“From the rising of the sun even to its setting, My Name will be great among the Gentiles,” says Yahweh Sabaoth.
(Malachi 1: 11)
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Lessons from 1 Kings 13: 1-10
There is a message in 1 Kings 13: 1-10 that we need to understand.
Verse 1
By the word of Yahweh a man of Elohim came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.
When King Solomon died, Israel divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
Jeroboam was the first King of Israel. He was standing beside the altar in Bethel that he had made to be used during religious ceremonies that he had created.
People in Israel were accustomed to worship in Yahweh’s Temple in Jerusalem. It was the capital of Judah.
Jeroboam designed his new religion to prevent the people of Israel from returning to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh. He was afraid that his subjects would rebel against him if they fraternized with Judaeans, i.e., Jewish people.
Jeroboam believed correctly that Yahweh would be a unifying force. He had plenty to fear. That was the prophet’s message.
Jeroboam’s religion was idol worship. It bore a striking resemblance to Aaron’s idol worship at the base of Mount Sinai, because it centered around worshiping two golden calves. One of them was in Dan, the other one was in Bethel.
Yahweh will never endorse idol worship, period. It is counterfeit, man-made religion.
Geography: Bethel is about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Jeroboam chose it as one of Israel’s centers of worship and placed an altar there in the 900s BC. Toward the end of Jeroboam’s reign, Bethel was conquered by Judah. In the 800s BC, Omri, Israel’s 6th king, chose Samaria as the center of government and worship in Israel. Ancient Samaria is near the modern city of Jenin in the West Bank. Mount Carmel where Elijah had a confrontation with the prophets of Ba’al is not far from ancient Samaria. Arab’s refer to Mount Carmel as “el-Mukhraka”. It means “the place where fire came down” or “burned place”. Tel Dan (Dan) is in Northern Israel close to modern Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Verse 2
By the word of Yahweh he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what Yahweh says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’”
Yahweh was angry with Jeroboam and with Israel. He sent a prophet to tell the king what was going to happen in the future. A King of Judah named Josiah would kill all of the priests associated with Jeroboam’s religion and burn their bones on the altar that he created.
King Josiah of Judah was born about 280 years later. Josiah did exactly what Yahweh’s prophet told Jeroboam he would do:
Furthermore, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of Yahweh which the man of Elohim proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. Then he said, “What is this monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of Elohim who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” He said, “Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking Yahweh; and he did to them just as he had done in Bethel. All the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem. (2 Kings 23: 15-20)
Yahweh doesn’t see time the way we do. From His perspective, past, present, and future appear all at once. He sees them together with crystal clear clarity. When Yahweh’s prophet told Jeroboam what would happen, he wasn’t speculating. He was delivering a message from Yahweh about a done deal. It was signed, sealed, and delivered.
Verse 3
That same day the man of Elohim gave a sign: “This is the sign Yahweh has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”
Destroying the altar was the big sign, but another more personal sign would be given to Jeroboam. It would accompany the destruction of the altar. Both of the signs were given to show Jeroboam that everything Yahweh’s prophet said was true.
Verse 4
When King Jeroboam heard what the man of Elohim cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.
Jeroboam was angry with the prophet, so he commanded his troops to take hold of him. Unbeknownst to Jeroboam, he was attacking Yahweh, not the prophet.
Jeroboam’s hand shriveled up immediately. Yahweh’s message was loud and clear.
About 280 years later, Yahweh would destroy Jeroboam’s religion just as His prophet had said. He would do it through a King of Judah whose name would be Josiah. Jeroboam’s shriveled hand was convincing proof.
Verse 5
Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of Elohim by the word of Yahweh.
The splitting of the altar was the final proof. Yahweh meant business. Both signs occurred within a matter of seconds.
Jeroboam would not be allowed to do any harm to Yahweh’s prophet. Simply trying to harm him would have serious repercussions.
Verse 6
Then the king said to the man of Elohim, “Intercede with Yahweh your Elohim and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of Elohim interceded with Yahweh, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.
Yahweh’s prophet interceded for Jeroboam, and Yahweh restored his hand. At that point, there was no doubt in Jeroboam’s mind that Yahweh meant exactly what He said.
Verse 7-10
The king said to the man of Elohim, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.” But the man of Elohim answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of Yahweh: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
Yahweh didn’t want His prophet to have anything to do with Jeroboam. Although He had restored Jeroboam’s hand, Yahweh was still burning with anger because of what Jeroboam had done.
No matter what his motives were, Jeroboam never should have created a new religion. He had violated the First Commandment: “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)
What became of Jeroboam and Israel?
