Disrespecting The Word of God

Introduction

Old Testament to the book of 1 Kings. First Kings, our Bible reading this morning was from chapter 11, but I want to take you a couple chapters from there in 1 Kings chapter 13. That’ll be the text for our lesson this morning. And as always, you’ll benefit by turning along, opening your Bible, reading along and studying along with us this morning. We want to draw some lessons from a story in Israel’s history. We’re talking about history this morning, and so I thought it might do as well to talk about why we study history. I can think of at least, there’s probably a lot more. I can think of at least three reasons we study history. One reason is despite what you might have believed when you were in school, history can be interesting.

It’s interesting to read the stories of times gone by, of maybe how they used to do things. Secondly, history is interesting for the child of God. Biblical history is interesting because it’s not just history, it’s his story. We’re reading about the plan of God. God has graced us with the blessing of being able to read both Old and New Testament and to literally witness the unfolding of the plan of God. And we get to see that. Thirdly, and maybe most important for the Christian, is that Old Testament history is beneficial to us today because it teaches us lessons. Here is a good example of someone who served God, maybe in spite of horrible circumstances. And that gives me hope that I can do the same. Or, the case we’re going to look at this morning, here’s an example of somebody who failed to serve God faithfully.

The only thing better from learning from your own mistakes is to learn from somebody else’s mistakes so that you don’t have to make those same mistakes. We could do that in the study of history. We can do that with the story of King Jeroboam. Let’s remind ourselves, since we’ve just kind of parachuted down in the middle of Old Testament history, let’s remind ourselves where we’re at. God has chosen the children of Abraham to be the people through whom he would bring the Christ and fulfill the promises. He put those people, a part of those promises was a land. He put them in this land that flowed with milk and honey and gave them blessings, and for a period of time they were ruled by God and by the judges that God would appoint.

But as you remember, they cried out to be for a king, to be like the other nations around them. And although that was a wrong request, God granted it. Gave them three kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. But because of Solomon leading the people astray, particularly into idolatry, God is going to take the kingdom away from Solomon and his household and divide it. We heard that in our Bible reading this morning. Ten northern tribes are going to be given away from the household of David, but that one or really two tribes in the south would remain a part of David’s legacy. And so we enter into that period of Old Testament history that we many times call the divided kingdom. David stands as the pinnacle of kings.

Every king is going to be compared to David. And David was because of his allegiance to God, David was given a legacy. Jeroboam, who becomes the first king of the divided northern tribes, is basically given the same deal that David was given. If you do what is right, this kingdom will be in your family forever. You’ll have a son, a descendant reigning upon this throne. God set Jeroboam up on a silver platter, so to speak. One of the things that we see from the tragic story of Jeroboam is how he absolutely and almost immediately squandered all of the opportunities that God gave him. There’s the negative lesson we need to learn. And what we’re going to see in this tragic story of Jeroboam disregarding and failing to live up to the legacy that God had planned for him, that it all started with disrespecting the word of God.

That’s the negative lesson I want us to learn this morning. The danger of disrespecting the word of God, or really what happens when we do disrespect God’s word. Jeroboam is now king in the northern tribes of Israel. The two southern tribes have an advantage, and that advantage is namely that they possess the city of Jerusalem. And since they possessed the city of Jerusalem, they possess the temple, the place for worship, the priesthood, and all of the accoutrements that go along with that. Jeroboam becomes politically worried that if his people began to have to make that pilgrimage, as they’re required by God, to go back to Jerusalem to worship God at the temple, that they may end up not coming back home, that their allegiance might be with Judah rather than with Israel.

And so he makes a political calculation, which we might say is probably always dangerous when it comes to the word of God. But he makes a political calculation that I need to do something to keep the people at home. Let’s worship here rather than having to go down there and worship. One problem with that, and it’s a big problem. God had already prescribed how they were to worship. And so Jeroboam sets up two places of worship in Dan and Bethel. And he sets up golden calves, you remember, that they were to worship, saying, These are your gods that you will serve. He sets up his own priesthood, because the priest of the tribe of Levi that God had prescribed are all in the southern kingdom. And so he comes up with his own priesthood.

