Jeroboam’s Son Fell Sick

Hello, everyone. Let us look at 1 Kings chapter 14. The theme is: “When a man provokes God’s anger, God hands him and his household over to the enemy.” Jeroboam’s son fell sick. This is quite revealing. As we live in this world, we often hear people say: Better to have nothing than to have sickness; better to have nothing than to have no money. In fact, that is wrong.

What does it mean, “Better to have nothing than sickness”? Do you think that, just because you do not want to fall sick, you will not fall sick? No. You do not have the final say. Even Jeroboam, king over the ten tribes of Israel, could not decide whether his son would fall sick. Is that not so?

In the previous chapter, Jeroboam was burning incense at the altar. A man of God came and warned him. In the end, the man of God died, but Jeroboam’s arm was healed. What lesson did Jeroboam learn from this? None at all.

Let me ask you: if you had experienced God, provoked His anger, and then God healed you, what would you think? Would you suppose that everything was now all right? I tell you, there would certainly be consequences. What happened in the end? His son fell sick. Why? God had handed his entire household over to the enemy.

Some may say that this is not necessarily so. After all, his wife was still alive and well, and Jeroboam himself was still alive and well.

But I tell you, the whole family does not need to fall sick. Even if they all fell sick, what would that prove? It would still prove God’s anger. His son fell sick. Jeroboam could gather all the best physicians in Israel, and it would be of no use. Why? That sickness proved that God had handed his son over to the enemy. Provoking God’s anger is no trivial matter.

We must understand this. When sickness comes, it does not matter how great you are, how domineering you may be, or how much influence you wield. When sickness strikes, all your struggling will be of no use. You must understand this. If you do, then we need to speak seriously about it.

How much is a throne worth? I tell you, it is far less than the cost of treating cancer.

I have a good friend who owns a listed company. His younger brother had cancer. Because he loved his brother deeply, just as Abraham loved Lot’s father, he was willing to spend any amount of money to save him. He even knelt before the doctor and begged him to save his brother.

I tell you, when a doctor sees someone kneeling before him, he too is helpless. Do you think doctors are that powerful? They are merely very good at making money.

You must know this: the number of diseases in a person’s body shows how much filth there is in his mind. It may not be filth in your own mind; it may be filth in your father’s mind. Jeroboam’s son fell sick, but it was really Jeroboam’s sin that brought it about.

At that point, Jeroboam remembered a prophet named Ahijah, the prophet who had once foretold that he would become king over Israel.

Jeroboam thought that they had a good relationship. So he told his wife to disguise herself, to make herself look like an ordinary woman, so that no one would recognise that she was the wife of Israel’s king. But even if you went to Seoul, South Korea, for plastic surgery, it would be of no use. Even if you put on a wig, you could not hide from God’s eyes. Do you think you can deceive heaven and get away with it?

This is where people are foolish. She pretended to be an ordinary woman and went to ask the prophet Ahijah what would become of her son. Let me ask you: had Jeroboam sought out the best doctors in all Israel? He had. But did he think at that moment that this was God’s anger? No, he did not.

This makes me reflect deeply. There was once a man who fell ill with a terminal disease. Then he remembered Jesus Christ. I had shared the gospel with him before, and later he came to believe in the Lord. But after he believed, whenever the church spoke about offerings, he became upset. His face would turn sour. I said, “Then let it be.”

God had given him a good job. See his logic? “It is fine for You to give me a good job, but it is not fine for me to give money.”

People are so ignorant. Only when they are in trouble and have a terminal disease do they remember to seek God again. I thought his skin was thick enough. What kind of cheek is that? Only when he had a terminal disease and the hospital could not cure him was he willing to come and pray.

I asked him why he had come to pray. He ignored me. I asked him whether he could explain what problem he had. He still ignored me.

About two or three weeks later, he told me, “Teacher, I want to give a testimony!” He had gone back to the hospital for another examination, and the virus was gone. He was healed.

How long could he remember God’s grace? People have memories like fish. Once the wound has healed, they forget the pain. Before long, he said, “I want to leave the church.” So I said, “Then leave.” It was not the first time he had left.

Once life became good again, he did what was evil in God’s sight and provoked God’s anger. God will certainly hand a man and his household over to the enemy. It is only a matter of time.

In this age of internet dividends, there are people whom we once admired. Where are they now? It is not that retribution does not come; the time has simply not yet come. When retribution comes, it will come.

Some may say, “Teacher, are you saying this to frighten me?” I am not trying to frighten you. When God truly does this, what will you do? If God is determined to do it, what use is there in praying ourselves to death? We may pray, “God, heal him!” But God says, “My decision is final.”

