Introduction: Location Matters

Weaver introduces the topic by noting the importance of location in real estate and poses the question of why Jeroboam chose Dan and Bethel for the golden calves.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Kings chapter 12. 1 Kings chapter 12. We're going to read beginning with verse 25 and read through verse 33. Actually today we're going to be looking at a lot in 1 Kings chapter 11 and 12 and other passages as well. The title of the message, listen carefully, is "Jeroboam, Idolatry and Location." So look in 1 Kings 12 verse 25. In this passage the Word of God says this:

Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah. And he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel, even in the month which he devised of his own heart, and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar and burnt incense."

When it comes to real estate, someone has said there are three principles that you should always consider, and they are location, location, and location. And that certainly is true. You can find some wonderful buildings that are vacant today because they just were placed in the wrong location. Anyone who drives north on I-75, when you get across the Georgia line, you'll see a beautiful building on the right called Frogtown. And it was a winery. And they had a great vineyard planted out front. And the building is just absolutely fabulous to look at. But it's been closed down for a year, two years, because there was no exit anywhere nearby and you would have to go five miles up the road, I guess, to get off and then work your way back. And most people certainly were not going to do that. And now that property is just sitting there absolutely vacant.

So the thing that hit me as I read this passage again is when the Bible said, "and he set the one in Bethel and he put the other in Dan." Why did He choose those two locations for the golden calves? I mean what in the world made Him choose those locations? Jeroboam was a strange man in one sense of the word. Scripture teaches us that Jeroboam was a valiant man, an energetic man, and a very hard working man. So if you will look in 1 Kings 11 and verse 28. This is one of the reasons that Solomon chose him. The Bible says,

Now the house of Joseph consisted then of two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. When you get to the book of Joshua chapter 17 and verse 17, the Bible says,

So here are Ephraim and Manasseh, and Jeroboam is over these two tribes.

Jeroboam's Background and God's Promise

Jeroboam was a capable leader chosen by Solomon, but after Solomon's idolatry, God promised Jeroboam the ten northern tribes if he obeyed.

So the thing that hit me as I read this passage again is when the Bible said, "and he set the one in Bethel and he put the other in Dan." Why did He choose those two locations for the golden calves? I mean what in the world made Him choose those locations? Jeroboam was a strange man in one sense of the word. Scripture teaches us that Jeroboam was a valiant man, an energetic man, and a very hard working man. So if you will look in 1 Kings 11 and verse 28. This is one of the reasons that Solomon chose him. The Bible says,

Now the house of Joseph consisted then of two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. When you get to the book of Joshua chapter 17 and verse 17, the Bible says,

So here are Ephraim and Manasseh, and Jeroboam is over these two tribes.

And these tribes were very populous. They were strong. They were valiant. And Jeroboam must have undoubtedly been a very valiant man, a very intelligent man, because now he is managing basically these two tribes for Solomon. Moreover, Solomon chose him to be superintendent of the engineering and works projects that were around Jerusalem. But the interesting thing is Jeroboam, with all of his abilities and intelligence, became an enemy to Solomon. In fact, there's a very stated truth in

the book of Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 16, verse 7. The Bible says,

Now stop and think about that. When a man's ways please the Lord, this is a positive. He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. But the opposite is also true. When a man's ways displease the Lord, the Lord raises up enemies against him. So if you look in 1 Kings 11 beginning there with verse 9. Let's read this and you're going to find why the Lord was displeased with Solomon. The Bible says, look at it in 1 Kings 11 verse 9. "And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days

I will not do it for David thy father's sake, but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen." And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the king's seed in Edom. So now Solomon had been disobedient to God. His ways displeased the Lord. And so God says, "I'm going to divide the kingdom, and you're going to get one tribe for David my servant's sake, and there will be a second tribe for Jerusalem's sake, but that's it." And then the Lord stirred up Hadad the Edomite. Now, if you would skip down to verse 23. Look in verse 23 and verse 25. "And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. And he gathered men unto him and became a captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt therein and reigned in Damascus. And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside

the mischief that Hadad did. And he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria." So now God has raised up two very vicious enemies and adversaries for Solomon. But I want you to note that both of these were outside of the kingdom. They were external enemies. However, if you look in verse 26 and 27: "And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father."

