1 Kings 14 Study Notes: Ahijah’s Word Against Jeroboam
Jeroboam’s wife visits the blind prophet Ahijah in disguise to ask about their sick son and hears God’s judgment on Jeroboam’s family and on Israel; the boy dies as foretold. In Judah, Rehoboam’s people turn to idolatry, and Egypt’s king Shishak plunders Jerusalem, taking Solomon’s gold shields.
General
True or False: Ahijah saw through the disguise of Jeroboam’s wife by looking closely at her face when she came in.
Answer: False
This is false. Ahijah could not have recognized her by sight. He was old and his eyes had grown dim, so he could not see (14:4). Yet God had already told him that Jeroboam’s wife was on her way to ask about her son and would be disguised (14:5). As soon as Ahijah heard her footsteps at the door, he called her by who she was and asked why she was pretending to be someone else (14:6). The disguise fooled no one, because God sees everything (Hebrews 4:13) and knows every person through and through (Psalm 139:1-2).
- 1 Kings 14:5 (BSB)“But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.””Before she arrives, the LORD tells Ahijah who is coming and that she will be disguised.
- 1 Kings 14:6 (BSB)“So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.”Ahijah greets Jeroboam’s wife by name as soon as he hears her at the door.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
- Psalm 139:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.”David confesses that the LORD knows him through and through.
Theological
True or False: Ahijah penetrated the disguise of Jeroboam’s wife by recognizing her face as she entered.
Answer: False
This is false. Ahijah’s sight had failed with age (14:4); rather, the LORD had forewarned him of the disguised visitor and her errand (14:5). Hearing her steps, he named her and exposed the disguise (14:6). The scene illustrates God’s omniscience: nothing is hidden from His sight (Hebrews 4:13), and He knows His creatures exhaustively (Psalm 139:1-2).
- 1 Kings 14:5 (BSB)“But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.””Before she arrives, the LORD tells Ahijah who is coming and that she will be disguised.
- 1 Kings 14:6 (BSB)“So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.”Ahijah greets Jeroboam’s wife by name as soon as he hears her at the door.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
- Psalm 139:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.”David confesses that the LORD knows him through and through.
General
True or False: After Shishak took the gold shields, Rehoboam had replacements made of silver.
Answer: False
This is false. The replacements were bronze, not silver. After Shishak took the gold shields, Rehoboam had bronze copies made and entrusted them to the officers guarding the palace gate (14:27). Whenever the king went to the temple, the guards bore them in procession and then took them back to their storeroom (14:28). The swap from gold (10:16-17) to bronze shows how much Judah had lost. Chronicles says the LORD allowed Judah to serve Shishak so that they would come to know what it means to serve Him rather than foreign rulers (2 Chronicles 12:8). Rehoboam and Jeroboam were at war as long as they both reigned, and when Rehoboam died, his son Abijam succeeded him (14:30-31).
- 1 Kings 14:27 (BSB)“Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.”Rehoboam makes bronze shields to replace the gold ones and entrusts them to the palace guard.
- 1 Kings 14:28 (BSB)“And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.”The guards carry the shields whenever the king goes to the temple and then return them to the guardroom.
- 1 Kings 10:16-17 (BSB)“King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.”Solomon’s shields had been made of hammered gold.
- 2 Chronicles 12:8 (BSB)“Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.””The LORD let Judah serve Shishak so they would learn the difference between serving Him and serving other kings.
Theological
True or False: Rehoboam replaced the gold shields Shishak had taken with silver shields.
Answer: False
This is false. Rehoboam had bronze shields made to replace the lost gold ones and entrusted them to the palace guard (14:27), who bore them in procession whenever the king went to the temple and then stored them again (14:28). Bronze in place of Solomon’s gold (10:16-17) marks the diminished state of the kingdom. The Chronicler states the lesson the LORD intended: that Judah should discover by experience how serving Him differs from serving foreign kings (2 Chronicles 12:8). Rehoboam and Jeroboam remained at war throughout their reigns, and Rehoboam was succeeded by his son Abijam (14:30-31).
- 1 Kings 14:27 (BSB)“Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.”Rehoboam makes bronze shields to replace the gold ones and entrusts them to the palace guard.