It cannot be changed. A man reaps what he sows. Therefore, people must fear God.

The Prophet’s Prophecy and Warning

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognise you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. Now take ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the child.” (1 Kings 14:1–3)

As she came to the door, Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps and said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another woman? I have been sent to you with bad news.” (1 Kings 14:6)

Do you see? Do you think that if you put on a vest, I will no longer recognise you? There was a comedy sketch like this. A snake was swimming on the water. With a swish, it dived into the water. Soon, a turtle came up. The man looked at it and said, “Do you think I do not recognise you just because you put on a vest?”

Jeroboam’s wife had the same logic. She thought that by putting on a vest, she could get through. Could she really get through?

“Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. Yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes. Instead, you have done more evil than all who were before you. You have made other gods for yourself and cast idols, provoking Me to anger, and you have cast Me behind your back. Therefore, I will bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, whether slave or free. I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam as one sweeps away dung, until it is all gone.’” (1 Kings 14:7–10)

The passage goes on with much more, and the ending was utterly tragic. I suppose that when Jeroboam’s wife returned home, she must have told Jeroboam, “God will bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam.”

Jeroboam probably gave it some thought but did not take it seriously. The next morning, he got up and wondered, “Is everything not quite all right? Am I not still king of Israel? Ahijah must have been talking nonsense.” The next morning, he got up again and said, “I am still king of Israel. Ahijah really talks nonsense. What kind of prophet is he?” By the third day, he said no more. A week passed, and everything still seemed fine.

Are we not the same? Some hear me teach on 1 Kings chapter 14, “When a man provokes God’s anger, God hands him and his household over to the enemy,” and they mutter to themselves, “No, that is not so. Is everything not quite all right?”

You must understand that when trouble comes, it comes all at once. Let me ask you: what would become of Jeroboam’s house? He thought that because his entire household was still safe and sound on the second and third mornings, there was truly peace. But in the end, not one word of God’s prophecy concerning his household failed.

Do we now all suppose that we are all right? Some people have everything going well while they are in university. There is no problem at all. Later, they develop depression, and they do not know where it came from. Then there are this syndrome and that syndrome, and cancer as well. No one knows what his future will be.

You must know that the things which happen in every family are related to the sins committed by their ancestors. Do you agree? Not one disaster will be missing.

Even after the prophet foretold what would happen to his household and prophesied that his son would die, Jeroboam’s wife went home, and indeed his son died. Let me ask you: if you were Jeroboam, what would you think?

I tell you, if I were Jeroboam, I would quickly repent before God and admit that I had provoked God’s anger. Would that not be so? But Jeroboam was impressive. He did not take it to heart at all. He probably thought it was normal for someone in every family to die. “This is simply my son’s fate.” Where was repentance?

In any case, nothing could shake Jeroboam’s worldly system of logic. Truly, I tell you, this is where people are foolish. Worldly people are in fact very foolish. They think it is perfectly normal that men die for wealth and birds die for food. The reason is that they truly do not know that only the spiritual realm is real.

Can we recognise that the system of logic within us is wrong? No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand it. How can a person do something which he himself believes to be wrong? If he knew from the beginning that he was wrong, then it would be easier. Would it not?

From the time Jeroboam became king of Israel to the time he made the golden calves, he never thought that he had a problem. Now I tell you how people become fools and how they bring disasters upon themselves: they think they are doing quite well.

Some people think, “You cannot say that I am not good. If you say that I am not good, that will not do.” If you can heed one piece of advice from me, it is this: often question the things you take for granted. The deeply rooted system of logic within us is wrong. If we do not tear it down, we will be much like Jeroboam all our lives.

After I say this, some may respond, “Come on, how can I compare with Jeroboam? He was a king. If I could become like Jeroboam, that would be good enough for me.” My goodness! Was that really good?

I have encountered this many times while leading Bible studies. How many times? People often take the wrong side. As they listen, they misunderstand completely. For example, when I speak about Saul, they think Saul did very well. When I speak about Jacob, they think Jacob was wrong to deceive others. When I speak about Esau, they think it was good that Esau loved the world.

They get everything wrong. Do you know why? Do not merely say that they have got it wrong. Throughout human history, people have got many things wrong. When Nimrod is mentioned, they say, “Nimrod was so good.” When Cain is mentioned, they say, “Cain was so good. His descendants were founders of every trade and profession.” Many people even admire them greatly.

You must understand: a person’s value system determines his judgment.

