Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Today, we’re looking at the second half of what’s commonly known as the “love chapter” – 1 Corinthians 13. Take a look at last week’s post to read about the first half of this chapter. Paul has talked about how none of the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Corinthians 12 matter if the person does not have love. Then he went on to define that love, which can be summarized as matching up with the character of God.
The first phrase in verse 8 is that “love never fails.” While this statement can stand alone, it is also important to consider what it means in its surrounding context. Paul goes on to explain how prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will all go away; in contrast to those, love is permanent. But, you may be wondering, if prophecies, tongues, and knowledge are gifts from the Holy Spirit, who is part of the eternal and unchanging God, why would they cease?
The answer to that question lies in verses 9-10. Knowledge and prophecy are “in part” and incomplete while we are on this earth. Anything on this earth just does not compare to the perfect knowledge and understanding that we will receive when we spend eternity in heaven. When we reach that point of completion then anything that is incomplete will become fulfilled and complete. The root word of the Greek word translated as “completeness” is teleios, which I wrote an entire blog post about here because it’s difficult to translate into English.
Some people use this passage to support the cessation of certain supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, that they no longer continue today – specifically, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and inspired revelation. They say that because the canon of the Bible has been closed, that has caused these gifts to stop being poured out on people. Because we are no longer receiving special revelation of the inspired Scriptures from the Holy Spirit, we are also no longer receiving these gifts. However, there is no indication in the text that the word teleios here refers to the completion of the Bible specifically; it is left to the reader to determine what is being completed in this context.
The point Paul is making here is that while other things that are more of this world may pass away and stop, love never will because God is love and God will never pass away.
Paul acknowledges that this is difficult for our finite, earthly minds to comprehend these concepts in verse 11. Our present understanding of all of these things is compared to how a child thinks and reasons versus how an adult thinks and reasons. An adult can understand things much more clearly than a child can. In the same way, when we have perfect understanding in heaven, we will be able to understand all the things that we cannot understand now.
Once we grow up into men and women, we no longer think like children. We have to put those childish ways of thinking and processing behind us. When we get to the perfect and sinless world of heaven, we will have to put our imperfect ways of thinking in this world behind us. Everything will be made clear to us then!
In verse 12, Paul continues this comparison using the metaphor of a mirror. Seeing our reflection is a good representation of ourselves, but it is not the same as seeing face-to-face. A modern version of this may be comparing a Zoom meeting to having an in-person meeting. We can still have interaction and communication and we can still see each other’s faces, but there is something better about meeting with people face-to-face. We experience being in the same room and seeing the whole person, rather than just their face in a small box on a screen.
But even when we get to heaven and have that full understanding, we will not have the same mind as God. We will have a clearer understanding and much greater knowledge, but we are still God’s creation. God fully knows us, but we can never fully know Him. The creation can never fully know its creator, as the creator is always greater and more knowledgeable than the creation.
Verse 13 closes out this section with a summary thought: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith, hope, and love will remain forever. Paul has already established that love never fails and will exist forever, as God will exist forever, but now he adds faith and hope to that list. Our faith and hope in God will be ongoing and eternal as we continue on into that next eternal life of perfection. However, our faith and hope will be different then, just as our love will be. Our love will be mature, complete, and perfect, and our hope and faith will be fully realized. Our hope and faith will no longer look toward the future but they will be realized in the present.
The main point to take away from this entire chapter is that God is love, and we are called to love as God does, to the best of our abilities. If we need some guidance on what that love looks like, Paul gives a list of its characteristics. However, we must also realize that we cannot understand fully what that perfect love looks like, at least not this side of heaven.
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Asa was the last king of Judah to possibly have been born under the united kingdom of Israel under Solomon’s rule. Asa is Solomon’s great-grandson and yet only twenty years had passed between Solomon’s death and Asa’s ascension. As we do not know Asa’s age when he became king, nor do we know when he was born, it does make it more challenging to know when to place Asa’s upbringing and under whom. We do know some facts, though. We know Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king and Asa reigned for 41 years, which means Jehoshaphat was born six years into Asa’s reign. If Asa became king at age 20, that would mean he lived into his sixties before dying of his foot disease. But that foot disease could have hit at any age.