Now that's when he goes on to say that he was a mighty man of valor there at that particular time. So the phrase that he lifted up his hand against the king could refer to the fact that he was either being extremely critical of Solomon or disapproved of what Solomon was doing, or it could have just simply been disapproving of Rehoboam who happened to be Solomon's only son. I don't think as of yet there would have been a clear opportunity for what you and I would call open rebellion. But it probably stemmed from this truth.

So if you look down to 1 Kings 11 beginning there with verse 29:

Now watch carefully.

And it shall be that if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house as I built for David, and I will give Israel unto thee." Wow. Note, if you would, here is Jeroboam. And he is now being set up to be king over Israel. Now Ahijah tore that garment into twelve pieces, said, "You take ten. I'm gonna leave one for my servant David. I'm gonna leave one for Jerusalem." And of course in the southern kingdom you must know that Judah and Benjamin were the two main tribes there. So that would mean that Jeroboam got the ten. Now, and of course God told Jeroboam that the reason he was rending the kingdom from Solomon was because he had forsaken me.

There it is in verse 33.

In other words, you haven't kept my law. You haven't kept my commandments. You've just simply fallen into idolatry. That's all there is to it. Now, it was not just Solomon that went into idolatry. Solomon then led the people into idolatry as well. That is why the people are being judged with him as well. He says,

in verse 33. So it was not just Solomon that had forsaken the Lord, it was the people as well. So Solomon then led the people into idolatry. Now Jeroboam's mind must have taken a turn against Solomon when he heard this prophecy from Ahijah the Shilonite. Now I want you to go back to verses 37 and 38 in 1 Kings 11 because to me this is absolutely an astounding and startling truth. I want you to look what God says to Jeroboam. Look in verse 37.

God said, "And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, and keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did," look what God says, "that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel unto thee." Wow! God says, "Look Jeroboam. You can reign all you want to reign. You can do as you wish to do, just so that you obey me. If you obey me, I will make you a sure house. You can reign over all Israel. I will give Israel unto thee." Well, Solomon evidently found out about this incident somehow. When God had given through the prophet Ahijah the prophecy concerning Jeroboam and giving him the ten northern tribes, if you look in verse 40, Solomon then tried to do to Jeroboam what every tyrant tries to do to

Jeroboam's Unbelief and Human Reasoning

Despite God's promise, Jeroboam reasoned in his heart that the people would return to Rehoboam if they worshiped in Jerusalem, leading him to devise his own plan.

There it is in verse 33.

In other words, you haven't kept my law. You haven't kept my commandments. You've just simply fallen into idolatry. That's all there is to it. Now, it was not just Solomon that went into idolatry. Solomon then led the people into idolatry as well. That is why the people are being judged with him as well. He says,

in verse 33. So it was not just Solomon that had forsaken the Lord, it was the people as well. So Solomon then led the people into idolatry. Now Jeroboam's mind must have taken a turn against Solomon when he heard this prophecy from Ahijah the Shilonite. Now I want you to go back to verses 37 and 38 in 1 Kings 11 because to me this is absolutely an astounding and startling truth. I want you to look what God says to Jeroboam. Look in verse 37.

God said, "And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, and keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did," look what God says, "that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel unto thee." Wow! God says, "Look Jeroboam. You can reign all you want to reign. You can do as you wish to do, just so that you obey me. If you obey me, I will make you a sure house. You can reign over all Israel. I will give Israel unto thee." Well, Solomon evidently found out about this incident somehow. When God had given through the prophet Ahijah the prophecy concerning Jeroboam and giving him the ten northern tribes, if you look in verse 40, Solomon then tried to do to Jeroboam what every tyrant tries to do to

an opposition. He tried to murder him. "Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon."

Now, it never ceases to amaze me how people always try to overthrow, thwart, and hinder the purpose and the counsel of God. I want you to know that Solomon was a very wise man, especially at one time. And Solomon had riches, more than you and I could probably ever dream of or imagine. But yet Solomon in his wisdom, Solomon in his riches, Solomon in his kingdom could not stop or thwart the purpose of God. Men may fight against God, men may complain, men may seek to overthrow his kingdom, but they will always fail. For God said in Isaiah 46 and verse 10,

So here to me is the astounding thing that God has said to Jeroboam back in verses 37 and 38. Without me rereading it, God basically told Jeroboam, "I'll give you Israel. You can have it. All you need to do is obey me." Jeroboam had the promise of God. Jeroboam had the Word of God. Jeroboam could reign as long as his soul desired, as long as he did that which was right in the sight of God.

