Who can change a person's thoughts and intentions? Sometimes, the decisions people make are not their own, but guided by God! If you fear losing something and try to maintain it through human methods, you will never have inner peace, nor can it be maintained for long. People should build faith in God and believe in God's promises!

Questions to Ponder:

• After you became a believer, have you ever made wrong decisions? If so, what do you think caused you to make the wrong choices?

• Why did Rehoboam make such a foolish choice?

• Why did Jeroboam make two golden calves? What impact would making golden calves have on the name of Israel?

Rehoboam's Foolish Choice

Rehoboam was deluded when he made his choices. He chose to respond to the Israelites with harsh words. This delusion came from God because God wanted to fulfill what He had said. God controls people's thoughts and intentions. In Chapter 12, we can see the differences in the thoughts and intentions of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. In Rehoboam's case, God made his thoughts arrogant, leading him to lose much grace. The most serious consequence was that ten tribes of Israel returned to their respective lands and no longer supported him. This shows that the thoughts and intentions of the people represent political power. If the people do not support you, your politics will collapse.

The strength of politics lies in public opinion. If public opinion is not on your side, no matter how powerful you are, you will collapse. However, public opinion is actually a spiritual thing. Those who do not understand the spiritual truth attribute it to political economics. People rely on their own observations to summarize the laws of things but fail to see the essence of things. David and Solomon initially relied on God to govern Israel. But in the later period of Solomon and his son's time, they relied on harsh words and punishments to manage the country, which led to Rehoboam losing ten tribes.

Jeroboam's “Perfect” Logic

Let us examine Jeroboam. Jeroboam received a promise from God. God said, “And it shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (1 Kings 11:38). Jeroboam heard the prophet's words and witnessed the ten tribes of Israel being given to him. However, he immediately resorted to political calculations.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” (1 Kings 12:26-27)

One's considerations are based on either human logic or God's logic. If one relies on human logic, he will think that the kingdom was seized by his own power, not given by God. Therefore, he must use his own methods to secure it. Jeroboam’s thoughts fit human logic. Human logic caters to human desires, which is exactly what the devil wants to see. Know that human logic always has a spiritual root. In fact, the greatest enemy on our path of faith in the Lord is our own logic. If we think according to our own logic, we will be confused and corrupted. Following human logic, Jeroboam made two calves of gold to solve the problem of where his people should offer sacrifices to God. According to this logic, the solution was simple: to cater to public opinion by placing one calf in Dan and the other in Bethel. Jeroboam changed the geographical location of worship, the festivals, and even the standard for becoming a priest.

This practice may appear convenient for the people because they did not have to go to Jerusalem three times a year to offer sacrifices and keep the festivals. However, this practice is completely contrary to the way we must pay the price to trust the Lord! If we pay the price, we will have peace on all sides; if we cater to our flesh and do not pay the price, the nation will perish. Therefore, we must know that whatever conforms to human logic does not come from God. On the path of faith in the Lord, we must constantly examine and renew the logic within us. For example, many brothers and sisters choose to come to church for Bible study and prayer after work, despite the distance. This is a manifestation of paying the price, and God solves many problems for us without our knowing. Jeroboam thought he could strengthen the nation by his own power without relying on God, which is a manifestation of lack of faith. If you have no faith in God, you will be corrupted, because you will be overcome by the devil. If you strengthen your faith, God will surely strengthen your house and give your people to you.