- 1 Kings 14:28 (BSB)“And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.”The guards carry the shields whenever the king goes to the temple and then return them to the guardroom.
- 1 Kings 10:16-17 (BSB)“King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.”Solomon’s shields had been made of hammered gold.
- 2 Chronicles 12:8 (BSB)“Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.””The LORD let Judah serve Shishak so they would learn the difference between serving Him and serving other kings.
General
True or False: Ahijah said the boy would die when his mother returned to the city, and he died just as she stepped into the house.
Answer: True
This is true. Ahijah told Jeroboam’s wife to go home and said her son would die the moment she reached the town (14:12). She went back to Tirzah, and at the very moment she crossed her doorway, her son died (14:17). All Israel buried him and mourned, just as God had foretold by Ahijah (14:18). The exact timing showed that the word was the LORD’s, for He does what He says (Numbers 23:19) and His word accomplishes its purpose (Isaiah 55:11).
- 1 Kings 14:12 (BSB)“As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.”Ahijah tells Jeroboam’s wife that the child will die when she enters the city.
- 1 Kings 14:17 (BSB)“Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.”The boy dies as she crosses the threshold of the house.
- 1 Kings 14:18 (BSB)“And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.”All Israel mourns and buries him as the LORD had said through Ahijah.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not fail to do what He has said.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word accomplishes what He sends it to do.
Theological
True or False: The boy died at the moment his mother crossed the threshold, as Ahijah had foretold.
Answer: True
This is true. Ahijah foretold the child’s death upon his mother’s return to the city (14:12), and he died as she crossed the threshold at Tirzah (14:17). He was buried and mourned by all Israel according to the LORD’s word through Ahijah (14:18). The precise correspondence of word and event vindicates the prophetic word (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 55:11).
- 1 Kings 14:12 (BSB)“As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.”Ahijah tells Jeroboam’s wife that the child will die when she enters the city.
- 1 Kings 14:17 (BSB)“Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.”The boy dies as she crosses the threshold of the house.
- 1 Kings 14:18 (BSB)“And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.”All Israel mourns and buries him as the LORD had said through Ahijah.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not fail to do what He has said.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word accomplishes what He sends it to do.
General
What did the LORD announce through Ahijah about Jeroboam’s family (1 Kings 14:10-14)?
Answer: Every male would be cut off, and a new king would end his line
Because of Jeroboam’s sins, the LORD announced disaster on his household: every male belonging to him, whether slave or free, would be cut off, and his family would be wiped out completely, with those who died left unburied (14:10-11). The LORD would raise up another ruler to destroy Jeroboam’s house (14:14). Jeroboam’s son Nadab succeeded him (14:20), but Baasha killed Nadab and took the throne (15:28), then struck down Jeroboam’s entire household, exactly as Ahijah had foretold (1 Kings 15:29-30). Later the LORD warned Baasha that his own house would end like Jeroboam’s (1 Kings 16:2-3).
- 1 Kings 14:14 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!”Ahijah says the LORD will raise up a king who will cut off Jeroboam’s house.
- 1 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)“As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.”Baasha later destroys Jeroboam’s whole household, just as the LORD had said through Ahijah.
- 1 Kings 16:2-3 (BSB)““Even though I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and to provoke Me to anger by their sins. So now I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:”God later warns Baasha that his own house will be made like Jeroboam’s.
Theological
What judgment did Ahijah pronounce on Jeroboam’s dynasty (1 Kings 14:10-14)?
Answer: Every male would be cut off, and a new king would end his line
The oracle decreed total extinction for Jeroboam’s dynasty: every male cut off, slave or free, the house consumed entirely, and its dead denied burial (14:10-11). The LORD would raise up a king to destroy it (14:14). The sentence was executed after Nadab succeeded his father (14:20), when Baasha killed him (15:28) and annihilated Jeroboam’s house as Ahijah had foretold (1 Kings 15:29-30), and the same pattern was later threatened against Baasha himself (1 Kings 16:2-3).
- 1 Kings 14:14 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!”Ahijah says the LORD will raise up a king who will cut off Jeroboam’s house.