Evidently Jeroboam was an unconverted man. When I say that, he did not know God. He did not believe God. He did not receive the promise or the Word of God. Because when you look in 1 Kings chapter 12 back again at verse 26, look at this: "And Jeroboam said in his heart..." Remember the heart is the mind. So Jeroboam said in his mind. In other words, Jeroboam was thinking. Jeroboam was reasoning in his mind. And Jeroboam said in his heart,

"Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David? If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." So the interesting thing here is this: Jeroboam reasoned in his mind. He had the Word of God. He had the promise of God. But he was not relying upon anything that God had said or anything that God had given him. He was relying now basically upon his own humanistic mind. His thinking was absolutely contrary to what God had promised. It was contrary to what God had said. And yet what Jeroboam is doing now is he's following his own will, his own way, instead of the will and the way of God. Now if you look—and we'll come back to this—look in verse 27. He said, "If this people do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem," watch it, "then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to

Rehoboam king of Judah. They shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, said unto them, '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.'" Now, what Jeroboam meant to do he thought was going to preserve him. But what happened? It destroyed him. So if you look very quickly in 1 Kings 13 and verses 33 and 34. The Bible says, "And after this thing, Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again the lowest of the people priests of the high places. Whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became a sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off,

The Sin of Jeroboam and Its Consequences

Jeroboam's idolatry became a sin that led Israel astray, and all subsequent northern kings followed his example, resulting in destruction.

"Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David? If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." So the interesting thing here is this: Jeroboam reasoned in his mind. He had the Word of God. He had the promise of God. But he was not relying upon anything that God had said or anything that God had given him. He was relying now basically upon his own humanistic mind. His thinking was absolutely contrary to what God had promised. It was contrary to what God had said. And yet what Jeroboam is doing now is he's following his own will, his own way, instead of the will and the way of God. Now if you look—and we'll come back to this—look in verse 27. He said, "If this people do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem," watch it, "then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to

Rehoboam king of Judah. They shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, said unto them, '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.'" Now, what Jeroboam meant to do he thought was going to preserve him. But what happened? It destroyed him. So if you look very quickly in 1 Kings 13 and verses 33 and 34. The Bible says, "And after this thing, Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again the lowest of the people priests of the high places. Whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became a sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off,

destroy it from the face of the earth." And that is exactly what happened. So Jeroboam instead of following the Word of God followed his own heart and he ended up destroying himself, he destroyed his family, he destroyed his kingdom. Now, the sin of Jeroboam is stated over and over throughout Scripture. Here is the thing, you know the Scripture says that no man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. Everything that we do affects someone else. The sin of Jeroboam that is spoken of throughout Scripture over and over—all the kings that followed Jeroboam followed him in his idolatry. There was not one godly king in the northern kingdom, not one. Every king in the northern kingdom was an idolater because they all followed in the worship of these calves. Now I want to point this out. I want to quote just a few passages. You can follow me if you want to. The first one is in 1 Kings chapter 14. Look if you would at verse 16. The Bible says, "And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin." Now look at this.

So Jeroboam not only sinned, but he made the whole northern kingdom to sin. Look in 1 Kings 15 and verse 29.

In fact, we can read verse 28: "Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reign in his stead. And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he destroyed him according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite." Look in verse 30: "Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger." Look if you would in verse 34: "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin." And look in chapter 16 in verse 2: God says, "Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel

to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins." One more, look in 2 Kings chapter 17 and verse 21. 2 Kings 17 verse 21. Look at this. Again, the Bible says it like this: "For he rent Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Now look at this, "and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord and made them sin a great sin." So, over and over now, you've read how that Jeroboam made Israel sin. Now you read how Jeroboam has driven Israel into idolatry.

So, let me emphasize a truth right now that it should be prominent in your mind. Scripture makes this exceedingly clear. You must understand it is extremely possible for a ruler to lead and to drive his people into idolatry. We see this clearly in the Bible. We just read it. All of these other kings that followed Jeroboam, they did the same thing. So it is possible for a ruler to drive a people into idolatry. Now, here's the thing that concerns me. You and I can see this and understand this when we're reading the Scripture. But why is it we can't see it and understand it when we look around in our country and we wonder what is going on, or when we look around at the world and wonder what is going on? Let me ask you a few questions.

