The first king of the divi\u00added king\u00addom of Isra\u00adel in the north was Jero\u00adboam. God pro\u00admi\u00adsed him and his fami\u00adly that they would remain in power fore\u00adver if they only kept to one thing: To be faithful to the God of Isra\u00adel. But Jero\u00adboam was led by fear, which ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly led to the down\u00adfall of his king\u00addom. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ are cal\u00adled to lea\u00adve behind all fal\u00adse secu\u00adri\u00adties and trust God completely.<\/p>\n
The pro\u00admi\u00adse of God gives a future! \tDo you under\u00adstand how one united king\u00addom beca\u00adme two? The first king of the divi\u00added king\u00addom of Isra\u00adel in the north was Jero\u00adboam. God pro\u00admi\u00adsed him and his fami\u00adly that they would remain in power fore\u00adver if they kept to one thing: To be faithful to the God of Isra\u00adel. But Jero\u00adboam allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be led by fear, which ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly led to the down\u00adfall of his king\u00addom. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":7397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7383","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThis mor\u00adning we look at a sto\u00adry from the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment. This sto\u00adry illus\u00adtra\u00adtes that the holy God can\u00adnot tole\u00adra\u00adte any\u00adthing bes\u00adi\u00adde Hims\u00adelf. For this we dive deep into the histo\u00adry of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel. It is the peo\u00adp\u00adle God has cho\u00adsen. Its histo\u00adry is extre\u00adme\u00adly eventful and usual\u00adly cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed by the fact that things never run smooth\u00adly. But this peo\u00adp\u00adle has a cen\u00adtral mis\u00adsi\u00adon. They are to be holy. Just as their God is holy. This is our the\u00adme for the year. Holy means to be set apart for a spe\u00adcial pur\u00adpo\u00adse. This, in the case of Isra\u00adel, is that they ser\u00adve God alo\u00adne. Set apart is shown in ethi\u00adcal mat\u00adters and so the peo\u00adp\u00adle are dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from their envi\u00adron\u00adment in many ways of life. Sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon is shown in the fact that they have only one God and so they stand apart from the envi\u00adron\u00adment. The sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon is shown in God\u2019s dealings with his peo\u00adp\u00adle. For he claims this peo\u00adp\u00adle for hims\u00adelf and can\u00adnot tole\u00adra\u00adte them fol\u00adlo\u00adwing anyo\u00adne else. The peo\u00adp\u00adle them\u00adsel\u00adves are orga\u00adnis\u00aded into tri\u00adbes. From the\u00adse, in turn, one is cal\u00adled out, set apart from the rest, to take char\u00adge of the wor\u00adship. At the head of the peo\u00adp\u00adle was a reli\u00adgious lea\u00adder, the high priest.
\nThe nati\u00adons around Isra\u00adel had a king at their head. After some time in the land, the desi\u00adre for a king aro\u00adse. At this time, Samu\u00adel was the reli\u00adgious lea\u00adder of the peo\u00adp\u00adle. The desi\u00adre for a king also cal\u00adled his posi\u00adti\u00adon into ques\u00adti\u00adon. But the peo\u00adp\u00adle wan\u00adted a king and came to Samu\u00adel with this request. God gives him the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing ans\u00adwer. \u00ab \u00abLis\u00adten to the voice of the peo\u00adp\u00adle, to ever\u00ady\u00adthing they say,\u00bb the LORD<\/span> repli\u00aded, \u00abfor it is not you they reject, but me. They no lon\u00adger want me as king. They are doing what they have always done sin\u00adce I brought them here from Egypt. For they have always for\u00adgot\u00adten me and gone after other gods. And now they are doing the same to you. Ful\u00adfil their request, but warn them cle\u00adar\u00adly about how a king will rule over them\u00bb \u00bb (1 Samu\u00adel 8:7\u20139 NLB<\/span>). Until now, God has clai\u00admed lea\u00adder\u00adship of the peo\u00adp\u00adle for hims\u00adelf. But he com\u00adpli\u00ades with the people\u2019s wis\u00adhes, even though it is a rebel\u00adli\u00adon