Emulated Through Time

Scripture(s) I Kings 14:7-11

"Go, say to Jeroboam, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, and 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 who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam [fn] every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. "Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it."'

Background:
The kingdom being divided into that of Judah and that of Israel, we must henceforward, in these books of Kings, expect and attend their separate history, the succession of their kings, and the affairs of their kingdoms, accounted for distinctly. In this chapter we have, I. The prophecy of the destruction of Jeroboam’s house (v. 7–16). The sickness of his child was the occasion of it (v. 1-6), and the death of his child the earnest of it (v. 17, 18), together with the conclusion of his reign (v. 19, 20). II. The history of the declension and diminution of Rehoboam’s house and kingdom (v. 21–28) and the conclusion of his reign (v. 29–31). In both we may read the mischievous consequences of sin and the calamities it brings on kingdoms and families (Henry, 1996).

Commentary:
When those that set up idols, and keep them up, go to enquire of the Lord, he determines to answer them, not according to the pretensions of their enquiry, but according to the multitude of their idols, Eze. 14:4. So Jeroboam is answered here (Henry, 1996).
I. The prophet anticipates the enquiry concerning the child, and foretels the ruin of Jeroboam’s house for the wickedness of it. No one else durst have carried such a message: a servant would have smothered it, but his own wife cannot be suspected of ill-will to him (Henry, 1996).

1. God calls himself the Lord God of Israel. Though Israel had forsaken God, God had not cast them off, nor given them a bill of divorce for their whoredoms. He is Israel’s God, and therefore will take vengeance on him who did them the greatest mischief he could do them, debauched them and drew them away from God (Henry, 1996).

2. He upbraids Jeroboam with the great favour he had bestowed upon him, in making him king, exalting him from among the people, the common people, to be prince over God’s chosen Israel, and taking the kingdom from the house of David, to bestow it upon him. Whether we keep an account of God’s mercies to us or no, he does, and will set even them in order before us, if we be ungrateful, to our greater confusion; otherwise he gives and upbraids not (Henry, 1996).

3. He charges him with his impiety and apostasy, and his idolatry particularly: Thou hast done evil above all that were before thee, v. 9. Saul, that was rejected, never worshipped idols; Solomon did it but occasionally, in his dotage, and never made Israel to sin. Jeroboam’s calves, though pretended to be set up in honour of the God of Israel, that brought them up out of Egypt, yet are here called other gods, or strange gods, because in them he worshipped God as the heathen worshipped their strange gods, because by them he changed the truth of God into a lie and represented him as altogether different from what he is, and because many of the ignorant worshippers terminated their devotion in the image, and did not at all regard the God of Israel. Though they were calves of gold, the richness of the metal was so far from making them acceptable to God that they provoked him to anger, designedly affronted him, under colour of pleasing him (Henry, 1996).

In doing this, (1.) He had not set David before him (v. 8): Thou hast not been as my servant David, who, though he had his faults and some bad ones, yet never forsook the worship of God nor grew loose nor cold to that; his faithful adherence to that gained him this honourable character, that he followed God with all his heart, and herein he was proposed for an example to all his successors. Those did not do well that did not do like David. (2.) He had not set God before him, but (v. 9), "Thou hast cast me behind thy back, my law, my fear; thou hast neglected me, forgotten me, and preferred thy policies before my precepts (Henry, 1996)."

4. He foretels the utter ruin of Jeroboam’s house, v. 10, 11. He thought, by his idolatry, to establish his government, and by that he not only lost it, but brought destruction upon his family, the universal destruction of all the males, whether shut up or left, married or unmarried. (1.) Shameful destruction. They shall be taken away as dung, which is loathsome and which men are glad to be rid of. He worshipped dunghill-deities, and God removed his family as a great dunghill. Noble and royal families, if wicked, are no better in God’s account. (2.) Unusual destruction. Their very dead bodies should be meat for the dogs in the street, or the birds of prey in the field, v. 11. Thus evil pursues sinners. See this fulfilled, ch. 15:29 (Henry, 1996).

Reflections:
When leaders are entrusted into a position, they have a responsiblity to do what is right in the sight of God. If leaders choose not to do as God instructs them to; they will be put out of position. Someone else that will listen to, and obey the voice of God, will be put in their place. Additionally, those that are under the leadership of corrupt leaders, will unfortunately suffer because of bad leadership; until God brings a faithful leader to get them back on track. Let us be mindful to be faithful over what God has given us, because he trusts us with the responsibility; keeping in mind that the position of leadership is not to be taken lightly. We are to always remember that what leaders do, will be emulated through time; whether it be good, or bad; and we will be held responsible for how we lead others, to, and/or away from the cross.

Strong's Concordance Definitions:

I Kings 14:10
therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam [fn] every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.

A clean sweep: 1197
1) to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled

a) (Qal)
1) to begin to burn, be kindled, start burning
2) to burn, be burning
3) to burn, consume
4) Jehovah's wrath, human wrath (fig.)
b) (Piel)
1) to kindle, burn
2) to consume, remove (of guilt) (fig.)
c) (Hiphil)
1) to kindle
2) to burn up
3) to consume (destroy)
d) (Pual) to burn

References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Book of 1 Kings 14 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 10 May 2010.

Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on 1 Kings 14." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 10 May 2010.
< http:// www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm? AuthorID=4&contentID=942&commInfo=5&topic=1%20Kings&
ar=1Ki_14_7 >

Higgins, S. (2010). Emulated Through Time. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing. Http://www.devotionsforthought.blogspot.com, Http://www.higginspublishing.com