Due to Rehoboam being 41 when he became king, likely fathering Abijam twenty years earlier, Asa could have been born early enough to know Solomon as a toddler. I have bounced around the idea that maybe Asa could be the “son” that Solomon spoke to with the warnings against bad peers and the adulteress, but I have a hard time picturing Asa being old enough to receive such instruction. But for some reason, Asa was the first king after the nation split to follow the ways of the Lord. He was the first to actively tear down high places. Even David was not recorded to tear down high places, and neither was Saul. But that may be due to the lack of them. David never married foreign wives, and Solomon was the first recorded to build them. So, all these places where there was idol worship at hilltops, under great trees, in caves, etc. were built in Solomon’s time or later. Solomon was the one who introduced them, and this would be an issue that would mark every king that followed.
Besides tearing down high places, removing his own mother from the throne due to her idolatry, and walking in the ways of David, Asa dealt with two major battles: one against an army of one million Ethiopians and another against Basha of Israel. In the first battle, Asa trusted in the Lord. In the second, he didn’t and was rebuked for it. In the end, Asa got a foot disease, and it would take his life because he did not seek the Lord. See Katie Erickson’s post about Asa’s life with all Scriptural references here.
Asa grew up under the administration of Rehoboam. While he may have been too young to truly understand the politics of Jeroboam’s rebellion, by the time the battles started, he clearly saw them. Asa would have been a teenager or young adult during his father’s reign, and he would have seen the moment that Abijam trusted the Lord. I do not believe this was the only catalyst that would have turned Asa to the Lord, but it may have been one of them. There were a few prophets during this time such as Ahijah, Hanani, Azariah, and Jehu (not the king of Israel), but few were active in Judah during Asa’s youth.
As the Temple was less than 50 years from its inauguration, the reading of the Law was still going on. We do know that through some wicked kings, this practice ceased (such as prior to Josiah’s time when the Book of the Law was found), but while Rehoboam and Abijam were marked as evil kings, they merely allowed the idolatry that was going on to continue and to our knowledge did not bring in new idols. Yet somehow, Asa learned how to love and trust God even to the point of choosing God over blood as he removed his own mother from her position as queen mother for her idolatrous practices. Asa getting into position to have the courage to tear down the high places and sources of idolatry would take someone giving him a good upbringing.
But Asa’s walk of faith faded, and I don’t believe any of the setup in Asa’s life led to his downfall to any significant degree. He had a 41-year rule and was very likely king for more of his life than he was not. When God gave Asa a victory over a million soldiers, somehow a much smaller army needed the help of another, and that character trait had to come from during his time as king – pride, laziness, or something. When David refused to go to battle, that was outside his character. Yet here for Asa, his refusal to trust God not only led him to being rebuked, but it sparked a downward trend where he died without seeking the Lord.
Asa is a warning that if you start strong and end badly, often it’s the ending that is most remembered. The 2007 Patriots had the best team in the NFL and went 16-0 in the regular season only to lose the Super Bowl. Asa started out great and strong, but he finished weak. Asa was given a strong foundation to be able to take the strong stance he took against the idolatry going on in his nation, but he did not stand on that foundation for long. Asa did not repent of his unbelief as he died, at least by the records we are given. He wasn’t the worst to do this. When I get to King Joash, we will have the penultimate example of a solid, strong foundation only to completely jump off board. Yet King Asa and Joash are examples that Proverbs 22:6 is not talking about teaching Biblical principles and morals, but rather teaching the child via his strengths and characters for God’s purposes. Asa and Joash departed the faith, but Asa was still given a king’s burial. Joash, however, was not. Asa teaches us never to take our faith for granted and to not get comfortable with it. It is subtle and quick, but we can depart that faith and never know it until it is too late.
Next week, we’ll shift to Israel and spend three weeks looking at seven kings, all of which began during Asa’s reign and concluded into Jehoshaphat’s reign.