Modern Parallels: Government-Driven Idolatry

Weaver draws parallels to modern government promotion of ungodly agendas, arguing that rulers can drive people into idolatry through statism and convenience.

So, let me emphasize a truth right now that it should be prominent in your mind. Scripture makes this exceedingly clear. You must understand it is extremely possible for a ruler to lead and to drive his people into idolatry. We see this clearly in the Bible. We just read it. All of these other kings that followed Jeroboam, they did the same thing. So it is possible for a ruler to drive a people into idolatry. Now, here's the thing that concerns me. You and I can see this and understand this when we're reading the Scripture. But why is it we can't see it and understand it when we look around in our country and we wonder what is going on, or when we look around at the world and wonder what is going on? Let me ask you a few questions.

Now, I want you to think about this. Who in the world in our nation is pushing the sodomite agenda, promoting it and subsidizing it? Who is pushing and promoting and subsidizing abortion, transgenderism, political Marxism? The answer is our own government. Who is attacking Christians? Who is attacking the Bible, morality, biblical ethics, and righteousness? And the answer is our own government. Education today is not education. It is indoctrination. Why in the world would you need to take and teach sex education, and especially perverted sex education, to kindergartners, first graders, and young children?

Who's responsible for the stupid variety of genders and pronouns? Our own government. Who is behind the unbiblical welfare system that provides for those who will not work, who do not want to work, and who will never work? When the Scripture said, "If any man will not work, neither should he eat." So who is subsidizing and supporting and supplying the illegal immigrants with not just the aid they need but with more aid than any homeless veteran or any United States of American citizen gets? And the answer is our own government. Realize there are people getting upset all over this country. But you know, for the vast majority of the American people, they are still absolutely asleep. They are still engrossed in their entertainment, in their amusement, in their materialism. They don't even realize how we have been pushed, prodded, manipulated into idolatry and controlled by the government, which is statism. Statism is idolatry.

It is looking to the state, or looking to the government, to supply your every need. It's what you and I would call from the cradle to the grave security, or from the womb to the tomb control over every sphere in every area of life. Now I want you to go back, if you would, to 1 Kings chapter 12 and let me show you how this was actually pushed upon the people of Israel. I want you to look what it said. Jeroboam now is the head of the government and Jeroboam is going to promote and push and manipulate the people into idolatry for his own benefit. He's not doing this for the benefit of the people. He said, "If I don't do something they're going to kill me and they're going back to Rehoboam." So he's actually doing this for self-preservation, for his own political gain, for his own power, for his own life. That's it. But look in 1 Kings chapter 12 verse 27. He said, "If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam

king of Judah." And, "Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto them," to the people, watch, "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." Now, his selling point to the people was convenience. "It's too much for you to go to Jerusalem. It requires too much sacrifice. It requires too much time. It requires too much travel. You don't have to go down there. If you're in the north, you just go to Dan. If you're in the south, you just go to Bethel. You don't have to go to Jerusalem." Do you realize in the eyes of Jeroboam there was no need to travel for truth? There was no need to go somewhere where you could have the pure worship of God and the pure Word of God. Do you realize it's the same way today? It's exactly the same way today. People are not going to travel for the truth. They won't even walk across the street for the truth. "It's too expensive. Requires too much time. I have children. It's just hard to get the children ready." Yeah, do you realize

Why Dan? Existing Idolatry

Dan was chosen because the Danites were already engaged in idolatry, making it easy to introduce the golden calf worship there.

It is looking to the state, or looking to the government, to supply your every need. It's what you and I would call from the cradle to the grave security, or from the womb to the tomb control over every sphere in every area of life. Now I want you to go back, if you would, to 1 Kings chapter 12 and let me show you how this was actually pushed upon the people of Israel. I want you to look what it said. Jeroboam now is the head of the government and Jeroboam is going to promote and push and manipulate the people into idolatry for his own benefit. He's not doing this for the benefit of the people. He said, "If I don't do something they're going to kill me and they're going back to Rehoboam." So he's actually doing this for self-preservation, for his own political gain, for his own power, for his own life. That's it. But look in 1 Kings chapter 12 verse 27. He said, "If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam

