Introduction

Good day to all. Today, I will be sharing an academic paper with you. I must admit, my research into this paper is not yet exhaustive. However, through studying it, I have uncovered a profound mystery. And what is this mystery? It is encapsulated in the phrase: The throne becomes a snare. A throne, coveted by many, can indeed become a snare. In recent weeks, I have delivered a series of talks. Within this series, I have discussed King Saul in two of them, Esau in another, and also the High Priest Eli, a man of authority in his time.

These historical figures passed away millennia ago, but their stories continue to offer us profound lessons. My perspective is not one of humanism or history, but rather from the vantage point of what God intends to reveal to us through the Bible. We will not revisit Esau or old Eli. Instead, I want to convey that the history in the Bible serves as a mirror. This mirror distinctly separates those who belong to God and please Him from those who do not and incur His wrath.

These individuals, upon assuming the throne or a high position, present fascinating life stories and outcomes. Take Saul, for instance. He was content as an ordinary citizen, but one day, he ascended to become the King of Israel. His life's journey and ultimate fate are filled with irony. Had Saul remained a commoner, searching for lost chickens, donkeys, or horses, and tilling the land, his life might have continued uneventfully. However, upon becoming King, his life culminated in tragedy.

Upon closer examination of human history, it is essentially a chronicle of changing rulers. Dynasties rise and fall, with new kings replacing old ones, only to be replaced themselves. Few kings lived well. Consider it carefully, how many kings truly lived well? Why does the throne become a snare? This is a question worthy of our contemplation. Even today, many strive relentlessly to climb to the top, only to find themselves ensnared, leading to a tragic end. If we learn from history, we see that the end of these people entering the snare is full of irony.

During the Ming Dynasty, Vietnam was under Chinese control. Originally, a man named Chen served as the local leader, and the Chen dynasty had to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty. However, the Chen dynasty's king was overthrown and killed by a man named Ho. After succeeding to the throne, former officials of the Chen dynasty fled to the Great Ming Dynasty and lodged a complaint with the Ming Emperor. The Ming Emperor sent envoys and descendants of the Chen king to remove the Ho king. The Ho king then killed the envoys sent by the Great Ming Dynasty, along with the Chen prince. In the end, the Great Ming Dynasty dispatched 300,000 soldiers to destroy the Ho dynasty.

These are the kinds of events we read about. In history, you will rarely find anything positive, mostly just such occurrences. In fact, had the Ho minister not stirred trouble, he could have lived comfortably. However, they were ultimately annihilated. We often get things backward in this world. There was indeed one wise man, known as Liu Shan. We often refer to him as the unsupportable Adou, thinking him incapable. Yet, from any perspective, Liu Shan is quite intriguing, displaying great wisdom in his seeming foolishness, proving to be quite clever.

After the forces protecting Liu Shan were destroyed by the Sima family, Liu Shan was taken to the capital of the Jin kingdom, where he lived comfortably with ample food and drink. The Jin Emperor, fearing rebellion, was constantly worried, only to discover that Liu Shan was content and did not miss his homeland. Ironically, Liu Shan lived a life of enjoyment, even more comfortable than the kings of the Sima family. Let us ponder what truly happened. This is what we will discuss: why has the throne become a snare?

Returning to our main topic, the person we will discuss is Jeroboam. Do not be alarmed if you are unfamiliar with the name. No matter, we will primarily introduce him and the ideology he upheld. In what era did Jeroboam live? He was a contemporary of Solomon. David became king and later fathered Solomon with Bathsheba. Bathsheba was Uriah's wife, whom David had killed so he could take her as his own.

Solomon had an elder brother named Adonijah, who sought the throne and, having nothing better to do, proclaimed himself king. David was still alive at that time and had already intended to make Solomon his successor. Later, after Solomon became king, he had his brother Adonijah killed. Why was Adonijah killed? Because Adonijah kept making requests, essentially desiring the throne. What am I implying? If Adonijah had not sought the throne, would he have been killed by Solomon?

The throne becomes a snare—can you grasp this concept? The world is rife with snares. If we observe carefully, many things surpass our imagination. It is hard to say whether obtaining a throne is a blessing or a curse. When virtue does not match position, disaster follows. The Jeroboam we mentioned later became king. The historical drama played again, and the throne became a snare. The purpose is to learn a lesson, to give everyone a reminder: Have we gone down Jeroboam's path? What is Jeroboam's path? Let me slowly explain it to you; the preceding words are merely a prelude.