against hims\u00adelf. The histo\u00adry of the kings is not a glo\u00adrious histo\u00adry over\u00adall. Even the first king mes\u00adses up bad\u00adly and so his dynasty is depo\u00adsed and a new king comes to power. God hims\u00adelf says of him: \u00ab[\u2026] David son of Jes\u00adse is a man after my own heart. He will do ever\u00ady\u00adthing I want him to do\u00bb (Acts 13:22 NLB<\/span>). Alt\u00adhough God is against the estab\u00adlish\u00adment of a roy\u00adal house, he is ful\u00adly behind King David. He gives him a pro\u00admi\u00adse: \u00abYour house and your king\u00adship will stand befo\u00adre me for all time and your thro\u00adne will be estab\u00adlished fore\u00adver\u00bb (2 Samu\u00adel 7:16 NLB<\/span>). You might think that all must final\u00adly be well with this peo\u00adp\u00adle. But David\u2019s suc\u00adces\u00adsor is no lon\u00adger fol\u00adlo\u00adwing in his foot\u00ads\u00adteps. King David is the stan\u00addard of jud\u00adge\u00adment for all the kings of Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. They are always mea\u00adsu\u00adred against him. The tra\u00adge\u00addy is that most of them don\u2019t get it right. Even though the\u00adre is so much bles\u00adsing for them in their faithful\u00adness to God.
\nIn the case of David\u2019s son Solo\u00admon, it is his many wives that beco\u00adme his undo\u00ading. At the begin\u00adning, he is faithful and stands by God, but over time he allows hims\u00adelf to be sedu\u00adced by his for\u00adeign wives into wor\u00adship\u00adping the gods. He builds altars for the gods of their peo\u00adp\u00adles and sacri\u00adfices to them. So God deci\u00addes to snatch ten tri\u00adbes from Solomon\u2019s suc\u00adces\u00adsor, King Rehoboam, and give them to ano\u00adther king. He lea\u00adves him only two tri\u00adbes. God choo\u00adses Jero\u00adboam as king of the nor\u00adt\u00adhern king\u00addom. He pro\u00admi\u00adses him a bright future. \u00abIf you lis\u00adten to what I tell you, if you do not for\u00adsa\u00adke my way and ask my will, and if you obey my laws and com\u00admandments as my ser\u00advant David did, then I will always be on your side. I will estab\u00adlish a las\u00adting dynasty of rulers with you, as I did for David, and I will ent\u00adrust Isra\u00adel to you\u00bb (1 Kings 11:38 NLB<\/span>). If he is faithful, then God is also faithful. He wants to estab\u00adlish a dynasty with him, as he did with King David. He pro\u00admi\u00adses him power over the ten nor\u00adt\u00adhern tri\u00adbes, which from then on will always be cal\u00adled Isra\u00adel. The sou\u00adthern tri\u00adbes are cal\u00adled the king\u00addom of Judah.
\nBut the seces\u00adsi\u00adon of the ten nor\u00adt\u00adhern tri\u00adbes does\u00adn\u2019t just hap\u00adpen over\u00adnight. Ins\u00adtead, it can be explai\u00adned in earth\u00adly terms by the stu\u00adpi\u00addi\u00adty of the new king Rehoboam. He comes to power and wants to crack down even har\u00adder than his father. This makes the tri\u00adbes of Isra\u00adel so angry that they join Jero\u00adboam. Jero\u00adboam had fled from King Solo\u00admon to Egypt and retur\u00adned after his death. \u00abWhen the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes lear\u00adnt that Jero\u00adboam had retur\u00adned, they sent for him, con\u00adve\u00adned an assem\u00adbly and made him king over all Isra\u00adel. Only the tri\u00adbe of Judah remain\u00aded loy\u00adal to the roy\u00adal house of David\u00bb (1 Kings 12:20 NLB<\/span>). The\u00adre is alre\u00ada\u00addy so much to learn from the\u00adse sto\u00adries. But I want to empha\u00adsise two things in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar. First\u00adly, God wants us to hold on to him in faithful\u00adness. Second\u00adly, the pro\u00admi\u00adse of Jero\u00adboam actual\u00adly mate\u00adria\u00adli\u00adses and he beco\u00admes king over Isra\u00adel. During this time, he con\u00adso\u00adli\u00adda\u00adtes his king\u00addom and builds two capi\u00adtals. He con\u00adso\u00adli\u00adda\u00adted hims\u00adelf poli\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly. He had not\u00adhing to be afraid of. Becau\u00adse he had the pro\u00admi\u00adse of God and so he \u00abonly\u00bb had to con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adte on fol\u00adlo\u00adwing him and giving him all the honour.
