northern tribes now known as Israel (as opposed to Judah in the south), had a problem. Worship was supposed to happen in the temple in Jerusalem and that was now in a foreign country. Jeroboam was concerned that his people would go to Jerusalem to worship and stay there; and even give their loyalty to King Rehoboam (who, after all, had the legitimacy of being descended from David).
So, Jeroboam decided to set up his own religion; a religion of convenience. Interestingly we are not told that Jeroboam consulted God about this. He consulted his advisors, but not God. The result was a sort of bootleg religion. Worship would be within Israel and in two sites, Bethel and Dan. It already sounds good; the people don’t have to travel to a foreign country and also, they could go to the shrine nearest to them; convenience and consumer choice! This new religion of Jeroboam’s sounds better already. And he also provided something to worship. It’s all very well worshipping an invisible God, but it’s not easy when you can’t see what you are worshipping. So, two bulls – and it’s not really idolatry is it because they are simply a visual representation of an invisible God. And wasn’t there something about worshipping a bull when God’s people were at Sinai receiving the law, so it must be alright, yes? Hmm; Jeroboam is getting away from God at high speed. Five minutes on his own and his religion has already gone bovine! He even invented new festivals; not gloomy ones like the Day of Atonement but celebrations – let’s party!
Jeroboam’s religion was false religion. It was junk religion, like we have junk food. And like junk food, false religion can often be attractive and comforting. False religion often does sound plausible and attractive. The Mormons won’t approach you saying that they believe that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate gods, they won’t say that they believe Satan to be Jesus’ spirit brother (whatever that means), they won’t say that they believed Jesus married, they won’t talk about polygamy, they won’t say they put their own writings on a par with the Bible. Rather they talk about faith, family values, that they consider themselves to be Christians, that they tolerate other beliefs. They are presentable, well dressed – what’s not to like?
There is an incentive here for us to read and know our Bibles so that we can spot these false religions. If something seems too good to be true then it probably is. Jeroboam went for convenience and consumer choice. The Bible doesn’t give us those options. It is not always easy follow Jesus; we are told to take up our cross and follow him. We are told to expect persecution and suffering. So if someone comes up with a version of Christianity that is less demanding and more convenient we should be very suspicious. The Bible is our guide as to what is right and wrong.