Jeroboam was a character chosen for greatness but failed to realize God’s intended dream for him. First Kings 11:26 tells us that he was a valiant warrior and an industrious man. When Solomon saw his potential, he appointed him as the supervisor of the forced labor he had enlisted from the tribe of Joseph. And Jeroboam’s meeting with the prophet Ahijah was not by chance. It was God's plan for his life. From the dramatic prophecy Ahijah gave to him in 1 Kings 11:31-39, we could see that God was giving him an opportunity to be the first great king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Unfortunately, he failed miserably. The first thing he did was to build two golden calves, placed one at Bethel and the other at Dan, to prevent his people from migrating southward to join their brethren in Jerusalem in worship. He effectively cut short his own path to greatness from the start of his career.
The effect of Jeroboam’s sin was not
confined to just himself, it affected his family too. In 1 Kings 14:1, we are
told that he had a son named Abijah. Interestingly the name means God is my
father. Perhaps this was Jeroboam’s wish for his son though he himself had
failed God. But sadly, his son did not live to experience the full potential of
his life with God as his father. His life was cut short because of the sin of
his earthly father.
First King 14:1-3 tell us that Abijah became sick. It was probably quite critical. Although Jeroboam could guess what the outcome would be, he sent his wife to Ahijah to confirm what he thought. Wreaked with a guilty conscience, he assumed that Ahijah would not grant his wife an audience because of him. So he told her to disguise herself and to bring along ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey to the prophet. This also suggests that he knew what he had done was not acceptable to the prophet and much less to God.
These three verses tell us that the effect of a person’s sin has a very far-reaching consequence. It does not just affect the person per se, it often also affects those near and dear to him. We must be careful to live in such a way that we impact our loved ones for good and not for evil. We can also see in these short three verses a call and a challenge to be good and exemplary earthly fathers and mothers. By all means, have a godly desire for our children, but be sure to live our lives in such a way that we help them to realize the potential of having God as their gracious heavenly Father. How we live will always affect our loved ones too. So live well!
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