The Religious Division

"Jeroboam thought, 'The kingdom could return to the house of David.  Should this people go up to offer sacrifices in YAHWEH's house in Jerusalem, their heart would turn again to their master, Rehoboam king of Judah.  They would kill me and go back to him.'

And so the king sought advice and made two golden calves.  Then he said to the people, 'You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.  Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.  He put one of these in Bethel, the other in Dan.  This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves.

Jeroboam also built temples on high places, appointing priests who were not from the Levites.  Jeroboam also appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eight month in imitation of the feast in Judah, and he himself offered sacrifices on the altar.  This he did in Bethel; and sacrificed to the calves that he had made.  There he placed priests for the high places he had made.  On the fifteenth day of the eight month, the month which he had arbitrarily chosen, he ordained a feast for the Israelites and went up to the altar to burn incense.

After this, however, Jeroboam did not abstain from doing evil.  Instead he made priests for the high places from among the people.  He consecrated anyone who wanted to be a priest for the high places.  And this became the sin of the family of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth." - 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34 

(The twelve tribes are united by the same religion, but Jeroboam realizes that his authority will be weak as long as the Israelites go up to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices there.  He ensures political separation through a schism, that is, a religious separation.  He has a calf made to represent YAHWEH in spite of the prohibition against making a representation of the invisible GOD and reducing HIM to the level of an animal.

In narrating the deeds of the kings of Israel in the north, Scripture constantly repeats: "They followed and committed the sin of Jeroboam."  Thus Scriptures emphasized the need to remain united to the center which GOD established in Jerusalem.  It is not enough to think: "We serve the same GOD," "We serve in our own way."

Jeroboam is the model of other rulers who, much later, tried to establish national churches: in England, at the time of the Reformation; in France, after the Revolution; in China and socialist countries, after a communist revolution.  Many Catholics were persecuted and died for remaining faithful to the only church which ought to be catholic, or universal.

Obedience is worth more than sacrifice [1 Samuel 15:22].  Such was YAHWEH's word when HE renounced Saul in similar circumstances.

The present text highlights various aspects of true obedience which pleases GOD.  The prophet himself should have remained firm, knowing that GOD does not change HIS orders.)

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