king of Judah." And, "Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto them," to the people, watch, "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." Now, his selling point to the people was convenience. "It's too much for you to go to Jerusalem. It requires too much sacrifice. It requires too much time. It requires too much travel. You don't have to go down there. If you're in the north, you just go to Dan. If you're in the south, you just go to Bethel. You don't have to go to Jerusalem." Do you realize in the eyes of Jeroboam there was no need to travel for truth? There was no need to go somewhere where you could have the pure worship of God and the pure Word of God. Do you realize it's the same way today? It's exactly the same way today. People are not going to travel for the truth. They won't even walk across the street for the truth. "It's too expensive. Requires too much time. I have children. It's just hard to get the children ready." Yeah, do you realize

we've come to the place where if our church buildings are not air-conditioned in the summer, people don't want to come. If they're not heated in the winter, they don't want to come. Some don't want to come if they don't have padded pews. Some don't want to come unless they've got a big choir special or some type of entertainment. I'm just pointing out the fact that we've basically forgotten about the truth. Ha ha, I know I've told you this before, but I'm gonna tell you again because it came into my mind. But years ago Alice and I were down in Tampa, Florida, visiting our son-in-law and daughter and grandkids. And my son-in-law took us out to supper and we went by the Baptist Church and on the marquee was this: "Come to our early service. In by 8, out by 8:30." That's a Baptist Church. Now, you know, they're gonna sing one or two songs anyhow. Now, of course, they're gonna take an offering. Then you have to have an opening prayer.

Then you have a closing prayer or an invitational hymn, which would leave about five minutes for someone to speak. So what does that mean? It means all he was doing was trying to salve the consciences of people on their way to the beach. It's been the day there. It's what it amounted to. And that's where we are today. I'm just simply pointing out the fact this was what Jeroboam said: "You don't need to be inconvenienced. You don't need to go down to Jerusalem. You just stay home and we're going to take care of you." Now,

here's my question. Why did he choose Dan and Bethel to place the calves there? He could have chosen any place in the Northern Kingdom. So let's try to answer it. First of all, I hope you remember the answer as to why he chose Dan. Dan was not only a tribe in Israel, but Dan was also a city. It happened to be the northernmost city in Israel and Beersheba happened to be the southernmost city in Israel as well. So when you read in the Bible "from Dan to Beersheba" it meant the entire country came together. For instance, in 1 Samuel chapter 3 in verse 10, when they came to transfer the kingdom to David away from the house of Saul, the Bible says that they came from Dan even to Beersheba. So Beersheba then was the southernmost, Dan was the northernmost city. Now previously Dan was named Laish. It was a Canaanite city. It was captured by the Danites and renamed for their father Dan, and you will remember that and find it in Judges chapter 17 through 19. So it was true that Dan then was the northernmost city, but why in the world was this place chosen?

And here's why. Because the Danites were already given to idolatry. Once you've accepted idolatry, you'll accept more idolatry. It doesn't matter. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding 1 Kings 12, but look back in your Bibles. You'll remember this in Judges chapter 18. And let's begin reading there verse 29. Because I preached on this text about a month or so ago. But look at it. Judges chapter 18 verse 29. The Bible says,

Now look at this:

Wow. So when you look at verse 30 again, if you will remember, Manasseh was the son of Moses and of course Gershom was his son and now Jonathan, so you've got the great-grandson or great-great-grandson of Moses as priest.

And they are setting up this golden, this Micah's graven image. And so the Bible says here that they were priests unto the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So this was a long-standing idolatry. So very clearly then Dan was chosen simply because the calves would fit right in. They were already worshipping molten idols and so there was no problem there. Now, here's the question. Why in the world did he choose Bethel? Of the two places Bethel is the more prominent and probably the most important. Of course the Hebrew word Bethel means "the house of God." And the word Bethel not only refers to a city, but it also refers to the site of a major sanctuary that was established for the northern kingdom of Israel. Now we should listen to this. I'm gonna repeat it a little bit later. Bethel sat at the boundary between the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin and eventually delineated the border between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. Okay. Bethel is first mentioned in the Bible in its connection with Abram. You'll find that in Genesis 12 in verse 8. The Bible says, "And he, that is Abram, removed from thence into a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord." The second time

Why Bethel? Religious Significance and Competition

Bethel, meaning 'house of God,' had a rich patriarchal history and was only 11 miles from Jerusalem, directly competing with true worship.