When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says Yahweh Elohim of Israel, “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for Yahweh has spoken it.”’ Now you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city the child will die. All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward Yahweh Elohim of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover, Yahweh will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on.”
“For Yahweh will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking Yahweh to anger. He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.” (1 Kings 14: 6-16)
Yahweh annihilated Jeroboam’s family, and Israel’s destiny was sealed. It would be wiped out, and the people of Israel would be scattered throughout the world. That’s how seriously Yahweh takes idol worship.
Jeroboam betrayed Yahweh. There would be a high price to pay. Yahweh isn’t finished with Israel (the Northern Kingdom) yet, but He’s getting there. See “Ezekiel 37 and the Jewish State of Israel”.
Like everyone else in Jeroboam’s family, his ailing son would die. Unlike every other member of Jeroboam’s family, his son would be buried instead of being eaten by dogs or picked apart by birds, because “in him something good was found toward Yahweh Elohim of Israel”.
Yahweh knows who belongs to Him, and He protects His people. Jeroboam’s son is in heaven with Yahweh. Jeroboam is not.
What is the message for today?
Judaism is not sanctioned by Yahweh, either. It’s a man-made religion. Yahweh will not allow it to stand.
Judaism originated during the Babylonian Captivity in the 500s BC. It’s loaded with false teachings that are spelled out in Halacha, i.e., the dos and don’ts of Judaism.
With the lone exception of Josiah, every King of Judah between Hezekiah and the Babylonian Captivity was evil. (See 2 Kings chapters 18 through 24.) About 100 years passed between Hezekiah’s death and the Babylonian Captivity. Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and Josiah’s grandfather, was the most evil king in Judah’s history. He reigned for about 55 years. The damage done to Judah by Manasseh is incalculable. Josiah reigned as King of Judah for about 30 years. So, with the exception of Josiah, Judah had a succession of evil kings for about 100 years after Hezekiah’s death. That paved the way for the Babylonian Captivity and opened the door for the birth of Judaism and Halacha.
Halacha is the heart and soul of Judaism. It’s man-made religion pure and simple. See “Who is a Jew? Confusion Abounds.”
The religious observances that Yahweh required were not called “Judaism”. They were simply acts of faithful obedience to Yahweh’s commands.
Faithful obedience to Yahweh could never be called “Judaism”, because Judah is 1 of 12 tribes of Israel. Yahweh is Elohim of all 12 tribes, not Judah alone. Yahweh is Elohim of Gentiles, too. Again, see “Who is a Jew? Confusion Abounds.”
Although there are many false teachings in Judaism, the most flagrant one is the prohibition in Halacha against saying Yahweh’s Name. (See Sanhedrin 7: 5.) Yahweh commanded His faithful followers to declare His Name to the world. Trying to prevent people from obeying Yahweh is an attack against Him. See His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition and The Trilogy.
“False teachings” refer to edicts that contradict Yahweh’s explicit commands in the Tanach (the Old Testament) or proclamations that alter Yahweh’s commands to make them comply with the opinions of ancient rabbis. Yahweh is Sovereign, not the sages. In Judaism, ancient rabbis are idolized, literally.
Again, as I said, Judaism is loaded with false teachings.
Corrupt Religion in Israel Today
Few things in Israel today are more telling than this. If you go to the Kotel/Western Wall and you approach it from the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, you will have to run a gauntlet as you walk toward it.
Rabbis line the path. Some have business cards listing the services they provide—bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, circumcisions, weddings, etc. They pass them out to people walking by.
Depending on the time of day, the number of rabbis lining the path varies, but some of them are there almost all the time. It’s their “office”, so to speak, their place of work. They show up for work each day and ply their trade.
As you walk by, they try to sell you a blessing. They hold out a red string that they will give you if you give them a few shekels.
There isn’t a better way to describe it. They are selling blessings.
How many of those rabbis are Levites? I don’t have any idea, but I doubt that many of them are. They are earning a living at Yahweh’s expense by selling blessings, and they are profaning His Name in the process.
Some might say, “What those rabbis are doing isn’t sanctioned by the Sanhedrin.”
This is my response: The rabbis are operating in the open. I see the same people selling blessings year after year after year. If I know what they are doing, you can rest assured that members of the Sanhedrin know it, too. They walk that path on their way to the Kotel. To avoid seeing the rabbis, they would have to shut their eyes. That would be dangerous, because it’s a steep walk with lots of steps. See the video below.
What those rabbis are doing is not unlike what Jeroboam did. The silence of the Sanhedrin is deafening.
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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)