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If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-7
This chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most commonly quoted passages of the Bible, especially in the context of weddings. But it is very important to look at the context of this passage; it comes right after the section on spiritual gifts and unity yet diversity in the body of Christ. In addition, the verse immediately before this says, “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). What is the most excellent way to desire and then use the greater gifts from the spirit? In a word: love.
We’ll look at the first half of this chapter today, and next week we’ll look at the rest. In verses 1-3, we see that the gifts mean nothing if we do not have love.
In verse 1, Paul talks about speaking “in the tongues of men or of angels.” While we have records in Scripture of angels speaking to people using human language (such as Luke 1:13-20 and 26-38), it is believed that there is also a separate language that the angels use that humans cannot understand – what many refer to as speaking in tongues. Paul brings this gift of the Spirit up first because it is believed that the Corinthians were placing too much emphasis on the gift of tongues. Paul also refers to a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal in this verse; these items were used in the worship of God and at the temple (see 2 Samuel 6:5 and Psalm 150:5).
Paul then mentions the gift of prophecy in verse 2. Being able to prophecy, understanding mysteries, and having knowledge are all pointless without love. These mysteries and knowledge are not just worldly but refer to what God is revealing about Himself to us as His people. Even if we have faith that can move mountains (referencing the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:21), it is pointless without love. This faith does not refer to the saving faith we have in Jesus Christ but rather having faith in the ability to perform miracles like moving mountains.
In verse 3, Paul talks about giving all that he has to the poor and experiencing physical hardships. These things can be done without love, but then they, too, are pointless. He would not do these things so that he can boast, but rather out of true Christian love.
In verses 4-7, we see the descriptions of love that are so commonly referenced. Love is described with positive characteristics and negative characteristics. Positively, it is patient, it is kind, it delights in the truth, and it has an attitude that is protective, trusting, hopeful, and persevering. Negatively, we see that love does not envy, boast, be proud, dishonor others, seek self, be easily angered, or keep a record of wrongs.
We know from 1 John 4:7-12 that God is love, so God must embody all of these characteristics of love. We see support for each of these elsewhere in Scripture.
- God is patient for us to come to repentance and faith in 2 Peter 3:9.
- We see God’s kindness in Romans 2:4, which again has a goal of leading us to repentance.
- In Hebrews 11:3, we see that God formed the entire universe out of nothing at His command. This is who God is, and He doesn’t need to boast about it or be prideful. God does not need to envy since there is no one who even comes close to comparing to Him.
- God does not dishonor others because He is holy and perfect, as we see in 1 Peter 1:15-16.
- God shows with His actions that He is not self-seeking; giving His Son to come to earth and die on the cross for the entire world (John 3:16) is the opposite of self-seeking.
- While God does get angry with righteous anger when needed, He is very slow to anger, as we see in Joel 2:13.
- God does not keep a record of our wrongs. We see in Isaiah 43:25 that He remembers our sins no more. Our sins are wiped away because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
- John writes that he has joy when his children walk in the truth (3 John 1:4), which applies to God as well. God delights in truth because He is the truth (John 14:6).
- Psalm 92:15 tells us that there is no wickedness or evil in God, so He cannot delight in evil.
- God always protects us and delivers us, as we see in Psalm 91:14.
- Psalm 71:5 shows us that God is always our hope.
- God’s unfailing love is always with us, so He never fails, as we see in Psalm 33:22.
Not only are these characteristics of God, but we should strive to imitate them as we strive to imitate God. But that is definitely easier said than done! How can we possibly live out this love? The only way is through knowing Jesus Christ. We cannot know what true, Godly love is unless we have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
None of us can live out all these things (or perhaps even one of these things) perfectly, but Christ still loves us in this way so we can attempt to love others like this. Jesus' work of love was one that restores love and restores relationships when our sin breaks them – with God, with each other, and with ourselves. Christ is restoring all of those through the perfect love that we see here.
We are called to lean on the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives to have this kind of love in our lives. It is only through the gifts of the Spirit and His presence in us through faith in Jesus Christ that we can even hope to attempt to live out this perfect type of love.
