**The Fall of Jeroboam’s House: A Tale of Judgment and Warning**
In the days when Jeroboam, son of Nebat, ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel, the land was steeped in idolatry and rebellion against the Lord. Jeroboam, fearing that his people would return to the house of David if they went to Jerusalem to worship, had set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan, declaring, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” He had appointed priests from every class of people, even those who were not Levites, and had instituted festivals and sacrifices to these false gods. The Lord’s anger burned against Jeroboam for leading Israel into sin, but the king remained stubborn and unrepentant.
One day, Jeroboam’s son Abijah fell gravely ill. The boy, still young, lay in his bed, his face pale and his breath shallow. Jeroboam, though a proud and defiant man, was deeply troubled by his son’s condition. He knew that the prophets of the Lord held the power to speak truth and perform miracles, and so he turned to his wife, the queen, and said, “Disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you as my wife. Go to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah lives. He is the one who prophesied that I would become king over this people. Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to our son.”
The queen obeyed her husband’s command. She dressed in plain clothing, covering her royal garments, and set out on the journey to Shiloh. The road was long and dusty, and her heart was heavy with worry for her son. When she arrived at Ahijah’s house, she found the old prophet sitting in the dim light of his home. His eyes were dim with age, for he was nearly blind, but the Lord had told him, “The wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to give her this message.”
Before the queen could speak, Ahijah called out, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with a harsh message.” The queen’s heart sank as she realized that the Lord had revealed her identity to the prophet. She stood trembling before him, clutching the gifts she had brought, but Ahijah paid no attention to them. Instead, he began to deliver the word of the Lord.
“Go back to Jeroboam and tell him this: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I raised you up from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes. You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal, and have provoked Me to anger and thrust Me behind your back. Because of this, I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the country will be eaten by birds. The Lord has spoken!'”
The queen’s face turned ashen as she listened to the prophet’s words. Ahijah continued, “As for your son, he will die as soon as you return to the city. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now. For the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the Lord’s anger by making Asherah poles. And He will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”
The queen stood frozen in place, her mind reeling from the weight of the prophecy. Ahijah’s words were like a hammer striking her heart, and she knew there was no escape from the judgment that was coming. She turned and left the prophet’s house, her steps heavy with sorrow. As she made her way back to Tirzah, the capital of Israel, she could not shake the image of her son’s lifeless body from her mind.
When she arrived at the palace, she found that the prophecy had already been fulfilled. Her son, Abijah, had died just as she entered the city. The people of Israel mourned for him, for he was the only one in Jeroboam’s family who had found favor in the eyes of the Lord. They buried him with honor, but the rest of Jeroboam’s house would not be so fortunate.
In the years that followed, the Lord’s judgment fell upon Jeroboam and his descendants. Nadab, Jeroboam’s son, succeeded him as king, but he too walked in the ways of his father, continuing in idolatry and sin. After only two years, Nadab was assassinated by Baasha, who then wiped out the entire house of Jeroboam, fulfilling the word of the Lord spoken through Ahijah the prophet.
The story of Jeroboam serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of rebellion against God. Though the Lord had shown him great favor, Jeroboam chose to turn away and lead others into sin. His legacy was one of judgment and destruction, a warning to all who would forsake the Lord and follow after false gods. Yet even in the midst of judgment, the Lord’s mercy was evident in the honorable burial of Abijah, a glimmer of grace in a dark and tragic tale.