Therefore, Jeroboam could not understand no matter how he thought about it: “What exactly has happened to me?” In fact, this is very common. Many people can always find an excuse: “Who does not fall sick? People eat grain; it is normal to get sick. Look at all the people in the hospital. Are they not just like me?”

Why do you want to be like them? Does being like them make it reasonable? Is that good? Slowly reflect on it. People are all like this.

The King’s Son Had the Best Death of All

So what did the prophet say?

“All who belong to Jeroboam and die in the city shall be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field shall be eaten by the birds of the air. For the LORD has spoken it. As for you, arise and go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him. For he alone of Jeroboam’s house shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. The LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day. What? Even now!” (1 Kings 14:11–14)

It is just as I said earlier. Jeroboam got up on Monday and nothing happened. Tuesday and Wednesday were the same. He probably thought, “How can this be true?” Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years. He waited twenty-two years.

Do you not find that strange? Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years, and some people think, “That was still rather glorious.” This is not a matter of whether it was glorious. As for how miserably Jeroboam died in the end, or whether he cried out in pain, we do not know.

Have you seen cancer patients crying out in pain? Even if he did cry out in pain, there was nothing that could be done. Is that not so?

Jeroboam Reigned Twenty-Two Years

Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years, and his son succeeded him as king. After hearing this, do you think, “What use was Ahijah’s prophecy? Even though Ahijah said all this, I still think Jeroboam did rather well. To reign for twenty-two years as king was already remarkable. If it were me, I would be satisfied to reign for two years.”

Do people think this way? Many do. A man can reign as king for twenty-two years. What more do you want?

But you must know that a throne may be a curse. Let us think differently. If he had not been chosen by God to become king of Israel, would his son have died so early? Perhaps not. If he had not become king of Israel, but had remained an ordinary citizen, perhaps his life would have been fairly good. Would that not be so?

Do not get this wrong. A man lives in fear and anxiety, especially a king of Israel. His rivals are all the surrounding nations. Take the late Qing dynasty. Do you think it was enjoyable to be emperor in the final years of the Qing dynasty? The last emperor, Puyi, fled to the Japanese-occupied territory and established a puppet regime. Do you think that was enjoyable? No. It was miserable.

You may think that, however miserable he was, he still did not suffer as much as ordinary people. What do you know?

Therefore, do not think that this is a good thing. Is it really good? Some people are glorious for a time, and then they are no longer glorious. As they go on, they work themselves into prison. There are many who are imprisoned in their forties, fifties, and sixties. Some receive life sentences.

How many people, for money, have done many filthy things and learnt many other people’s secrets? How many people are hoping for their death, while they themselves do not even know it?

Why must people live this way? Was it good for Jeroboam’s son to become king? Later he was usurped. You must know that there are many stories in the palace.

Therefore, everyone must be careful. What kind of life do we really want? Perhaps from childhood I never had great ambitions. I did not want to become great, I did not want to become powerful, and I did not want to go to prison. I only wanted to live plainly and do what is right in God’s eyes. That is good enough.

If God wants me to do something, then I will do it. But if you ask me what is so meaningful about it, when I was young, I already thought there was not much meaning in it. What is the point?

Rehoboam Also Provoked God’s Anger

Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. There were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. (1 Kings 14:21–24)

They were all very capable, were they not? In the first year, they did these things and nothing happened. In the second year, they did them again and nothing happened. In the third year, they did them again, and still nothing happened.

You must understand this: if we have fallen under a curse, it does not grow out the next day. Even bean sprouts take a few days to grow. If it keeps growing and does not bear fruit, wait until it bears fruit. I tell you, if a man has sown curses for twenty or thirty years, the fruit it bears will be more formidable than the fruit of the ginseng tree or peaches of immortality.

If a papaya grew for thirty years, how large would it be? It could wrap a person inside it.

Therefore, Rehoboam’s mind was not working very well. Think about it. He became king at forty-one. Solomon reigned until he was old, and then Rehoboam succeeded him. By right, from childhood, Rehoboam had seen his father busy building the palace and building God’s temple. Would that not be so?

He should also have seen God’s glory filling the temple. He should have seen his father Solomon praying before God. But he forgot all of it. He forgot everything.

Not only was the king like this; the Israelites were just the same. Why? Let me give you an example, and you will understand why people worship idols.

Among the Israelites, there were people whose thoughts were filthy and selfish. They wanted badly to make money by doing evil. Let me ask you: if you wanted to make money through evil deeds, and you came to the temple to pray, “God, tomorrow I am going to rob a bank. Can You bless me and give me a good opportunity when I go to rob it?” What do you think of such a thought?