- 1 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)“As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.”Baasha later destroys Jeroboam’s whole household, just as the LORD had said through Ahijah.
- 1 Kings 16:2-3 (BSB)““Even though I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and to provoke Me to anger by their sins. So now I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:”God later warns Baasha that his own house will be made like Jeroboam’s.
General
What charge did the LORD bring against Jeroboam through Ahijah (1 Kings 14:9)?
Answer: He had made other gods and metal images and cast the LORD aside
The LORD declared that Jeroboam had sinned worse than every ruler before him (14:9). He had made other gods and cast metal images to provoke the LORD, and he had treated the LORD as something to throw away and turn his back on (14:9). The calves at Bethel and Dan were exactly the kind of images God’s law forbade (Exodus 20:4-5). Jeroboam’s sin was not private; he led the whole northern kingdom to abandon the LORD (2 Kings 17:21-22).
- 1 Kings 14:9 (BSB)“You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.”The LORD charges Jeroboam with doing more evil than all before him, making other gods and casting the LORD aside.
- Exodus 20:4-5 (BSB)“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,”God’s law forbade making images and worshiping them.
- 2 Kings 17:21-22 (BSB)“When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.”Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD, and Israel kept to his sins.
Theological
What indictment did the LORD pronounce on Jeroboam through Ahijah (1 Kings 14:9)?
Answer: He had made other gods and metal images and cast the LORD aside
The LORD charged Jeroboam with exceeding the evil of all his predecessors: he had manufactured other gods and cast images to provoke Him, and had contemptuously thrust Him aside (14:9). The calves violated the prohibition of images (Exodus 20:4-5), and Jeroboam’s apostasy became corporate, leading the nation astray for generations (2 Kings 17:21-22).
- 1 Kings 14:9 (BSB)“You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.”The LORD charges Jeroboam with doing more evil than all before him, making other gods and casting the LORD aside.
- Exodus 20:4-5 (BSB)“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,”God’s law forbade making images and worshiping them.
- 2 Kings 17:21-22 (BSB)“When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.”Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD, and Israel kept to his sins.
General
According to Ahijah, why would Jeroboam’s son be the only one of his family to be buried with honor (1 Kings 14:13)?
Answer: The LORD had found something good in him, alone in Jeroboam’s house
Ahijah said all Israel would mourn the boy and bury him, and that he alone of Jeroboam’s family would be given a proper burial, since the LORD had found something good in him and in no one else in Jeroboam’s house (14:13). The text does not say what that good was, and it does not explain why the boy died young. It does show that the LORD sees what is in a person even when people see only the outside (1 Samuel 16:7), and that within a judgment on a whole family He took note of this one child, for He looks on every person, forms every heart, and considers everything they do (Psalm 33:13-15).
- 1 Kings 14:13 (BSB)“All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.”Ahijah says the boy alone of Jeroboam’s house will be mourned and buried, because in him the LORD found something good.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD looks on the heart, not on outward appearance.
- Psalm 33:13-15 (BSB)“The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From His dwelling place He gazes on all who inhabit the earth. He shapes the hearts of each; He considers all their works.”The LORD sees all people, forms the hearts of each, and takes account of everything they do.
Theological
What reason did Ahijah give for Jeroboam’s son alone receiving honorable burial (1 Kings 14:13)?
Answer: The LORD had found something good in him, alone in Jeroboam’s house
Ahijah declared that the boy alone of Jeroboam’s house would be mourned and buried, since the LORD had found good in him alone (14:13). The text does not specify the nature of that good or explain why he died young. It does show that the LORD looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and, even within a judgment on a whole house, takes account of each individual, since He sees every person, fashions every heart, and considers all their deeds (Psalm 33:13-15).
- 1 Kings 14:13 (BSB)“All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.”Ahijah says the boy alone of Jeroboam’s house will be mourned and buried, because in him the LORD found something good.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””The LORD looks on the heart, not on outward appearance.
- Psalm 33:13-15 (BSB)“The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From His dwelling place He gazes on all who inhabit the earth. He shapes the hearts of each; He considers all their works.”The LORD sees all people, forms the hearts of each, and takes account of everything they do.