In fact, whether it was Jeroboam, Solomon, or David, God had them all made kings. However, later, during Jeroboam's reign, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms, one called Israel and the other Judah. Judah was governed by the Davidic line, while the other kingdom, Israel, was governed by Jeroboam. Eventually, both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel fell. One was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire, and the other by the Babylonian Empire. Throughout the entire process, we find that God would raise up a dynasty to destroy the nation that belonged to Him.

Why would God destroy a nation that belonged to Him? Why did God establish a nation and then raise up another to destroy the nation that already belonged to Him? Because these nations had deviated from God. Why did they deviate from God? Because these nations did not emulate David but instead emulated Jeroboam. Jeroboam was well-known, and he was very talented. This talent later enabled him to become king. As a result, the throne became a snare, and the nation became a laughingstock. In fact, it continues to be so today. Do not assume that the downfall of a Christian nation or a Jewish nation is not God's doing. In fact, it is God's doing!

Why did Jeroboam's doctrine become so popular and widespread? Did Jeroboam believe in God? Yes, he did. But he worshipped golden calves. His beliefs were based on an entire political and economic logic system, that is, his management doctrine, coupled with his core interests. This is Jeroboam's doctrine. Jeroboam's doctrine should appear more reasonable and straightforward than the doctrine of trusting in God that we have now.

So everyone, think carefully. After listening, you can list many of Jeroboam's doctrines. I will provide some examples for us to ponder together. You may not know Jeroboam, but after listening, you will understand. You will find that I either speak from Samuel or Kings. Why? Because these are all stories with divine revelations, which are really good. Now, I will introduce who Jeroboam was.

Scripture

Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Peniel. Jeroboam thought to himself, The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. (1 Kings 12:25-28)

One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah. There he offered sacrifices on the altar, which he had made in Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. (1 Kings 12:28-33)

Prayer

God, speak to us today through the story of Jeroboam. Lord, remove the golden calves that we have erected for ourselves in our lives, remove our core interests, remove our worldly logic systems, no matter how reasonable those worldly logic systems and our core interests may seem in our eyes. Today, God, we ask You to take away our intentions and let us wholeheartedly turn to You. Lord, if what we experience in this world today is like Jeroboam's experience, Lord, grant us wisdom and understanding so that we may comprehend Your words and understand through the stories in Kings. Lord, reveal Your will to us and let us know where we have committed Jeroboam's mistakes. Lord, open a path for us today so that we can turn back to You and regain Your grace and mercy. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen!

Scriptural Background

Suddenly, this man named Jeroboam emerged. The other day, I asked someone, Do you know who Jeroboam is? He said, No. I said, How did you read the Bible? If I asked who Isaiah's father was, you might not know, but if I asked you about Isaiah and you did not know, that would be a big problem. Who is Jeroboam? If you are not very clear, you will certainly be very clear on his teachings. Who is this Jeroboam? He was very capable, helping Solomon with work during Solomon's reign. He was very intelligent and talented.

One day, God sent the prophet Ahijah, who encountered Jeroboam. The prophet Ahijah tore his garment into twelve pieces, took ten pieces and gave them to Jeroboam, and put two pieces to one side. Why? Because Solomon had sinned, he worshipped the idols Ashtoreth, the god of Moab, Chemosh, and the god of Ammon, Molek. As a result, God took these ten tribes and gave them to Jeroboam. Jeroboam did not even know if this was a blessing or a curse! It was also quite unlucky, originally living a very peaceful life, why give you ten tribes? That is to say, we must know what Jeroboam was all about. God called Jeroboam and said, I will give you ten tribes.

I will take you and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, you shall be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and laws, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. (1 Kings 11:37-38)

Then, Solomon learned of this matter. Do not think that Solomon was very intelligent, and do not think that he wrote Ecclesiastes, which seemed to have seen through worldly affairs. However, when it came to the issue of the throne, he was still a little confused. As a result, he wanted to kill Jeroboam, and Jeroboam fled to Egypt for so-called political asylum. Later, Solomon died, and Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded his father to continue reigning, ruling Israel. After Jeroboam heard about it, he wanted to return to seize the throne and become king.

Everyone hears this and thinks it is pretty good, but is it really that good? Later, it was not good. When we read the Bible, such as Genesis, about the mighty men of old, everyone thinks they are great when they read about the mighty men. The five-star generals of the United States are great! Including the United States Secretary of Defense in charge of the U.S. military, if they say destroy Iraq, they destroy Iraq; if they say attack Afghanistan, they attack Afghanistan; if they say capture bin Laden, they capture bin Laden; great! Everyone is very envious when they hear about these things.

