DAWN
Daily Arts Web Nucleus
Discover the Arts! Each day a different image from the Literary, Performing, or Visual Arts representing a portion of Scripture plus an explanation with links 2014 August 12
Image 1: Jeroboam's Wife Visits the Prophet Ahijah (1671)
Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635-1681)
Dutch Golden Age Baroque Style
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Lille, France
Image Source: Publications on (Art) History
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Image 2: Vertumnus and Pomona (1710s)
Jean Ranc (1674-1735)
Baroque Style
Musee Fabre, Montpellier, France
Image Source: Web Gallery of Art
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Image 3: Shield (c. 1572)
Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571)
Mannerism Style
Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
Image Source: Web Gallery of Art
Explanation: 1 Kings 14 records several key events in the lives of Jeroboam and Rehoboam. The paintings above represent three of these events. The first painting depicts Ahijah the prophet delivering bad news to Rehoboam's wife concerning the death of her son and of judgment by God on Jeroboam. The second painting depicts pagan gods [the god of seasons (disguised as an old woman) and the goddess of fruit] similar to those worshipped by Israel and Judah. The chapter below condemns both Israel and Judah for their pagan worship. The third painting depicts the kind of treasures (among which were golden shields made by Solomon) stolen by Shishak, King of Egypt, from the Temple and from King Rehoboam's house. [Chronologically and Thematically Related Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 11:5-12; 2 Chronicles 11:18-23; 2 Chronicles 12:1, 14; 2 Chronicles 12:2-12; 1 Kings 15:6; 2 Chronicles 12:13, 15-16; 2 Chronicles 13:1-2; 2 Chronicles 13:20; 1 Kings 15:25].
Abijah, a son of Jeroboam, king of the northern tribes of Israel, fell sick. Jeroboam had his wife put on a disguise; and he sent her with a gift of food to Ahijah the prophet to find out what would become of the child. Ahijah was blind; but Jeroboam may not have known this fact. Also, we are not told how old the child was or whether he was the heir apparent to the throne. Various commentators suppose that he was the eldest son and was in line to be the next king. This is by no means, certain, however. What we can discern from the text (see verse 13) is that he had a favorable relationship with the LORD (1-3). As Jeroboam's wife was on her way to see Ahijah, the LORD told him that she was coming in disguise to ask about her sick son; and he told him what to say (4-5). As soon as Ahijah heard her footsteps at the door he invited her in, asked her why she was coming in disguise, and announced "heavy tidings." The LORD, speaking through Ahijah, told her to remind Jeroboam that the LORD had taken the kingdom from the house of David and had given it to him. But Jeroboam turned to false gods and idols and cast the LORD behind his back. Therefore, the LORD was going to destroy Jeroboam's house and end his dynasty; and various family members would be eaten by dogs and birds. So Ahijah sent Jeroboam's wife back and told her that when she returned her child would die; and all of Israel would mourn him, because he alone was righteous before the LORD in the household of Jeroboam. Moreover, the LORD had already raised up someone who would destroy the house of Jeroboam. Israel was as unstable as a reed shaken in the water; and they would be uprooted and taken into captivity for worshiping false gods (6-16). Jeroboam's wife arose and returned to Tirzah. (Apparently, Jeroboam had switched his capital from Shechem to Tirzah. Later it moved to Samaria). When Jeroboam's wife stepped on the threshold, the child died; and Israel mourned for him (17-18). Additional material about Jeroboam was recorded in the "the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel," which probably was the official court record of the kingdom. It was not the books we now call Kings or Chronicles. These were written centuries later by inspired historians, rather than by court recorders. Jeroboam reigned 22 years; and his son Nadab (the second, and last, king in Jeroboam's Dynasty) took his place on the throne (19-20).
In Judah, Rehoboam was king. But, under him, Judah turned to idolatry and sexual immorality (21-24). In his fifth year, king Rehoboam was attacked by Shishak, king of Egypt. He took the treasures of the Temple and of the king's house, including gold shields from the Temple made by Solomon. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields (25-28). This was the first of many despoliations of the Temple. Additional material about Rehoboam was recorded in the "the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah," which, as mentioned above, probably was the official court record of the kingdom. It was not the books we now call Kings or Chronicles. These were written centuries later by inspired historians, rather than by court recorders. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were at war with one another as long as they lived. Abijam (also called Abijah) became king in Judah when Rehoboam died (29-31).
1 Kings 14
1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.
2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.
3 And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.
4 And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.
5 And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.
6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,
8 And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
9 But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:
10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.
12 Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.
13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
14 Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.
15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.
16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.
17 And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;
18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.
19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house.
28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.
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