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Abijam, son of Rehoboam, was the first of the short-lived kings of either kingdom. His reign only lasted three years. We do not know how old he was when he became king but based on the surrounding contexts, we can surmise a range, which helps us understand how he grew up. His father Rehoboam grew up his entire life in the palace. Rehoboam was 41 when he became king and only 20 years passed between Rehoboam’s ascension to his grandson Asa’s ascension to the throne. Asa ruled for six years when his son Jehoshaphat was born, thus giving a 26-year difference between Rehoboam becoming king and the birth of Jehoshaphat. Abijam was in the middle of this and had to be old enough to father Asa, so Asa could be old enough to have children early in his reign. I am going to speculate that Abijam was born about halfway into Solomon’s 40-year reign (when Rehoboam was in his early 20s) and that Asa was born near the end of Solomon’s reign. As Abijam and Asa are the only two kings of Judah where the age of the king is not listed upon coronation, such speculation is required, as long as we stay within the framework that is given.
Abijam’s three-year reign is known for two things: his lack of departure from idolatry and his war with Jeroboam where at least for a moment, he expressed some faith in God. We do not know how Abijam died, whether it be by natural causes, an illness, an injury, or whatever; we just know he passed away after only three years on the throne. You can get the details from Katie Erickson’s post about Abijam here. So, what is Abijam’s backstory?
I will presume that Abijam lived his childhood in Solomon’s court. He needed to be nearing his 40s during his reign, if not being a bit older, so Asa would be old enough to father Jehoshaphat early in his own reign. This has led me to wonder if Abijam or Asa was the intended recipient of Proverbs 1-9. I am hesitant on Asa being the one because he would not be old enough to understand the dangers of false peers or adultery while Solomon was alive. Abijam would be of age to receive it if Solomon gave it late in life. If Rehoboam was the recipient, we can tell he didn’t do a very good job at listening because he didn’t make it a year before going directly against such warnings. Abijam was an adult when that happened, and he directly witnessed Jeroboam’s rebellion and would have been directly involved in fortifying the cities of Judah. There was war between Jeroboam and Rehoboam through most of their respective reigns, though not immediately because God revealed that the split was God’s will.
Abijam knew all the political context, and when it was his turn to go to battle with Jeroboam, he was outnumbered 2-1: 400k for Abijam and 800k for Jeroboam. Abijam knew his history. He knew the promises made to David and Solomon. He was alive to witness Jeroboam’s rebellion. He also knew his father Rehoboam’s weaknesses as a young ruler, even though Rehoboam was 41 years old. Despite his age, Rehoboam was still a child in many ways and Abijam noticed this, having seen both his father and grandfather rule. He could clearly see a difference in the maturity of Solomon with his God-given wisdom and Rehoboam who lived his entire life in the palace with spoiled peers.
Abijam knew that as king, he would need to be much stronger than his father was. To be stronger, he needed to rely on the Lord. For this battle, Abijam did trust in the Lord, despite doing evil by engaging in idolatry and allowing the high places for idol worship to continue. Because he trusted in the Lord and because he remembered his training in the days of his grandfather Solomon, even just that one time, Abijam won a victory slaying 500k of the 800k-man army of Jeroboam. It was a loss Jeroboam never recovered from, and it bought Abijam’s successor, Asa, ten years of peace to establish his throne.
Abijam was known for idolatry, and this can be traced easily to his wife Maacah, daughter of Absalom. She built an Asherah pole, an idol explicitly known for its sexual activity rituals. Maacah was one of many wives of Abijam but the one who gave birth to Asa, who would be the next ruler. Maacah plays a bigger role in Asa’s life.
There really isn’t a whole lot to say about Abijam’s reign. It was extremely short and the only notable thing he did was win a battle against Jeroboam. However, behind the scenes, we can see that Solomon still left some impression on his grandson. We can learn something here. There are times when someone raised in the faith departs the faith as an adult, but in a moment of crisis, that childhood faith can come back and blossom. Now we do not know if this was a one-time event or if Abijam walked faithfully with God for the rest of his life, which was not very long after this battle. The Bible does not say. What we do know is that he was marked for wickedness and had one moment of faith and trust in the Lord.
