God gave Jeroboam the 10 Northern tribes of Israel. Now the other 2 would forever be known as Judah, hence the name Jew. Did God give Jeroboam any requirements, dictates, or commandments for him to follow? Did God warn him in any way?
1 Kings 11:31-33 He (Abijah) said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes
(but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon;
and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.
First, God clearly demonstrated that He would take the kingdom away from Solomon because of his evil idolatry. That should by itself be a warning to Jeroboam. Unless he thought that it did not pertain to him and that he would rule under lesser restrictions and penalties.
11:34-35 'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; but I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you, even ten tribes.
David is one of the most mentioned names in the Bible. He is credited with being a man after God’s own heart, yet he too, was a sinner. Also, God had promised an eternal throne for his descendants. Jesus was physically born in the line of David.
1:36 'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.
11:37-38 'I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel.
'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did,
then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
So God gave Jeroboam the same rules to live by as He did to David and Solomon. God promised him the same blessings He promised David for obedience to Him. Yet, he just like Solomon before him, sinned against God and led the 10 tribes into greater idolatry.
11:39 'Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.'"
God is still afflicting the descendants of David, as they continue to disobey Him and deny His Son.
God’s forgiveness only comes after sincere repentance and a turning back to Him.
Words alone are not enough as they must be followed by deeds.
Just how far did Jeroboam fall from the one, true God?
Next time we will see how far he fell.