Why in the world did he choose Bethel? Of the two places Bethel is the more prominent and probably the most important. Of course the Hebrew word Bethel means "the house of God." And the word Bethel not only refers to a city, but it also refers to the site of a major sanctuary that was established for the northern kingdom of Israel. Now we should listen to this. I'm gonna repeat it a little bit later. Bethel sat at the boundary between the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin and eventually delineated the border between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. Okay. Bethel is first mentioned in the Bible in its connection with Abram. You'll find that in Genesis 12 in verse 8. The Bible says, "And he, that is Abram, removed from thence into a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord." The second time

at Bethel. This is where they were asking counsel because at one point in Bethel the people there would always come to Bethel to seek God because it was a prominent worship center. So here is something to remember now, watch this. I told you that Bethel eventually became the boundary line between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Bethel was only 11 miles from Jerusalem.

Bethel was in direct conflict with and in direct competition with the real true worship of God at Jerusalem. They were just 11 miles apart. And here's something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. And look in Amos chapter 7. I want you to see how important Bethel was to the rulers of the Northern Kingdom and those who worship the golden calves. So when you go to Amos chapter 7, Amos, who is from the southern kingdom, was prophesying in Bethel which was in the northern kingdom. And because they had claimed that it was right on the line, and of course the priest of Bethel was an apostate, in other words, he was the priest of the golden calf. I want you to look what he said to Amos. So Amos chapter 7, look in verse 10. Here it is: "Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel"—so he's the priest of Bethel—"Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam," now this would be Jeroboam II not Jeroboam I.

Bethel as the King's Chapel and Court

In Amos 7, Bethel is called the king's chapel and court, showing that in idolatry, the king controls religion and suppresses true prophecy.

Bethel was in direct conflict with and in direct competition with the real true worship of God at Jerusalem. They were just 11 miles apart. And here's something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. And look in Amos chapter 7. I want you to see how important Bethel was to the rulers of the Northern Kingdom and those who worship the golden calves. So when you go to Amos chapter 7, Amos, who is from the southern kingdom, was prophesying in Bethel which was in the northern kingdom. And because they had claimed that it was right on the line, and of course the priest of Bethel was an apostate, in other words, he was the priest of the golden calf. I want you to look what he said to Amos. So Amos chapter 7, look in verse 10. Here it is: "Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel"—so he's the priest of Bethel—"Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam," now this would be Jeroboam II not Jeroboam I.

Jeroboam II, "sent to Jeroboam king of Israel saying, 'Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.'" So what Amos was doing was up there preaching that God was going to kill Jeroboam and he was going to send Israel into captivity. Now, let me tell you how easy it is to conspire. I hope you know what the word means. So if Gary and I stood over in the corner and we're whispering together about Steve and Steve caught wind of it, he'd say, "You fellows are conspiring against me." The word conspire just simply means to breathe with. "Spire" is to breathe and "con" is with. You conspire, you are breathing with someone.

So, actually this, he said Amos has conspired. I don't know who he's breathing with except God because he was just preaching the Word of God. But look what he said, now watch this.

Look what the priest said to Amos:

Let me just stop right there. What did he tell him? Here's what he said, I'm paraphrasing it: "If you want to live you better get out of here. We'll kill you. You go eat bread down in the southern kingdom. You preach down there. We don't want your preaching here." Now watch this, verse 12:

It is the king's chapel. It is the king's court. So in idolatry, the king is not just head of the state, he's head of religion as well. And you cannot criticize—are you listening?—you cannot criticize the religion of the king without getting into trouble. This is why the government does not want you talking about the sodomite agenda, the transgender agenda. They don't want you talking about anything that they are for. It is their religion.

It is humanism. It is the king's court. It is the king's chapel. Now I want to try to tie this together. I want to make some applications. The first one is this, and this is astounding to me, but tyrants, wicked men are unafraid to compete with God. I mean, when you have Bethel 11 miles from Jerusalem, these tyrants and these idolaters will throw their idolatry into the face of God and dare him to do his worst. And men must deny the true worship of God so that they can establish their false worship. They must deny the true word of God so they can establish their own word. They must deny God so they can establish themselves as God.

Applications: Protection Through God's Word

Weaver concludes that knowing and obeying God's Word is the best protection against being driven into idolatry, and that God will ultimately judge wicked rulers.