It would be better not to pray. Once he prayed, it became even more troublesome. The moment he went in to rob the bank, he would be caught red-handed. Do you understand? God would arrange it for you. If you did not pray, it might be one thing. But once you prayed, you would certainly be caught. Would that not be so? It does not work. Can doing evil ever work?

Let me ask you: if you pray in the temple, “God, I want to be the richest man in my town. I want to be the richest man in Jerusalem,” God may indeed make you the richest man—but rich in debt. It does not work.

Do not get this wrong. If you want to seek wealth before God, be careful. The god of wealth is a minor evil spirit. To seek wealth before God will bring trouble upon you.

If a man loves money, he will certainly bring many disasters upon himself. Rehoboam and the people of Judah heard that the god of the Ammonites was supposedly very good and very powerful. They wanted to try and see whether it was true.

And indeed, when these people prayed and made requests to the god of the Ammonites, not only did they succeed in robbing banks, but they even escaped successfully.

This spread widely among the people. Someone wanted to do business, prayed to the god of the Ammonites, and his business flourished. He even became the richest man in Jerusalem and had great wealth. As for whether his son was sick or whether someone would stab him with a knife, that did not matter. So long as he had money, it was enough. Therefore, the Israelites went to worship idols.

When you worship the true God, there are many things you want which God will not give you, and which you cannot ask for. But before idols, you can ask for anything. Is that not so? Therefore, they set up sacred pillars and wooden images, built altars under green trees, and even had perverted persons.

Some children had not even reached adulthood. There are people with demons in them who like to molest children. Is that not detestable?

If you go to God’s temple and ask for such things, are you not seeking death? But people are just like this. They crave their own enjoyment and like doing such things. As a result, they provoked God’s anger.

Yet even after provoking God’s anger, Rehoboam still reigned for seventeen years. Then he died, and his son succeeded him as king.

Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years. Rehoboam reigned for seventeen years. How many years was that one letter “Je” worth? It was worth five years. Is that how he calculated it? No, it was not.

Therefore, Rehoboam also provoked God’s anger. What kind of mind is this? I tell you, a person’s system of logic is no small matter. A man in officialdom cannot understand God’s system of logic. A man in business is the same. Whatever profession a person has been in for a long time, he builds his system of logic according to that profession.

Five years later, the king of Egypt came to attack Jerusalem.

The King of Egypt Attacked Jerusalem

The enemy came, did he not? I tell you, whoever provokes God’s anger, God will hand him over to the enemy. Therefore, if we often suffer defeat, we must be careful. It means the enemy has come to attack.

The enemy took away all the gold shields. Rehoboam was quite interesting. When the gold shields were taken away, he replaced them with bronze ones. But can bronze and gold be the same? They cannot.

You have a throne and gold shields in your hands, and then you bring people to attack you.

Fortunately, his life was spared, but the gold shields were taken away. When Rehoboam saw the enemy coming to attack him, did he reflect and say, “Oh, I have provoked God’s anger”? No.

I tell you, these people absolutely believed that they were the smartest people in the world. They absolutely believed that they held the truth in their hands. They even believed that they themselves were the truth. Do you understand?

Was there any problem? No problem. You are the king of Judah. Who would dare tell you that you had a problem? Who would have nothing better to do than to tell you what was wrong with you? Then the king of Egypt came and attacked him.

Let me ask you: did these people ever understand, even at death, what they had done? They understood nothing. They were foolish, yet they still thought they were quite good. They still thought they had done very well.

They reigned as king, attended the morning court and the evening court, reviewed memorials, and did a very high-ranking job. Later, their sons succeeded them as king. In the eyes of men, that seems quite good. Yet what they did provoked God’s anger.

Why? Because their minds contained only the matters of this world. They did not know to fear God.

Everything they did was recorded in the Book of the Kings. Who wrote their history? God wrote it for them. God recorded every account they had. What would happen in the end? Not only would they live under a curse; after death, according to the Book of Revelation, they would also be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.

They lived helplessly in this world, without destiny, without purpose, knowing nothing, merely drifting through life.

Someone may say, “They were kings. How can you still say that they drifted through life blindly?” Why is being a king not drifting through life blindly? Do you think being a king means living well? Of course, your system of logic and mine are not the same. So no matter how we talk, we cannot agree.

I encourage everyone: stand higher, look farther, and see further into the future. Can you see into eternity? If you stand on the truth and heights of the spiritual realm, and then look again at these matters of the human world, I tell you, you will discover that everything is vanity of vanities, utterly meaningless.

All right? Remember this: everything a man does, God records.

May God bless you all!