As we made our way from Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, up the Jordan River and were guided to Tel Dan, we came to the ruins of the ancient city of Dan. That was so very impressive and the history of it as told by our guide was spell binding. But near the edge of the ruins was another ruin that captivated our attention. Here we saw the high place, the altar of Dan, built around 900 years before Christ by the diluded and idolatrous potentate of the Northern Kingdom, Jereboam. It was a well constructed and massive piece of workmanship. And one can imagine Jereboam and his invalid priests sacrificing to their god. This place in the mountains north of the Sea of Galilee is testimony to what the improvisations and machinations of proud and self-centered men can accomplish.
Jereboam was king of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. The place God had designated for worship by His people was Jerusalem. Jereboam's fear was that the people would worship God in Jerusalem, leave the Northern Kingdom and migrate to the Southern Kingdom. So to promote his selfish causes he set up two altars, one at Dan and one at Bethel and informed the people of Israel about those golden calves, "...Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!.." (I Kgs. 12:28)
God sent a prophet to warn him that this was sin and his false priests not from the tribe of Levi was sin. Ultimately Jereboam lost his kingship and his selfishness brought about the beginnings of the ultimate loss of the Northern Kingdom into captivity in 722 B.C.
God told Jereboam "...you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have made yourself other gods...." "...and have cast me behind your back..." "...I will bring disaster on the house of Jereboam..." "...the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water...""...He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers and will scatter them beyond the River...(I Kgs. 14:7-15).
As one looks upon this giganic altar and views out over the edge of the highplace down into the valley one cannot help but reflect upon the disaster that this one proud man brought to those thousands of people.
And is there any application? It is so vividly clear. The self-serving can be detrimental to the lives of others. Any time anyone stands between another person or persons and God and dictates to them the way they MUST go, that person becomes a modern day Jereboam.
This attitude was also prevalent when Jesus walked this land over 900 years later. The self-appointed masters of Israel still existed. They had comprised through the years over 600 new laws and traditions and when Jesus came they stood between the people and Messiah who came
to "...save His people from their sins...." (Mt. 1-21).
The traditionalists would have none of His simple and direct testimony. Jesus told the people:
"...He who believes in the Son has everlasting life..." (Jn. 3:36). "...he who believes in Me has everlasting life...." (Jn 6:47). "...He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live..."(Jn 11:25). This was not enough for the traditionalists, they rejected Him and led the people astray.
Jesus assailed them for manipulating people to serve their intricate and complicated system and devices. He told them clearly as recorded by Matthew in Matthew 23 "...you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men...". He called them "...blind guides..."and He told them that "...they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear..." and He told them "... you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith...".
God forgive us if we have ever set up our little kingdoms and diverted souls from receiving the Lord Jesus on His terms. God forgive us if we have ever been a modern day Jereboam and set up our altars and demanded men to worhip at them. God forgive us if Jesus was not first and we stood in His way for truly He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Saviour of the world.
Jereboam was king of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. The place God had designated for worship by His people was Jerusalem. Jereboam's fear was that the people would worship God in Jerusalem, leave the Northern Kingdom and migrate to the Southern Kingdom. So to promote his selfish causes he set up two altars, one at Dan and one at Bethel and informed the people of Israel about those golden calves, "...Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!.." (I Kgs. 12:28)
God sent a prophet to warn him that this was sin and his false priests not from the tribe of Levi was sin. Ultimately Jereboam lost his kingship and his selfishness brought about the beginnings of the ultimate loss of the Northern Kingdom into captivity in 722 B.C.
God told Jereboam "...you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have made yourself other gods...." "...and have cast me behind your back..." "...I will bring disaster on the house of Jereboam..." "...the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water...""...He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers and will scatter them beyond the River...(I Kgs. 14:7-15).
As one looks upon this giganic altar and views out over the edge of the highplace down into the valley one cannot help but reflect upon the disaster that this one proud man brought to those thousands of people.
And is there any application? It is so vividly clear. The self-serving can be detrimental to the lives of others. Any time anyone stands between another person or persons and God and dictates to them the way they MUST go, that person becomes a modern day Jereboam.
This attitude was also prevalent when Jesus walked this land over 900 years later. The self-appointed masters of Israel still existed. They had comprised through the years over 600 new laws and traditions and when Jesus came they stood between the people and Messiah who came
to "...save His people from their sins...." (Mt. 1-21).
The traditionalists would have none of His simple and direct testimony. Jesus told the people:
"...He who believes in the Son has everlasting life..." (Jn. 3:36). "...he who believes in Me has everlasting life...." (Jn 6:47). "...He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live..."(Jn 11:25). This was not enough for the traditionalists, they rejected Him and led the people astray.
Jesus assailed them for manipulating people to serve their intricate and complicated system and devices. He told them clearly as recorded by Matthew in Matthew 23 "...you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men...". He called them "...blind guides..."and He told them that "...they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear..." and He told them "... you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith...".
God forgive us if we have ever set up our little kingdoms and diverted souls from receiving the Lord Jesus on His terms. God forgive us if we have ever been a modern day Jereboam and set up our altars and demanded men to worhip at them. God forgive us if Jesus was not first and we stood in His way for truly He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Saviour of the world.
1 comment:
Amen Brother
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