But Jeroboam wanted to become king, he returned to seize the throne, and as a result, Rehoboam did one thing, which was to go with the flow. Sometimes we think we are very smart, Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon as king, and forced the people to work for their family, and the Israelites did not do it. Solomon made the Israelites work hard and was very hard, but Solomon had tricks, and his son Rehoboam did not have so many tricks. Rehoboam had no military achievements and no wisdom, so he went with the flow and pushed the ten tribes of Israel to Jeroboam, and Jeroboam took these ten tribes and became the king of Israel. Rehoboam continued to reign in Jerusalem in Judah, ruling over the two tribes, namely the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. And Jeroboam managed the other ten tribes.

The problem came, as a result, Jeroboam was very upset at this time, and the reasons for his distress were also very simple. Let me give you an example, for example, the temple is in mainland China, and Taiwan is like Israel. The people of Taiwan had to go to God's temple, called the temple of Yahweh, in mainland China to worship Yahweh God. How do you say the leader of Taiwan should manage this? It's difficult to manage. By the same logic, these ten tribes of Israel had to go to Jerusalem every year, why did they have to go to Jerusalem? To worship Yahweh God.

The more I pondered on this matter, the more I felt it was upsetting. These people were not only going to worship God, but also developing going to Jerusalem to worship God into a tourism industry. Not only that, they were also leading cattle and sheep to the temple to offer sacrifices. This immediately threatened Jeroboam's core interests. He thought to himself, I'm afraid this nation will belong to Jerusalem again, still belonging to Rehoboam. Think about it, I encourage my people every day to go to the other country to worship God. Currently, no national leader does this.

This guy could not afford to lose money, and could not afford to lose politically, how could he allow his people to go to the other country to worship God? Of course, there are such things now, such as going to a place of pilgrimage. The problem came, Jeroboam thought about it, this matter was not appropriate, he not only thought about it himself, but also probably discussed it with his subordinates, and his subordinates were even more troublesome, we do not know how many subordinates put pressure on Jeroboam. When we read about King Saul, we know that King Saul feared the people and feared his subordinates.

The political pressure that Jeroboam faced was enormous. What should he do? He thought of a trick, this trick was quite damaging, he forgot that the throne came from God. The scripture that we read today is about the trick that Jeroboam thought of, which was to make two golden calves. Had Jeroboam read Exodus? He had, Exodus mentions making a golden calf, how did he make two golden calves again here. Was he not afraid of offending God? A person who is full of his own country forgets God, he is full of his core interests.

For example, when a mother is full of her children, where is God? A businessman is full of his business, where is God? God is just his servant, to complete his great cause. Jeroboam was very intelligent, he had a great plan in Jerusalem, where did this plan start, it started from making two golden calves. What did he say? He said: It is really difficult for the Israelites to go to Jerusalem. You see, this statement is very good, he then said: I will make two golden calves, one placed here and one placed there, so that everyone can go nearby, you do not have to go so far to Jerusalem, and have to go abroad and cross borders, now you do not have to.

That same day the man of God gave a sign: This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and its ashes poured out.” (1 Kings 13:3)

Then, this matter caused the people to fall into sin, so as soon as he did this, trouble came, when Jeroboam was offering sacrifices on the altar, God sent a man of God to Jeroboam, and spoke God's warning to him in front of Jeroboam, as a result, Jeroboam saw someone challenging him, how could that be, he quickly wanted to arrest him, he stretched out his hand to grab him, and as soon as he stretched out his hand, his hand immediately became withered. He quickly asked the man of God to pray for him, and as soon as he prayed, his hand was restored. The man of God then went back, God did not allow the man of God to eat in Bethel, he could not eat or drink, he had to leave this place. As a result, the man of God was deceived by another prophet to return to eat at Bethel. Because the man of God disobeyed God's words, he was eventually killed by a lion.

Jeroboam was also quite powerful, he himself disobeyed God, God sent a man of God, and this man of God was also killed by a lion because of Jeroboam. So today our brothers and sisters must know that serving God must not be disobeyed! Never joke with God. This Jeroboam was powerful, he not only did not leave the golden calves, but also continued to appoint some people from common people to continue to be priests of the high places. Then Jeroboam fell into sin, and after a few years, God destroyed his whole family.

At that time, one of Jeroboam's sons was sick, and he could not get better no matter what, Jeroboam's wife went to see the prophet Ahijah, this prophet was the one who tore the garment into twelve strips of cloth, and told Jeroboam that ten strips of cloth belonged to him, and ten tribes belonged to him. After being made the king of Israel, the person's mind was a little muddled, and when the mind gets muddled, the throne becomes a curse. Later, Jeroboam's family was very miserable, some died, some were destroyed, and they were completely wiped out, and even this family was cut off from Jeroboam onwards, and the whole family was destroyed.

