Jeroboam
A Warning Inside a Blessing, How to Walk in the Favor of God Without Falling From It
The story of Jeroboam is not one we often preach when talking about the blessing of the Lord. His name is more often associated with idolatry, rebellion, and leading people into sin. But before the downfall, there was favor. There was opportunity. There was a moment where God reached into a servant’s life and offered him a kingdom. This is what makes the story of Jeroboam both powerful and tragic. It is a reminder that favor without faithfulness becomes a trap, and blessing without obedience becomes a curse.
This is not just a story about rebellion. It is a mirror. It reveals how we often mishandle the very thing we asked God for. It shows us how to walk in favor and how to fall from it. It is both warning and wisdom. Jeroboam’s story teaches us how to operate in the blessing of God and remain true to the One who gave it.
From Servant to King: The Favor of God Finds the Faithful
Jeroboam started as a laborer, a servant in Solomon’s kingdom. He was not born into power. He did not come from a long line of leaders. He worked hard, managed people well, and caught the attention of King Solomon because of his skill and strength. He was promoted because of his character. But more than that, God had His eye on Jeroboam.
First Kings chapter 11 tells us that the prophet Ahijah approached Jeroboam and tore a cloak into twelve pieces. He handed ten of those pieces to Jeroboam as a prophetic act. God was going to divide the kingdom and give Jeroboam rule over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. The promise was clear. If Jeroboam would walk in the ways of the Lord, God would establish him, bless him, and build him a lasting house just like He did for David.
God said to him in First Kings 11 verse 38, If you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways and do what is right in My eyes by keeping My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, then I will be with you and build you a sure house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
This was not a small promotion. This was divine favor. God was offering him an enduring kingdom. Not because of bloodline, but because of promise. This is how the favor of God works. It lifts the low. It honors the hidden. It raises up those no one else sees. But it always comes with a requirement. Favor demands faithfulness.
The Test of Promotion: Will You Trust the One Who Put You There
When Solomon heard what was prophesied over Jeroboam, he tried to kill him. Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon died. Then, when the people rejected Solomon’s son Rehoboam, they turned to Jeroboam and made him king over the ten tribes, just like God had said.
This is where most of us celebrate. The promise is fulfilled. The position has come. The prophecy is confirmed. But now comes the real test. How will you steward the blessing once you have it
Jeroboam was given what many dream of. Leadership. Honor. Position. Authority. But favor reveals what the wilderness conceals. Promotion will always expose what is buried in the heart.
In Jeroboam’s case, what rose to the surface was fear. Fear of losing what he had just been given. Fear that the people would turn on him. Fear that God would not keep His word. And fear always leads to self preservation.
Fear Will Always Corrupt What Faith Established
First Kings 12 verses 26 through 28 says this. Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah. So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
He feared losing the kingdom so he built altars to idols. He feared the people leaving him so he led them into false worship. He forgot that the One who gave him the kingdom could keep him in it. The fear of man led him to betray the God who had called him.
This is the same fear that leads many of us to compromise. We beg God to open a door and then try to keep it open through manipulation. We forget that what begins in faith must be sustained in faith. Jeroboam’s sin was not just idolatry. It was distrust. It was self preservation over divine obedience.
When You Try to Keep a Blessing Without the Blesser
Jeroboam replaced the temple with golden calves. He replaced Levite priests with people of his own choosing. He replaced the feasts of the Lord with his own festivals. All to prevent the people from turning back to Judah.
He built a kingdom that looked religious but was absent of God. He kept the form but lost the Presence. He clung to the throne but lost the covenant.
This is the trap. When we do not trust God to maintain what He gave, we begin to build counterfeits. We will make golden calves out of ministry. We will promote people who flatter instead of those who carry the Spirit. We will schedule services and worship events and call it revival, but have no fear of the Lord. All because we are afraid to lose control.
The blessing was never meant to be held apart from God. When we treat the favor of God as something we must protect instead of something we must steward, we fall into the very sin Jeroboam did.
What Can We Learn From Jeroboam
Blessing Requires Obedience
God gave Jeroboam favor, but it was conditional. He said if you walk in My ways, I will build you a house. Blessing is not a license to do whatever you want. It is an invitation to walk closely with the One who blessed you.
Fear Always Breeds Compromise
The moment Jeroboam feared losing the people, he began building idols. Fear of man will always lead you into sin. It is not your job to preserve the promise. It is your job to obey God no matter the outcome.
Do Not Substitute God’s Presence With Counterfeit Systems
Jeroboam created an entire religious structure to maintain control. It looked spiritual but was absent of truth. Never confuse activity for intimacy. Never build systems that give you influence at the cost of obedience.
Legacy Matters
Jeroboam’s decisions did not just affect him. He led a nation into idolatry. He established patterns of sin that generations followed. Every king after him was judged by his example. First Kings says many times that the kings who followed walked in the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin. Your obedience affects more than you. So does your compromise.
The End of Jeroboam and the Lesson for Us
Jeroboam could have had a legacy like David. God offered it. God declared it. But fear poisoned it. Instead of becoming a king who walked with God, he became a name associated with betrayal and rebellion. He started in promise and ended in destruction.
And yet, that same promise is still extended to us. Walk with Me. Obey My voice. Trust My word. And I will be with you. I will build your house. I will establish your name.
You may not have started in power or status. Neither did Jeroboam. But God can raise up anyone if their heart remains faithful. Promotion is never about talent. It is about trust.
The warning of Jeroboam is real. But so is the invitation.
Stay faithful. Stay yielded. Stay in awe of the One who called you.
And He will build what no man can tear down.
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