1 Kings 11:9-13 (ESV) Scripture

9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.  Scripture

11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.  Scripture

13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” Scripture

Idols and Downfalls

Solomon asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him. But he was foolish in one thing; he married many foreign women.

11:1, Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 

2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.”

Deut 17:17, And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

V2b, Solomon clung to these in love V2b, Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

V5, For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 

7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 

Solomon’s highest achievement was building the temple for God. His lowest point was building many pagan temples for his wives.

V9, And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

1 Kg 9:6 But if you turn aside from following me, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 

7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a byword among all peoples.

V10, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.

V11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 

V40, Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam V40, Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

V13, However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

You may start off strong in Christ but as you get more education, you thought God’s rules are outdated and you disregard them.

If you do, you will end badly If you do, you will end badly. It is not how you start the race; it is how you finish the race that matters.

V37, And I will take you, and you (Jeroboam) shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways,

and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

Jeroboam instead of accepting the salvation plan of God decided to create his own religion and man-made salvation plan for Israel.

12: 28 the king (Jeroboam) made two calves of gold 12: 28 the king (Jeroboam) made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 

He created a false religion for the Israelites. Today some pastors give people a false Christianity that promises health and wealth without sacrifices and the cross.

29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 

He made it easy and convenient for people in the northern kingdom to worship God. The only problem was God wasn’t in Bethel or Dan – the ark was in Jerusalem.

31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 

He appointed worldly priests who don’t obey God’s command. Presbyterian USA has ordained gay pastors who teach gay lifestyle is normal and acceptable to God.

32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar.

33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart.

God commanded the people to observe the Feast of Tabernacle on the 15th day of the seventh month, not the eight month. Today, people take the holy days and turn them into commercialized Christmas and Easter holidays.

God is not pleased with man-made religion and he sent a prophet from Judah to warn the king. Today, God is not pleased with man-made Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism, and self help religion.

13:1, And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. 2 And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said,

“O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’”

300 years later, this prophecy was fulfilled. King Josiah went to Bethel, tore down the altars and burnt the bones of the false priests who served there (2 Kgs 23:15-20).

13:15, Then he (an old prophet) said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 

17 for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” 

V18 and he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 

V19, So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water, 20 and as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. 

V21, and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, 

22 but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

This is a warning to young believers, don’t listen to old people who claim to speak for God; if their advice contradicts the command of God for you, don’t listen to them.

V33, after this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. 

34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

His family paid the price for his sins; after Jeroboam died, his son Nadab ruled as king for only 2 years; Baasha assassinated Nadab and killed everyone in Jeroboam’s family for the sins that Jeroboam had committed against God (15:30).

Jeroboam’s family was destroyed because of his man-made salvation plan. If you thought, “I don’t need God, I believe in myself, I am in control of my life and I can save myself,” you are on the way to self destruction.