We can see that a deeply planted seed can still sprout, but one thing we will see later on is that not all the kings would have their seed blossom. Just because a seed is planted does not mean it will produce salvation-bearing fruit. Don’t forget the Parable of the Sower, where of the four types of soil, three took root but only one bore fruit. There is no evidence that Abijam eventually became good soil as Samson did, though our hearts would like to think he did. There is hope and a warning here. There is hope that a seed can still sprout, but there is a warning that it may get choked out in the end. Which is the case for Abijam? We don’t know.
Next week, we will look at Asa who came to the throne at the end of Jeroboam’s reign and ruled all the way into Ahab’s reign, seven kings of Israel later.
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The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
- 1 Corinthians 12:21-31
This section of 1 Corinthians 12 builds on the previous section, in which Paul went into detail about the unity and diversity of the human body and related it to those who make up the Church. We each have a role to play, and all of our roles are important to what God is doing through the Church. There must be diversity so that all roles are covered, yet there must be unity so that the Church functions as one body.
In this passage, Paul emphasizes how we as the parts of the body should interact with one another. To start with, we should not tell one another that he or she is not needed (verse 21). No matter what part of the body of Christ we are, it is not our place to tell another person that they are not needed. Even if we don’t understand what they do or what their function is, that’s not our responsibility; remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who distributes the gifts. We all need one another.
In verses 22-23, Paul explains that the weaker parts and the “unpresentable” parts of the body are absolutely essential and should be treated with great honor. Think about the congregation you attend; are there people working tirelessly behind the scenes? They may be perceived as weaker since you don’t see them working, but if they were not doing what they are called to do, the church would not function as it is supposed to. We don’t see what our intestines or our lungs are doing, but we know they are essential for our physical bodies to function properly.
Perhaps you don’t even know what some people are doing for the Church, such as prayer warriors who spend countless hours praying for the Church and its people, or those who give anonymous financial gifts. All of those people are just as important to the mission of the church as those who are seen and recognized for their efforts. Just like we may not realize what some of our internal organs are doing for our physical bodies, we know they need to function properly for our bodies to remain healthy. We should strive to honor all parts of the body, no matter their role or function.
Then Paul brings it back to God and His good purposes: “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it” (verse 24). God is the one who “assembles” us, both in our physical bodies (see Psalm 139:13-16) and as the body of Christ, the Church. God honors the parts of the body that we as humans may see as lacking or less important because it is God who put the body together.
Paul comes back to the idea of unity within the body in verse 25. We should not have any division in the body, especially among the different roles and functions. Unity is not only important for accomplishing God’s purposes for us as the body of Christ but also so that we take care of one another. As Paul says, we “should have equal concern for each other.” We should not care about one person less than another simply because of their role or function in the body, nor should we care about one person more than another simply because of their role. We must strive to live with the entire body in perfect harmony.
This unity is demonstrated more in verse 26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” When a part of your body suffers, even something as small as a hangnail or a stubbed toe, the rest of your body focuses on that part until it is healed. While the other parts don’t suffer in the same way, they identify with the suffering of that one part. We should be like that as the body of Christ, coming alongside one another whether in suffering or in times of rejoicing and celebration.
Paul wraps this all up in verse 27, stating again that we are all parts of the body of Christ. While he had been using the idea of physical body parts as his metaphor, he then shows how this works in the Church. In verse 28, Paul gives a list of some of the gifts that are given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. Scholars believe that these gifts are listed in order of importance, from the highest importance (apostles) to the lowest importance (tongues). The first three (apostles, prophets, and teachers) are considered to be those who provide leadership in the church. The rest of the list indicates gifts that are for everyone in the church, not just leaders, though they are still important and significant.
In verses 29-30, Paul gives a list of rhetorical questions that relate back to the body imagery. We can’t all be eyes or hands, just like we can’t all be apostles or we can’t all have the gift of healing. God has selected specific individuals to give them specific gifts that go with their specific roles and functions in the body of Christ.
Paul closes out this section in verse 31 by urging them to desire the greater gifts, and then the last half of the verse introduces his next thought. Possessing a certain gift is not as important as how you use that gift, making sure that your actions glorify God and that you do what He is calling you to do. In the next chapter, Paul will show us how to use these gifts to love one another.