He comes up with his own day of worship. God had prescribed what days that they were to worship. And so obviously, this disrespecting of God’s word comes to the attention of God. And he brings it to Jeroboam’s attention, and so he sends in 1 Kings chapter 13. He sends a man of God, this unnamed prophet, goes to Bethel. Remember, Bethel is one of those places that Jeroboam has decided in this political maneuver. Bethel is one of those places that Jeroboam says, this is where we’ll worship God. Not in Jerusalem, as God said, not at the temple, as God said, not serving God without idols, as God said, but we’ll disregard all of that and worship God at Bethel. And so God sends a messenger to Bethel.

That messenger goes to Bethel and stands beside the altar that has been set up by Jeroboam for this unauthorized worship at Bethel. And he says a few things. He says, first of all, there’ll be a man named Josiah that God will raise up and he’s going to sacrifice the priest upon this altar. And as a sign that this is going to happen, this altar, he says, this altar is going to split wide open, and the ashes from this altar are going to pour out. That’ll be a sign from God that I really know what I’m talking about. Jeroboam, his head full of power, sticks out his hand and points to this man of God and says, Arrest him. But he doesn’t draw his hand back. Because of the moment that he said arrest him, God, the text says, withered his hand so that he couldn’t draw it back.

So Jeroboam does probably what we would do. He says, help. And he asked that man of God, can you ask God to fix my hand? Now we would have probably made that same request. I hope we would have made an additional request. Can you ask God to forgive me? Can you ask God what I need to do? But he simply says, Can you fix my hand? About that time the altar, as the man of God had prophesied that it would, splits open and the ashes pour out. Jeroboam thanks the man of God for healing his hand. And says, Why don’t you come and let me feed you.

1. The Tragedy of King Jeroboam

If you gave me half your kingdom, I would not, because God told me not to. God said not to eat any bread, to drink any water, or to even go back the way that I came while I was here. And so he says, No. And so let’s think about this tragedy at Bethel. We have first the tragedy of King Jeroboam. Not the tragedy of his arm, his hand being withered, but the tragedy of what he has done and how he is leading or misleading the people of God. Think about what he has done. He has set up and changed the object of worship. The greatest crime that Jeroboam was guilty of is this one. He changed the object of worship. No longer are they serving one God, Jehovah, as they were commanded and should have felt obligated to do.

They’re worshiping golden calves. Those ugly golden calves that have been a part of Israel’s history, haven’t they? And any good student of history, maybe here’s one reason we study history. Any good student of Israelite history would recognize God didn’t like it when we did this before. So he changes the object of worship.

God had prescribed to the Israelites, here is where I’ll be worshiped. Jesus will tell us that in his kingdom that will change, but in the kingdom of Israel, it mattered where. But the where was not convenient to Jeroboam, and so he changes it to Dan in Bethel rather than Jerusalem at the temple. He changed the priesthood. Look in 1 Kings chapter 13. And what it says in verse 33, and how flippantly it appears that Jeroboam did this.

Whoever wished. He consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. So he’s changed the object of worship. He’s changed the place of worship. He’s changed the priesthood. And he’ll change the day of worship. That’s the tragedy of this sad story of Jeroboam. And the sadness of this again is compounded when Jeroboam had it made. God had said, turn back there to 1 Kings chapter 11. God had said, Jeroboam, I’m setting you up. 1 Kings chapter 11. Let’s look again at just two of those verses, verses 37 and 38 that says, So I will take you. This is God speaking to the new king Jeroboam. I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel.

Then it shall be if you heed all that I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight to keep my statutes and my commandments, as my servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. Jeroboam had two grand incentives to serve God. God said, Here’s the kingdom. You can be the next David.

Should have been incentive enough to say, I’ll do what you say, God. But even if Jeroboam just wanted to be selfish. And even political. He could have said, Look what I’ll get out of serving God. I’ll give a dynasty. My name will be remembered forever. As my son, my grandson, my great grandson, my great great grandson, all reign on this throne. I’ll be the next David. But he squandered all of that. He squandered the opportunities that God had given him, the blessings that God had afforded him. Turn over to 1 Kings chapter 14. What a sad ending. God had promised that if he followed his ways, that God would give him a grand legacy. Jeroboam failed, and look at the legacy he gets instead. 1 Kings chapter 14, beginning in verse 10.

