Jeroboam and the Golden Calves of Dan and Bethel: A Legacy of Sin

The history of ancient Israel is replete with instances of God's faithfulness and man's rebellion. Among the most tragic and far-reaching acts of apostasy stands the sin of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who set up golden calves in Dan and Bethel. This pivotal event not only marked the formal schism between the northern and southern kingdoms but also established a pattern of idolatry that would plague the northern kingdom of Israel until its ultimate destruction. Understanding Jeroboam's actions requires examining the circumstances of his rise, the motivation behind his sin, and the devastating, long-term consequences that ensued, as recorded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The Rise of Jeroboam and God's Promise

Jeroboam first appears in Scripture as a mighty man of valour, a servant of Solomon, who was made ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph (1 Kings 11:28). His prominence grew amidst Solomon's later apostasy, which involved building high places for the gods of his foreign wives, provoking the Lord to anger (1 Kings 11:7-9). It was during this period that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam and delivered a startling prophecy from the Lord:

And he rent it in twelve pieces: and he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes:)

1 Kings 11:30-32

God promised Jeroboam a kingdom, conditional upon his obedience to the Lord's statutes and commandments, just as David had done (1 Kings 11:38). This was a divine mandate, not a human ambition. Jeroboam was chosen by God to lead ten tribes, a direct consequence of Solomon's disobedience. Following Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam's refusal to lighten the people's burden led to the fulfillment of Ahijah's prophecy. Israel rebelled against the house of David, and Jeroboam was made king over all Israel, save for the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, which remained loyal to Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:19-20).

The Fear of Man and the Sin of Idolatry

Despite God's clear promise and the divine establishment of his kingship, Jeroboam quickly succumbed to human fear and political expediency. His primary concern was not maintaining fidelity to the Lord, but consolidating his power. He reasoned that if the people continued to go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord, their hearts would turn back to Rehoboam, and they would kill him (1 Kings 12:26-27). This fear, rather than faith in the God who had given him the kingdom, drove him to commit a grievous sin.

Jeroboam devised a new religious system to prevent his subjects from returning to Judah. He made two calves of gold and declared to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28). One calf he set in Bethel, and the other in Dan. These locations were strategically chosen: Bethel, in the south of his kingdom, and Dan, in the far north, making it convenient for all his subjects to worship without traveling to Jerusalem. This act was a direct violation of the first and second commandments given by God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:3-5).

Furthermore, Jeroboam's innovations extended beyond the golden calves. He made houses of high places and ordained priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi (1 Kings 12:31). He also instituted a new feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had devised of his own heart, instead of the divinely appointed seventh month (1 Kings 12:32-33). These actions demonstrated a complete disregard for God's revealed law, priesthood, and worship practices.

The Immediate Repercussions and Prophetic Condemnation

The Lord did not remain silent concerning Jeroboam's apostasy. Immediately after Jeroboam offered incense at the altar in Bethel, a man of God came from Judah, by the word of the Lord, and cried against the altar. He prophesied that a king named Josiah from the house of David would sacrifice the priests of the high places upon that very altar and burn men's bones upon it (1 Kings 13:1-2). As a sign, the altar was rent, and the ashes poured out. When Jeroboam stretched out his hand to seize the prophet, his hand withered, and he could not pull it back. Only through the man of God's prayer was his hand restored (1 Kings 13:4-6).

Despite this clear divine intervention and warning, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way. His persistence in sin brought further divine judgment upon his house. When his son Abijah fell sick, Jeroboam sent his wife to inquire of the prophet Ahijah, who was now old and blind. The prophet, speaking the word of the Lord, delivered a scathing indictment:

Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: And yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

1 Kings 14:7-9

Ahijah prophesied the utter destruction of Jeroboam's house, that every male would be cut off, and that the Lord would smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, rooting them out of the good land and scattering them beyond the river, because of the golden calves which Jeroboam had made (1 Kings 14:10-16). This prophecy began to be fulfilled swiftly, as Jeroboam's son, Nadab, reigned only two years before being overthrown and his entire family annihilated by Baasha (1 Kings 15:27-29).

The Enduring Legacy of Jeroboam's Sin

The sin of Jeroboam is mentioned repeatedly throughout the books of Kings as the foundational sin of the northern kingdom of Israel. Virtually every succeeding king of Israel is described as walking "in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin" (1 Kings 15:34; 1 Kings 16:2; 1 Kings 16:19; 1 Kings 22:52; 2 Kings 3:3; 2 Kings 10:29; 2 Kings 13:2; 2 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 15:9, 15:18, 15:24, 15:28). The golden calves of Dan and Bethel became entrenched symbols of Israel's idolatry, leading the people away from the exclusive worship of the one true God.

The consequences of this deep-seated apostasy were severe and ultimately led to the downfall of the northern kingdom. The Lord's patience eventually ran out, and because Israel persisted in the sins of Jeroboam, they were carried away into Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17:21-23). The narrative in 2 Kings 17 explicitly links their exile to their rejection of God's statutes and commandments, and their adoption of the idolatrous practices initiated by Jeroboam.

The story of Jeroboam serves as a powerful cautionary tale for all generations. It highlights several critical truths:

  • The danger of fear over faith: Jeroboam's fear of losing his kingdom led him to reject God's established order and promise.
  • The insidious nature of idolatry: Even when presented as a means to worship the true God (as some scholars suggest the calves were intended to represent Yahweh), adding human inventions to divine worship is an abomination.
  • The far-reaching consequences of sin: One man's sin can corrupt an entire nation and lead to centuries of rebellion and ultimate destruction.
  • God's unwavering commitment to His word: Both His promises of blessing for obedience and His warnings of judgment for disobedience are fulfilled.

The golden calves of Dan and Bethel stand as a perpetual reminder of how political expediency, human fear, and a disregard for divine revelation can lead to profound spiritual deviation and catastrophic outcomes. Jeroboam's sin was not merely a lapse in judgment; it was a fundamental rejection of the covenant relationship with the Lord, setting a precedent that stained the history of Israel and ultimately brought about its ruin.