What are your unique gifts and roles in the Church? How are you using the ways that God has gifted you to glorify Him and to honor others, striving for unity as the body of Christ?
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Jeroboam was the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He was the one who spearheaded the rebellion against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and became king when the 10 northern tribes chose to not have anything to do with David’s line anymore. Jeroboam was not merely infamous for this rebellion but more so for his setting up the two golden calf idols in Dan and Ber-sheeba. Jeroboam would be marked for this sin and be the litmus test for every king of Israel until the conquest of Assyria that scattered these ten tribes from then till today.
Jeroboam was a valiant man in Solomon’s army. Though Solomon never had to face any battles, Jeroboam was a clear leader in Solomon’s ranks. As with most of the kings of Israel, we don’t know how old they were when they became king, and the same is true with Jeroboam. So it is harder to understand the backstory than with Judah’s kings. But we do know he ruled for 22 years, starting within one year of Rehoboam’s coronation. So, what drove Jeroboam to become the king he became? What influenced his decisions and set him up? Let’s explore the history.
As mentioned above, Jeroboam was a valiant man. He was a warrior and courageous. He was one of Solomon’s best soldiers. And being in that position, he would have known Rehoboam quite well. Rehoboam lived 2/3 of his life as the chief prince for 40 years before ruling for only 17 years. Jeroboam was seen as young while in Solomon’s army and, Scripturally speaking, this is often given to someone age 30 or younger. He looked the part and had the people’s following.
But then Solomon turned to idolatry. It was in this stage where God confronted Solomon and told him he would lose his kingdom in his son’s lifetime. Solomon heard that a prophet, Ahijah, had anointed Jeroboam to be king and sought this young man’s life. Again, we don’t know when the idolatry took place in Solomon’s reign exactly, but it is safe to say it was at least in the latter half of his reign. Jeroboam had to flee to Egypt for his life where he stayed until Solomon died.
I suspect that Egypt plays an important role here. Solomon focused his attention on the daughter of Pharaoh, enough to spend more time building his and her palaces than he spent building the Temple. Egypt and Israel had a strong relationship. I don’t know if Solomon ever pursued Jeroboam or knew where he went, but the relationship between Egypt and Israel would play a role in how quickly Jeroboam would hear about Solomon’s death. As he was someone who would have known Rehoboam, he would have made a good candidate for the elders of the ten tribes to be the head and spokesman to Rehoboam for the decision to stay or leave the leadership of David’s family.
But Egypt played another role. What were the idols that Jeroboam built? What shape or image did he use? Calves. He built two golden calves and all in the name of convenience. This should remind us of a deadly decision made about 500 years earlier at Mt Sinai when Israel convinced Aaron to make a golden calf to worship. And both Aaron and Jeroboam made the same statement: that this golden calf was the “God who brought us out of Egypt.” They both declared that such a grotesque image was a visible image of the Lord God Almighty. And both events came out of a coming out of Egypt. In making these idols and setting up the religion, Jeroboam either removed or chased out the Levites, all under the fear that going to Jerusalem to worship under the Law of Moses would cost him the kingship. Let’s not forget that Jeroboam was given the exact same promises of a kingship that David had, except he would not get the promise of a line to carry the Savior. He would have a strong lasting dynasty if he stayed obedient to the Lord. But he went to follow idols just as his peer Rehoboam and his former master Solomon did.
Jeroboam was confronted by an unnamed prophet, attempted to curse him, and his hand withered on the spot. After asking for prayer to be healed, Jeroboam went his way, knowing he was cursed and his line would not survive. He even had the audacity to try to send his wife to Ahijah the prophet to see if his sick son would survive. In his mercy, God was going to take the son’s life because there was good in him and so he would not experience the annihilation of Jeroboam’s line. And in the end of it all, Jeroboam would be the litmus test for all the kings of Israel.