General
What did Ahijah warn would eventually happen to the whole nation of Israel, and why (1 Kings 14:15-16)?
Answer: They would be uprooted and scattered beyond the Euphrates for their idolatry
Ahijah’s message reached beyond Jeroboam’s family to the whole northern kingdom. The LORD would strike Israel so that it swayed like a reed in water, pull the people out of the good land He had given their ancestors, and disperse them past the great river Euphrates, because they had made Asherah poles (wooden objects used in the worship of a Canaanite goddess) and provoked Him (14:15). He would abandon the nation because of Jeroboam’s own sins and the sins he led the nation into (14:16). Moses had warned of such an uprooting (Deuteronomy 29:28). It came to pass when the Assyrian king took Samaria and deported the Israelites (2 Kings 17:6), and the narrator explains it as the result of Israel’s persisting in Jeroboam’s sins (2 Kings 17:22-23).
- 1 Kings 14:15-16 (BSB)“For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.””Ahijah warns that the LORD will uproot Israel and scatter them beyond the Euphrates because of their idols and Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”Generations later, the king of Assyria captures Samaria and carries Israel away into exile.
- 2 Kings 17:22-23 (BSB)“The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them. Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.”The exile is explained as the result of Israel persisting in Jeroboam’s sins, as the prophets had warned.
- Deuteronomy 29:28 (BSB)“The LORD uprooted them from their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them into another land, where they are today.’”Moses had warned that the LORD would uproot His people from their land in anger if they forsook Him.
Theological
What did Ahijah prophesy concerning the northern kingdom as a whole, and on what ground (1 Kings 14:15-16)?
Answer: They would be uprooted and scattered beyond the Euphrates for their idolatry
The oracle extends to the whole northern kingdom: the LORD would strike Israel like a reed shaken in water, uproot it from the good land given to the fathers, and disperse it past the Euphrates on account of its Asherah poles that provoked Him (14:15), giving Israel up for the sins Jeroboam committed and caused it to commit (14:16). This invokes the covenant curse of uprooting (Deuteronomy 29:28), fulfilled in the Assyrian deportation (2 Kings 17:6), which the narrator attributes to Israel’s persistence in Jeroboam’s sins (2 Kings 17:22-23).
- 1 Kings 14:15-16 (BSB)“For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.””Ahijah warns that the LORD will uproot Israel and scatter them beyond the Euphrates because of their idols and Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”Generations later, the king of Assyria captures Samaria and carries Israel away into exile.
- 2 Kings 17:22-23 (BSB)“The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them. Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.”The exile is explained as the result of Israel persisting in Jeroboam’s sins, as the prophets had warned.
- Deuteronomy 29:28 (BSB)“The LORD uprooted them from their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them into another land, where they are today.’”Moses had warned that the LORD would uproot His people from their land in anger if they forsook Him.
General
How does the narrator describe Judah during Rehoboam’s reign (1 Kings 14:22-24)?
Answer: They provoked the LORD and copied the vile practices of the nations
Rehoboam, Solomon’s son by Naamah the Ammonite, ruled for seventeen years from Jerusalem, which God had picked out of all Israel’s tribes as the place for His Name (14:21). Yet Judah was no better than the north. The southern kingdom sinned against the LORD and stirred up His jealous anger beyond any earlier generation (14:22). They built high places (hilltop worship sites), standing stones, and Asherah poles (wooden objects used in the worship of a Canaanite goddess) on every hilltop and under every leafy tree (14:23). Male prostitutes even served at the shrines, and the people copied the disgusting practices of the peoples God had expelled from the land (14:24). All of this broke God’s law, which commanded Israel to destroy such worship sites (Deuteronomy 12:2), not to imitate the nations’ ways (Deuteronomy 18:9), and forbade shrine prostitution (Deuteronomy 23:17).
- 1 Kings 14:22 (BSB)“And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.”Judah does evil in the LORD’s sight and provokes Him to jealousy more than their ancestors.
- 1 Kings 14:23 (BSB)“They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.”The people build high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles throughout the land.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”Israel had been commanded to destroy the hilltop and green-tree worship sites of the nations.
- Deuteronomy 18:9 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.”Israel was told not to imitate the detestable ways of the nations in the land.