\nOver\u00adco\u00adme by fear!
\nIsra\u00adel is divi\u00added into the sou\u00adthern king\u00addom of Judah with Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem as its capi\u00adtal and the nor\u00adt\u00adhern king\u00addom of Isra\u00adel. After some time, the pro\u00admi\u00adse of God pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly faded visi\u00adbly in Jeroboam\u2019s memo\u00adry. After he had estab\u00adlished and sta\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adsed his king\u00addom poli\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly and soci\u00adal\u00adly, he beca\u00adme afraid. \u00abJero\u00adboam thought to hims\u00adelf, \u00abNow the rule will revert to the line of David. When the peo\u00adp\u00adle go to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to sacri\u00adfice in the house of the LORD<\/span>, they will also sub\u00admit again to their mas\u00adter, King Rehoboam of Judah. Then they will kill me and turn back to Rehoboam king of Judah\u00bb (1 Kings 12:26\u201327 NLB<\/span>). The dan\u00adger was not unfoun\u00added, for God had cho\u00adsen the temp\u00adle in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem as the cul\u00adtic cent\u00adre. \u00abHere my name will be hono\u00adu\u00adred fore\u00adver \u2013 in this house and in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem, the city I have cho\u00adsen from all the tri\u00adbes of Isra\u00adel\u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 33:7 NLB<\/span>). So the peo\u00adp\u00adle of the nor\u00adt\u00adhern tri\u00adbes had to tra\u00advel to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem seve\u00adral times a year for the reli\u00adgious holidays.
\nThey were the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre under the sphe\u00adre of influence of Rehoboam. As the say\u00ading goes, fear is a bad coun\u00adsell\u00ador. But Jero\u00adboam got more and more of it. God\u2019s pro\u00admi\u00adse was not enough for him and he deci\u00added to take mat\u00adters into his own hands. \u00abSo the king thought about it. So he had two gol\u00adden cal\u00adves made and said to the peo\u00adp\u00adle, \u00abIt is too much trou\u00adble for you to go to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. Look, the\u00adse are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!\u00bb (1 Kings 12:28 NLB<\/span>). The jus\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon to the peo\u00adp\u00adle is not based on their fear, but rather on sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly under\u00adstan\u00adda\u00adble reasons. Here he used the gre\u00adat cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances. This also rai\u00adses the ques\u00adti\u00adon for us. Can faith cost us any\u00adthing? Can it cost us time? Can it per\u00adhaps even cost us money? Can your faith also cost you your com\u00adfort? What are we pre\u00adpared to go to incon\u00adve\u00adni\u00adence? The para\u00addox of this flim\u00adsy jus\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon quick\u00adly beco\u00admes appa\u00adrent. \u00abThis beca\u00adme a sin for the peo\u00adp\u00adle, for they went and even tra\u00advel\u00adled all the way to Dan\u00bb (1 Kings 12:30 NLB<\/span>). But the peo\u00adp\u00adle them\u00adsel\u00adves tra\u00advel\u00adled a long way to fol\u00adlow the\u00adse two idol sacri\u00adfices. Isn\u2019t it true that when it comes to faith, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is often too much for us? But we vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly do much more wit\u00adhout it being a strain for us. How much can YOUR<\/span> faith cost you?