The prophet says, Therefore, behold, I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel. Let’s pause there. This is the exact same prophet who delivered the word of God in chapter 11 that says, if you do what I say, I’ll set you up. The same prophet comes back and says, I’m going to wipe out your family. You’re not going to have a legacy upon the throne. You’re not going to have a legacy, period. I will cut off every male from the house of Jeroboam, and I’ll cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free, and I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam as one takes away refuse until it is gone.

The dog shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field, for the Lord has spoken it. God says, paraphrasing, I’m going to take you out like trash. And I’m going to erase any remnant or remembrance of you. When he had just earlier said, if you’ll obey me, your name will be remembered as sitting on this throne forever. Jeroboam does have a legacy.

2. The Tragedy in Bethel, the House of God

Because for nearly 200 years after this event, almost every wicked king of Israel, and they were all wicked, is compared to Jeroboam. When the summary of those wicked kings is given, it says, and he walked, describing their wickedness, their disobedience to God, and he walked in the ways of Jeroboam. Again, paraphrasing in more modern day vernacular, we’d say, and he was just as sorry as Jeroboam was. He did just the things that Jeroboam did. That’s the tragedy in Bethel. There’s another layer of tragedy in Bethel is that when we think about that city.

Let’s take two things. The word Bethel itself literally means the house of God. Bethel, the house of God. That’s where this takes place. You remember why it was called the house of God. Go back in the book of Genesis to Genesis chapter 28. If Jeroboam had been a good student of history as we should be, he maybe would have seen that this wasn’t the place as if any place would have been, but this certainly isn’t the place to do this. In Genesis chapter 28, remember the story. Jacob is fleeing from his brother Esau. And he stops somewhere for the night. This is where he stops. Where Jeroboam sets up one of the altars to the golden calves, where the man of God comes and withers the hand of Jeroboam and destroys the altar of Jeroboam.

Jacob stops and spends the night in Genesis chapter 28. And look beginning in verse 12. Genesis chapter 28, verse 12, and you shall. Excuse me, I’m in Exodus. Helps if you’re in the right book. Genesis chapter 28. And verse 12, Jacob spends the night fleeing from Esau, and it says, Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and they were the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, I will give to you and your descendants. And your descendants will be like the dust of the earth.

You shall spread abroad to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, and in you and in your seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. Here’s that famous dream of Jacob’s ladder and the reiterating of the promise now to this next generation, Jacob. Skip down to verse 16, where it says, Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place. And I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place. There’s none other than the house of God. And this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob arose early in the morning and he took a stone that he had put at his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.

And he called the name of that place Bethel. But the name of the city had previously been Laws. So this is the location. That Jacob says, This is surely the house of God. And Jeroboam, a poor student of history and a poorer servant of God, goes to that very location and sets up an altar to golden calves.

3. The Tragedy of the Man of God

Changes the object of worship. Changes the location of worship. All at a place known as the house of God. Jeroboam changed Bethel. It’s no longer the house of God. It was the house of corruption, the house of deceit, the house of sin. But let’s finish the story in 1 Kings chapter 13. This man of God. The tragedy continues. We see the tragedy of Jeroboam disrespecting the word of God. The tragedy that that brought upon this famous and beautiful city, Bethel. But then there’s the tragedy. Remember, Jeroboam had said, Thank you for healing my hand. Will you come and I’ll give you something to eat and drink? And the man of God correctly says, No. God told me not to. Now that might seem odd at first that God would specifically say, Don’t eat anything or drink anything there.

That’s a very specific command, isn’t it? But he says, God told me not to do that. And so I’m not going to do that. But sadly, for this man of God, this prophet, the story doesn’t end there. In that area, there was an older man who was what we might call an erstwhile prophet. And he heard that the man of God was there. And so he sends for him and says, Come to my place and eat and drink. To which the man of God correctly says, No, I can’t. God said not to. But then the older man says.

Paraphrasing two very dangerous words when it comes to the revelation of God. Paraphrasing, he says, Yeah, but God told me something different. God told me it was alright. And so come on. Look in 1 Kings chapter 13 again. In verses 18 and 19. He said to him, I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel spoke to me. This is the older man, saying, I got a different message from God. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him. So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. At first we’re enamored with this man of God.