So what can we learn from Jeroboam? You can get more details of his reign in Katie Erickson’s post about him. One thing I noticed is that Jeroboam is never seen to seek the Lord other than in the case of his sick son. God went to him, but he never responded in kind. He never pursued the Lord with his heart. God gave him the opportunity that only David was given, to have a lasting dynasty for following the Lord. But for fear of losing it, he turned to idolatry, to making a mimic and a counterfeit of genuine faith. He was religious, but he let the influence of Egypt and the idolatry of Solomon to make him think that such idolatry was acceptable. This was all in the fear of man.
Jeroboam was not a spiritually healthy man. God knew this when he selected him, but God was going to tear the kingdom apart for good and Jeroboam was the right man for the job. God did not regret choosing Jeroboam in the same way he regretted making Saul king (note that God does not make any mistakes; he simply was grieved over Saul). Just because a man looks the part, that does not make him someone you should be following. We know this from Saul, but the same applies to Jeroboam. He challenged a corrupt king and created a national split. People still do this today where if they do not get their way, they will create a church split. We must be aware of attitudes like Jeroboam. Not only are they rebellious, but they are also idolaters, and the only destination they can lead towards is death. Stay away from such people.
Next week, we will look at Abijah son of Rehoboam and his short reign.
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Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
In the previous section of this chapter, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about how spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit decides who distributes the gifts to each person (verse 11). Now, Paul builds on that and begins to discuss the diversity and unity of the gifts.
The main analogy in this section is the human body with its diversity and unity. While the human body has many different parts that have many different functions and purposes, so it is with the spiritual body of Christ (verse 12). Regardless of our differences as humans, we are all part of the body of Christ.
We may live in different parts of the world, have different social statuses, and be of different ethnic backgrounds, but we are all united through our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul emphasizes this unity in verse 13, where he mentions common distinctions found in his world – Jews vs Gentiles and slaves vs free. While he mentions those differences, his focus is on unity: “We were all given the one Spirit to drink.” All believers have received the same Holy Spirit. While the Church was not yet worldwide then, the universal Church was already a concept and it was growing every day. The differences among believers were becoming greater, so a focus on unity was needed.
But in that unity, there is diversity, as Paul points out in verse 14. While we are one body, it is made up of many parts. The body must act as one unit, even though it has distinct parts that function for distinct purposes.
In verses 15-17, Paul calls out various body parts as examples. A foot is not a hand, but both are very important. An ear is not an eye, but both are very important. Each part is distinct and needs to do what it was created to do. The same is true for us as believers; we all have our unique functions based on the gifts that the Spirit desires to give to each one of us, and all of those functions are needed. If you lose a part of your body or a sense of your body, something is missing or not functioning properly in the body as a whole. If one part of your body is injured, you focus on that one part and work to bring it back to functioning properly within the body.
No person’s body can function if it were all one sense, i.e. all seeing with no hearing or all hearing with no smelling as Paul calls out. We should not all desire to have the same spiritual gifts or else the body of the Church will not function properly. Diversity is essential in the body of the Church while maintaining the unity of being one body together.
Paul emphasizes God’s role in this in verse 18: “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” God’s sovereignty is important here. We may think we know what role we should fill in His Church, but the truth is that only God truly knows how His Spirit has gifted us and where each one of us belongs to best accomplish His good purposes. God is the one who chooses whether each of us is a hand, foot, eye, ear, etc. in the body of His Church.
Just to drive the point home, in verse 19 Paul again brings up the rhetorical question of how the body could function if it were made up of all one part. There must be diversity within the body so that it can accomplish all of the various functions that it has.
But at the same time, unity is still required. While diversity is essential, unity is also essential, as there must be one body that is made up of those many parts (verse 20). Each believer has a role to play, and we are all important. We must all do what God has called each one of us to do, and at the same time, we must be unified in our purpose to accomplish what God wants for His Church.
What role has God given you to fulfill in His Church? Are you living out that role how God has uniquely gifted you? At the same time, are you living in unity with your fellow believers, all working together toward the common goal of glorifying God and accomplishing His purposes?
Whether you’re a hand, a foot, an eye, an ear, or even a spleen in the body of Christ, as believers in Christ, we are all important to living our what God has called us to and accomplishing what He desires that we accomplish.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