\nBack to Jero\u00adboam. I think he real\u00adly wan\u00adted to pre\u00adser\u00adve the faith in the God of his ances\u00adtors. But he resor\u00adted to syn\u00adcre\u00adtic prac\u00adti\u00adces. So the choice of figu\u00adre for his two sta\u00adtu\u00ades was also not\u00adhing new in the histo\u00adry of this peo\u00adp\u00adle. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel had been ens\u00adlaved in Egypt long ago. But God led them to free\u00addom with a strong hand. After the lea\u00adder of the peo\u00adp\u00adle had been away for a while, they wan\u00adted a God who could be seen, felt and expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced. So the chief priest cast a calf. The ori\u00adgi\u00adnal Hebrew text uses exact\u00adly the same wor\u00adding as for Jero\u00adboam, except that he cast two cal\u00adves and not just one. By describ\u00ading the\u00adse cal\u00adves as gods of deli\u00adver\u00adance from Egypt, they depri\u00adve the actu\u00adal aut\u00adhor of the most incisi\u00adve and decisi\u00adve event. For this is repea\u00adted\u00adly cited as justification.
\nBut Jero\u00adboam moves fur\u00adther and fur\u00adther away. First, he replaces the God of Isra\u00adel with two cal\u00adves. Then he gra\u00addu\u00adal\u00adly appoints his own priests. Priests who are not from the tri\u00adbe of Levi, whom God has cho\u00adsen for this task. He also builds sanc\u00adtua\u00adries on high, even though God had only cho\u00adsen one temp\u00adle and one place. Jero\u00adboam pla\u00adced the two cal\u00adves in two dif\u00adfe\u00adrent places. First\u00adly to Bethel, which is cen\u00adtral\u00adly loca\u00adted in the south. It was cen\u00adtral\u00adly loca\u00adted and the road to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem pas\u00adsed through the\u00adre. It was its\u00adelf only 17 kilo\u00adme\u00adt\u00adres to the north. Dan, on the other hand, was in the far north of Isra\u00adel. The sacri\u00adfice and wor\u00adship of the\u00adse calf sta\u00adtu\u00ades beca\u00adme a stumb\u00adling block. \u00abThis beca\u00adme a sin for the peo\u00adp\u00adle [\u2026]\u00bb (1 Kings 12:30 NLB<\/span>). Just as the kings of Judah are always com\u00adpared to David, the kings of Isra\u00adel are com\u00adpared to Jero\u00adboam, but not in a posi\u00adti\u00adve way. Of the total of 19 kings, 16 wal\u00adked in the sin of Jero\u00adboam. This con\u00adsis\u00adted of fol\u00adlo\u00adwing other gods. But the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel were actual\u00adly set apart for God. But becau\u00adse they did not fol\u00adlow, they were torn from inti\u00adma\u00adcy with God. In the end, the nor\u00adt\u00adhern king\u00addom dis\u00adap\u00adpears from the sce\u00adne in its inde\u00adpen\u00addence. The sum\u00adma\u00adry sounds like this: \u00abFor when the LORD<\/span> sepa\u00adra\u00adted Isra\u00adel from the king\u00addom of David, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes cho\u00adse Jero\u00adboam son of Nebat as king. But he led Isra\u00adel into gre\u00adat sin by per\u00adsua\u00adding them to stop fol\u00adlo\u00adwing the LORD<\/span>. And the Israe\u00adli\u00adte peo\u00adp\u00adle con\u00adtin\u00adued to fol\u00adlow the wrong ways of Jero\u00adboam. They per\u00adsis\u00adted in the sin of ido\u00adla\u00adtry until the LORD<\/span> final\u00adly remo\u00adved them from his pre\u00adsence, as he had fore\u00adtold through all his ser\u00advants, the pro\u00adphe\u00adts. In the end, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes were depor\u00adted from their land to Assy\u00adria, whe\u00adre they live to this day\u00bb (2 Kings 17:21\u201323 NLB<\/span>). Jero\u00adboam tried to pre\u00adser\u00adve his king\u00addom hims\u00adelf, but he ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly lost it \u2013 pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly becau\u00adse of his own attempt.
