Solomon turned his heart away from the Lord and towards a myriad of strange women and their gods (1 Kings 11:1-6). The Lord promised, due to Solomon’s backsliding, that He would rend the kingdom of Israel from Solomon’s successor. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, made some unwise decisions concerning the treatment of God’s people (1 Kings 12:1-19). Ten tribes broke away from Rehoboam and followed after Jeroboam. Jeroboam was an industrious mighty man of valor. Solomon had made him ruler over the house of Joseph (1 Kings 11:28). Though he wasn’t offspring of David, he became Israel’s new king. Rehoboam remained king over Judah and a small population of Benjamin.
The Temple, and therefore worship, remained in Jerusalem located in Judah. Jeroboam was worried that if people traveled to Jerusalem to worship, then their allegiance would return to Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:26-27). In order to keep his fears from coming true, he decided to set up two alternative places of worship. Jeroboam set up a bull to worship in Dan, and another in Bethel. Yes, you read that correctly. Jeroboam made two bulls to be worshiped. To make matters worse, he built high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi (1 Kings 13:28-31). He didn’t stop there. Next, he ordained a holy day, to look like the other holy days in Judah. But what is the use of idols, houses of worship, and priests without an altar (1 Kings 13:32-33)?
Israel’s greatest threat wasn’t a nation, a people, or a person. Israel’s greatest threat was false doctrine. The Lord warned His people time and again to avoid the worship of false gods, and any imitation of true worship (Ex. 20:3; Deut. 8:19-20). Jeroboam, Israel’s king, had officially lead God’s chosen people to worship bulls.
The threat of false doctrine wasn’t limited to the Old Testament. In the New Testament we see warnings against anything that would corrupt true devotion to Christ. The apostle Paul warned the newly formed Ephesian church at his departure: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-29).
Jeroboam offered Israel a new religion. It looked and sounded a lot like what they experienced previously. But if they would have looked a little closer, they would have realized they had been deceived.
It is imperative, beloved, that we know how to discern between true and false doctrine.