- Deuteronomy 23:17 (BSB)“No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute.”The law forbade any Israelite to serve as a shrine prostitute.
Theological
What is the narrator’s assessment of Judah under Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:22-24)?
Answer: They provoked the LORD and copied the vile practices of the nations
Rehoboam, son of Naamah the Ammonite, reigned from Jerusalem, chosen by God for His Name (14:21), yet the southern kingdom fared no better. Judah sinned against the LORD, provoking His jealousy beyond their fathers (14:22), and multiplied shrines, standing stones, and Asherah poles across every hilltop and under every leafy tree (14:23), tolerating male shrine prostitutes, and reproducing the dispossessed nations’ abominations (14:24). Each point violates explicit Mosaic law: the command to destroy such sites (Deuteronomy 12:2), the ban on imitating the nations (Deuteronomy 18:9), and the prohibition of cultic prostitution (Deuteronomy 23:17).
- 1 Kings 14:22 (BSB)“And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.”Judah does evil in the LORD’s sight and provokes Him to jealousy more than their ancestors.
- 1 Kings 14:23 (BSB)“They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.”The people build high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles throughout the land.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”Israel had been commanded to destroy the hilltop and green-tree worship sites of the nations.
- Deuteronomy 18:9 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.”Israel was told not to imitate the detestable ways of the nations in the land.
- Deuteronomy 23:17 (BSB)“No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute.”The law forbade any Israelite to serve as a shrine prostitute.
General
In the message Ahijah sent to Jeroboam, with whom did the LORD contrast him (1 Kings 14:7-8)?
Answer: His servant David, who had followed Him wholeheartedly
The LORD reminded Jeroboam that He had lifted him from obscurity, made him leader over Israel, and taken the kingdom from David’s family to give it to him (14:7-8). But Jeroboam had not been like David, God’s servant, who obeyed God’s commands, followed Him with his whole heart, and did only what God approved (14:8). David’s life was not sinless; the text elsewhere notes his sin concerning Uriah (15:5), but his heart stayed loyal to the LORD. God had offered Jeroboam a lasting dynasty on exactly this condition (11:38), and Jeroboam had thrown the offer away.
- 1 Kings 14:7-8 (BSB)“Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.”Through Ahijah, the LORD reminds Jeroboam that He raised him up and gave him the kingdom, yet he has not been like David.
- 1 Kings 11:38 (BSB)“If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”God had promised Jeroboam a lasting house if he walked in God’s ways as David had.
- 1 Kings 15:5 (BSB)“For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”David is described as doing what was right in the LORD’s eyes all his life, except in the matter of Uriah.
Theological
Against whose example did the LORD measure Jeroboam in Ahijah’s oracle (1 Kings 14:7-8)?
Answer: His servant David, who had followed Him wholeheartedly
The oracle recounts God’s grace to Jeroboam: raised from the people, made ruler, and given the kingdom torn from David’s house (14:7-8). The indictment is that he had not been like God’s servant David, whose obedience was wholehearted (14:8). David is the book’s standard of covenant loyalty, not because he was sinless (15:5 names his sin against Uriah) but because his heart remained devoted to the LORD. Jeroboam’s dynastic promise had been conditioned on that very pattern (11:38).
- 1 Kings 14:7-8 (BSB)“Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.”Through Ahijah, the LORD reminds Jeroboam that He raised him up and gave him the kingdom, yet he has not been like David.
- 1 Kings 11:38 (BSB)“If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”God had promised Jeroboam a lasting house if he walked in God’s ways as David had.
- 1 Kings 15:5 (BSB)“For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”David is described as doing what was right in the LORD’s eyes all his life, except in the matter of Uriah.
General
In Rehoboam’s fifth year, what did the Egyptian king Shishak do when he attacked Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:25-26)?
Answer: He carried off the riches of temple and palace, even the gold shields
Five years into Rehoboam’s reign, the Egyptian king Shishak marched on Jerusalem (14:25). He plundered the riches stored in the temple and in the king’s palace, taking everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made (14:26; 10:16-17). The splendor of Solomon’s day was stripped away within a few years. Chronicles makes the reason explicit: Shishak came because Judah had broken faith with God (2 Chronicles 12:2), and through the prophet Shemaiah the LORD said that because they had abandoned Him, He had abandoned them to Shishak (2 Chronicles 12:5).