\nLea\u00adving the fal\u00adse secu\u00adri\u00adties behind
\nThe dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty that ari\u00adses when deal\u00ading with Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment texts is the ques\u00adti\u00adon of what they say for me per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly. One way is to ask what I can learn from the core mes\u00adsa\u00adge. The ques\u00adti\u00adon here is what I do with pro\u00admi\u00adses that God has given me. The\u00adse can be per\u00adso\u00adnal, but can also rela\u00adte to bibli\u00adcal pas\u00adsa\u00adges. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly tho\u00adse in which Jesus Christ makes a pro\u00admi\u00adse to his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers. Do I trust them or do I try to ful\u00adfil them mys\u00adelf? What is my moti\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon? Trust or worry\/fear? Jesus hims\u00adelf makes a state\u00adment that sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adses the life of Jero\u00adboam. \u00abWhoe\u00adver tri\u00ades to keep his life will lose it. But whoe\u00adver gives up his life for me will find true life\u00bb (Matthew 16:25 NLB<\/span>). What does this state\u00adment do to you? What dri\u00adves you? Worry or trust?
\nI would like to return to the sto\u00adry of Jero\u00adboam and Rehoboam. Becau\u00adse I have with\u00adheld one part from you. For after the ten nor\u00adt\u00adhern tri\u00adbes had bro\u00adken away from Judah, Rehoboam wan\u00adted to regain all the power. But God had a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent plan and sent him a mes\u00adsa\u00adge. \u00abTell Rehoboam son of Solo\u00admon, king of Judah, and all the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Judah and Ben\u00adja\u00admin and the rest of the peo\u00adp\u00adle: \u00abThus says the LORD<\/span>: Do not go up and fight against your kins\u00admen the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. Go back home, for what has hap\u00adpen\u00aded was my will!\u00bb And they obey\u00aded the LORD<\/span>\u2019s mes\u00adsa\u00adge and went home as he had com\u00adman\u00added them\u00bb (1 Kings 12:23\u201324 NLB<\/span>). Rehoboam obey\u00aded this mes\u00adsa\u00adge and can\u00adcel\u00adled his own initia\u00adti\u00adve. Howe\u00adver, despi\u00adte losing part of his power, he does not walk away a loser. For God bles\u00adsed him.
\nJero\u00adboam was afraid that the peo\u00adp\u00adle would lea\u00adve him becau\u00adse of the temp\u00adle in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. But he hims\u00adelf made things worse. \u00abBut the priests and Levi\u00adtes from all over Isra\u00adel con\u00adtin\u00adued to stand by Rehoboam. The Levi\u00adtes even left their homes and pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons and moved to Judah and Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem, becau\u00adse Jero\u00adboam and his sons had for\u00adbidden them to ser\u00adve the LORD<\/span> as priests\u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 11:13\u201314 NLB<\/span>). Through his own initia\u00adti\u00adve, which was cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed by fear, he streng\u00adthe\u00adned the king\u00addom of Rehoboam of Judah even more. \u00abPeo\u00adp\u00adle from all over Isra\u00adel who wan\u00adted to wor\u00adship the LORD<\/span>, the God of Isra\u00adel, flo\u00adcked to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem with the Levi\u00adtes, whe\u00adre they were allo\u00adwed to sacri\u00adfice to the LORD<\/span>, the God of their ances\u00adtors. In this way, the king\u00addom of Judah was streng\u00adthe\u00adned. [\u2026]\u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 11:16\u201317 NLB<\/span>). Both kings did some\u00adthing that did not plea\u00adse God. Rehoboam let hims\u00adelf be reaso\u00adned with, but Jero\u00adboam did not chan\u00adge. What can we learn from this sto\u00adry for our lives? To put it blunt\u00adly: a lack of trust in God and self-initia\u00adti\u00adve, which con\u00adtra\u00addict God\u2019s com\u00admandments, result in ali\u00aden\u00adati\u00adon from God.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead Bible text: 1 Kings 12:20\u201332; Matthew 16:25)<\/p>\n
\n\tJero\u00adboam was pro\u00admi\u00adsed a glo\u00adrious future by God. Are the\u00adre pro\u00admi\u00adses of God in your life? (per\u00adso\u00adnal or from the Bible)
\n\tAre you easi\u00adly dis\u00adtrac\u00adted by fear or worry?
\n\tHave you tried to do things yours\u00adelf, but it went wrong in the end?
\n\tHow do you deal with the state\u00adment of Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:25?
\n\tCan you trust God to be good to you? Why is this dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for you?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"