He spoke the word of God exactly as it was been given there at Jeroboam. That must have been difficult. He’s standing before the king. That would have been scary and intimidating. Don’t eliminate that from the story. And at two times to the king, and at first, to this older man, he says, No, I can’t do that. I can’t eat, I can’t drink, because God told me not to eat and drink here. But then he loses his way. When he’s deceived by the other guy who’s lying to him and says, But God told me something different.

Hold your finger there and go in the New Testament to the book of Galatians. We wish the man of God had understood what Paul teaches the Galatians in Galatians chapter 1. Verses 6 and 8. A similar thing had happened to the churches of Galatia. The gospel had been preached to them. But somebody comes along after and says, God told me something different. Paul will call it another gospel. We put that in quotation, Mark, because he says it’s not really another gospel, because it’s not really from God. But somebody else comes along and says, God told me something else. To them, Paul issues this warning, and we wish the man of God would have understood this. Galatians chapter 1, you remember these verses beginning in verse 6.

I marvel that you’re turning away so soon from him who called you into the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there are some who would trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Paul says, God’s word is established. It doesn’t matter who might come along. Isn’t it interesting that language? Even if we are an angel. That older man said, an angel told me this. So you can disregard what God told you and listen to what God told me. The tragedy of this prophet who heard the word of God, who had it verified by the miracles there at the altar, and as deceived by another messenger.

4. What Happens When We Disrespect the Word of God

The warning. Study the word of God. Know what it is and what it says. But be warned. Not everybody is speaking the word of God. The man of God had proof, didn’t he? The miracles were proof. We have verification ourselves. Test the spirits, John would say in 1 John, whether they are of God. Not everybody who preaches preaches the truth. But if we are an angel from God preach to you a message other than what’s been delivered, let him be accursed. Alright, let’s look at some final lessons, and the lesson will be yours this morning. And what happens when we disrespect the word of God? First of all, those who do the disrespecting are negatively affected. Jeroboam should forever stand in your mind as the perfect illustration of that.

Here was a man who disregarded, disrespected the word of God, and look what happened. It never ends well. And that’s really what this whole story is about. You could list the sins, the crimes of Jeroboam, but it really begins, and maybe we could even say ends with the fact is that he did not respect the word of God. God said this, and that’s all that matters. Secondly, when we disrespect God’s word, others are influenced. We may not will the influence of a king of a nation, like Jeroboam did. And though we’re not alleviating the absolute free will of the successors to that throne, but every other king who would take his place is going to be just as bad. And again, the text points out that they were following in the footsteps of Jeroboam.

A nation that would eventually be taken away into captivity and really just erased from the earth. When they return, it’s really just Judah that comes back. All because this man disrespected the word of God. If we wanted to study history, we could talk about other examples of this. I think about in religious history, you could go back in time of some man or some group of men who formulate some kind of doctrine that’s not in the word of God. And how many people are affected by that? Who was the first man or group of men who changed the word of God in regard to baptism? Who said that it could be sprinkling or pouring or that it wasn’t essential to salvation? And look at the influence that they’ve had.

Negatively by disrespecting the word of God. Others are influenced when we disrespect the word of God. The house of God is affected. Bethel, the house of God, became a place of shame. When it should have been a place of honor.

Conclusion

The house of God is negatively affected when we disrespect and disobey the word of God. And then lastly and most importantly, God is displeased when we disregard his word. Judgment, harsh judgment, is pronounced upon Jeroboam and his household. And we might at first think, well, that’s a little hard. You’re going to wipe out the whole family. The dogs and the birds are eating. That’s gross. But hopefully we are slapped in the face with the brutality of that and made to understand that’s how God feels when his word is disrespected. What will I do with his word? Will I honor it? Will I obey it? Or will I disrespect it? Would you bow with me? Dear God and loving Father in heaven, we’re so thankful that you’re our God.

We’re so thankful that you’ve recorded in the pages of your sacred history of how you want to be treated, of how you want your word to be regarded. We’re so thankful, Father, that we have both good and bad examples. The great stories of men and women who honored and obeyed you and the reward that they received. But we’re also thankful for the sad stories, for the tragic stories, and the lessons that we might learn from them. Help us, Father, to avoid the mistakes and the sins of the past. Help us to honor your word. And in so doing, honor you. Bless us this day, Father. We pray that you’ll be honored and respected by our worship. Continue to love us. Continue to be patient and forgiving.

It’s in your Son’s name we ask this simple prayer. Amen. We’ll now be dismissed.