- 1 Kings 14:25-26 (BSB)“In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.”Shishak king of Egypt attacks Jerusalem and carries off the treasures, including Solomon’s gold shields.
- 2 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem”Chronicles states that Shishak’s attack came because Judah had been unfaithful to the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 12:5 (BSB)“Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you into the hand of Shishak.’””Through Shemaiah, the LORD says that because they forsook Him, He gave them over to Shishak.
- 1 Kings 10:16-17 (BSB)“King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.”Solomon had made large and small shields of hammered gold.
Theological
What did Shishak of Egypt take when he attacked Jerusalem in Rehoboam’s fifth year (1 Kings 14:25-26)?
Answer: He carried off the riches of temple and palace, even the gold shields
Shishak’s invasion in Rehoboam’s fifth year (14:25) stripped the temple and palace treasuries, including Solomon’s gold shields (14:26; 10:16-17). Within a few years Solomonic glory had been plundered. The Chronicler supplies the theological cause: Judah’s unfaithfulness (2 Chronicles 12:2), with the LORD declaring through Shemaiah that because they forsook Him, He forsook them into Shishak’s hand (2 Chronicles 12:5).
- 1 Kings 14:25-26 (BSB)“In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.”Shishak king of Egypt attacks Jerusalem and carries off the treasures, including Solomon’s gold shields.
- 2 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem”Chronicles states that Shishak’s attack came because Judah had been unfaithful to the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 12:5 (BSB)“Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you into the hand of Shishak.’””Through Shemaiah, the LORD says that because they forsook Him, He gave them over to Shishak.
- 1 Kings 10:16-17 (BSB)“King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.”Solomon had made large and small shields of hammered gold.
General
When his son Abijah fell ill, why did Jeroboam send his wife to Ahijah at Shiloh in disguise (1 Kings 14:1-3)?
Answer: To learn what would happen to the boy without being recognized
Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick (14:1). Jeroboam told his wife to disguise herself so no one would recognize her as his wife and to go to Shiloh, where Ahijah lived, the same prophet who had once told Jeroboam he would be king (14:2; 11:31). She was to take a gift of food and ask what would happen to the boy (14:3). Jeroboam wanted a true word from the LORD’s prophet while hiding who was asking. But no one can hide from God (Jeremiah 23:24), and those who try to hide their schemes from Him fall under His woe (Isaiah 29:15).
- 1 Kings 14:2 (BSB)“and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.”Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself and go to Ahijah, the prophet who had foretold his kingship.
- 1 Kings 11:31 (BSB)“and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.”Ahijah was the prophet who had first told Jeroboam that God would give him ten tribes.
- Jeremiah 23:24 (BSB)““Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”The LORD asks whether anyone can hide where He cannot see him.
- Isaiah 29:15 (BSB)“Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?””Isaiah pronounces woe on those who try to hide their plans from the LORD.
Theological
What was Jeroboam’s purpose in sending his wife, disguised, to Ahijah at Shiloh (1 Kings 14:1-3)?
Answer: To learn what would happen to the boy without being recognized
With his son Abijah ill (14:1), Jeroboam dispatched his wife in disguise to Shiloh to consult Ahijah, the prophet who had announced his kingship (14:2; 11:31), with a gift of food, to learn the boy’s fate (14:3). Jeroboam sought the LORD’s oracle while concealing his own identity. Yet nothing is hidden from Him (Jeremiah 23:24), and woe rests on those who hide their counsel from the LORD (Isaiah 29:15).
- 1 Kings 14:2 (BSB)“and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.”Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself and go to Ahijah, the prophet who had foretold his kingship.
- 1 Kings 11:31 (BSB)“and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.”Ahijah was the prophet who had first told Jeroboam that God would give him ten tribes.
- Jeremiah 23:24 (BSB)““Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”The LORD asks whether anyone can hide where He cannot see him.
- Isaiah 29:15 (BSB)“Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?””Isaiah pronounces woe on those who try to hide their plans from the LORD.