It is humanism. It is the king's court. It is the king's chapel. Now I want to try to tie this together. I want to make some applications. The first one is this, and this is astounding to me, but tyrants, wicked men are unafraid to compete with God. I mean, when you have Bethel 11 miles from Jerusalem, these tyrants and these idolaters will throw their idolatry into the face of God and dare him to do his worst. And men must deny the true worship of God so that they can establish their false worship. They must deny the true word of God so they can establish their own word. They must deny God so they can establish themselves as God.

You cannot drive a people into idolatry that know the truth and refuse to bend and refuse to bow. Nebuchadnezzar couldn't make the three Hebrew children bend to that idol. The presidents couldn't make Daniel stop praying. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, if you do not wish to be deceived, if you do not wish to be manipulated, pushed and prodded into idolatry, you better know the Word of God. You better read it. You better study it. You better apply it. That's why the Bible says in 1 John 5 in verse 21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Here's the next truth. Since you're in Amos, I want you to turn back to Hosea chapter 10. So go back just a few pages if you would, back past the little book of Joel to the book of Hosea chapter 10. And I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 11. And here's the second thing. Although idolaters, tyrants, wicked people are not afraid to throw their idolatry and blasphemy in the face of God,

yet the truth is God is going to cut off the wicked ruler, and He's going to also cut off the wicked people. It's just that simple. So, look if you would in Hosea chapter 10 beginning there with verse 11. Watch what he says: "And Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn. But I passed over her fair neck, and I will make Ephraim to ride, and Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods." In other words, it's going to be slavery. "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and reign righteousness upon you." Now look what he tells them. "You have plowed wickedness and you've reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because thou didst trust in thy way and the multitude of thy mighty men. Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth Arbel in the day of battle.

Her mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness. In a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off." So God said, "I'm gonna get with it. I'll deal with the king. I'll deal with the people. They'll all be cut off. They'll all be destroyed." So, yes, they may ride high for a little while, but they will be destroyed. And now here's the next thing I want you to notice. If you will turn back in your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 12. I want you to look particularly at verses 27 and 28 again. Watch carefully. Here's what

Jeroboam said in his own mind, in his own heart: "If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their Lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." Here it is: "Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto them, '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.' And he set the one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan." There was a method to his madness. He had to subdue the people. He had to basically drive them away from the true worship of God in order to control them. And in other words, he wanted them basically to stay with him, to worship him, so to speak, to rely upon him, to trust him. And so in order to do that he had to drive them from the truth to make them believe and receive error. So here's my question: Do you think that modern-day tyrants are any less devious and devilish than was Jeroboam? Do you not understand that the Great Reset, the New World Order, and the chaos that we are experiencing was planned, premeditated, and deliberately applied to us to make us pliable and submissive? The planned destruction of our economy is no accident.

It is something that is deliberate. It is purposeful. And that is to break us, to control us so that we will be absolutely dependent upon those who said you will have nothing and be happy. If you have nothing, that means someone has everything. So the point I'm trying to make right now is very simple. The best thing that you can do for your protection and for your preservation is to be as holy and godly, obedient and righteous as you can be by the grace of God. The best thing you could do for your protection is to apply the principles of the Word of God. What did God say in Proverbs chapter 6?

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. Who provideth her meat in the summer so she can have for the winter?" In other words, God is saying you better prepare for hard times. In other words, be as wise as an ant. Be as industrious as an ant. Above all, let me say this. Propaganda is everywhere. Mind control is everywhere. It's not just MK Ultra. Subliminal messages even come on TV. Subliminal messages come over the radio. It's astounding sometimes what you can see and what you can hear without seeing, without hearing, and yet it goes into your brain. But let me tell you something, it is impossible to deceive a knowledgeable and

well-informed people. So if you do not wish to be deceived you must know the truth. And Jesus Christ said He is the truth and His word is truth. And we must know His word and stand by it and apply it. Those who do not know the Word of God, those who do not know the principles of the Word of God, they're the ones that are going to be pushed very easily, very quickly, very swiftly into idolatry and into destruction. Our protection is in God and His Word and our obedience unto Him. Jeroboam knew what he was doing when he put those calves in Dan and Bethel. And those who are seeking for world domination know what they're doing in trying to destroy everything so that they can control everything. But the good news is they shall fail. God will destroy them and He will get honor and

glory for Himself, just like He destroyed Pharaoh and got honored for Himself. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. Lord, I pray that You would help us to know Thy truth. Thou did say, "Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Lord, help us to grasp Thy Word. Help us, Lord, to understand, help us to apply, and to live holily, righteously, and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.