Jeroboam's Political and Economic System

This is very important, I mentioned a political and economic system. If you are a king, you must engage in politics? If you want to manage the country's economy, must you engage in political and economic system? Jeroboam managed the people of the ten tribes of this land as king, and it was not easy to manage the people of this land! As a result, after becoming king, how to manage the entire political activities and economic activities was very upsetting, why? Because this knowledge is very profound.

There is a university course called Political Economy, this course is very powerful, why? This is a very profound subject, but it is not the knowledge of God, today I will tell you about it. There are two kinds of views of history in history, people study history, that is, they use human eyes to see how this king conquered the world, you see Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties are these, what we see is the human side. History has a human view of history, and political economy also has two kinds, one is the human economy, and the other is God's. In fact, establishing a king and abolishing a king are all dependent on God, so what we want to learn is to see from God's perspective. Once we see from God's perspective, political economy is completely another kind of political economy. The view of history from God's perspective is completely another kind of system, not God's system.

From the perspective of human logic, the people all go to Jerusalem to worship God, and then offer sacrifices, how can this person manage? Human thoughts cannot be managed! So the key to managing people is to manage people's thoughts. As a result, the people all went to Jerusalem to worship God, so would not this king of Israel one day lose his head? From a human point of view, this is really the case. But from God's point of view, it is not the case, God had already told Jeroboam to emulate David, but Jeroboam did not listen at all.

Jeroboam's political and economic system should be very much in line with human logic, and also a very academically valuable system, but it is not in line with God's will. Jeroboam's throne was passed down from the prophet Ahijah, the prophet said a prophecy, and then God gave the tribes of Israel to Jeroboam. Jeroboam later began to worry about the instability of the throne, and worried that the economy of the country he led would not work, and he just did not know to emulate David and trust in God, so the trouble was great.

People in the world, like the King of Babylon, although he also had idols and such, God did not deal with him. Even today, everyone must know that many countries in this world worship idols, but God does not deal with them. However, if you are like Jeroboam or David, if your kingship comes from God—of course, the kingship of others also comes from God, but God did not arrange divine theology for those people. But Jeroboam's reign was arranged by God. If you use human politics and economics, you will be in big trouble, and eventually, the country will be destroyed.

If the church uses a worldly political and economic system to manage, it will be in big trouble. I have personally seen some churches using worldly methods, such as KPIs, as evaluation standards. That is Jeroboam's political and economic system. It's no wonder that such churches are not doing well. The church will definitely have a lot of troubles and disputes because it is worldly. If our authority is delegated from God, we must use godly methods to manage. Jeroboam's consideration was actually a very big taboo: he did not conform to God's will.

God did not tell the King of Babylon, the King of Persia, or the King of Assyria to abide by His statutes and ordinances, but when Jeroboam became king, God clearly told him to imitate David, keep His statutes, ordinances, and commandments. Jeroboam found that this was completely irreconcilable with the political and economic system he had learned in the past, so he chose to obey his own political and economic system and disobey God's word.

So today, brothers and sisters, we must know that managing people and managing money are two key areas. The church also manages people and money, and the world also manages people and money, but the way you manage them is crucial. Jeroboam's consideration was based on his position as king, not on God's will for him, which brought a disastrous destruction to his family.

The End of Jeroboam

Jeroboam's end was very miserable. His family was completely wiped out from the earth. It was the seemingly reasonable logical system that caused Jeroboam's family to sin. Today, although we cannot reason things out, if Jeroboam had done everything according to God's will, what would have happened? His family would not have been exterminated, his family would have prospered, his country would have prospered, and his throne would have been secure. But the problem is that no matter how we think about it, we don't think God's principles make sense, let alone keep and follow them.

Because the godly logical system is a logical system with miracles, it is not a natural science at all. Natural science is a human logical system that does not involve miracles. Jeroboam's end ultimately led to the destruction of his entire family. Today, brothers and sisters, we must know that this logical system is very harmful. His own child fell ill first. When he was ill, he sent his wife, disguised as an ordinary woman, to see the prophet Ahijah. As a result, the prophet Ahijah said:

Now the Lord had told Ahijah that Jeroboam’s wife was coming to ask him about her son, for he was sick, and he was to give her such and such an answer. So when she came, she pretended to be someone else. But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘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. But you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.(1 Kings 14:5-8)

You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me. Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel, whether slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. This is what the Lord has spoken.”’ As soon as your feet enter the city, the child will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.(1 Kings 14:9-13)

The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam on that day. What? Yes, even now! And the Lord will strike Israel like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the Lord’s anger by making Asherah poles. And the Lord will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.” Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah. As soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. They buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, as the Lord had said through his servant the prophet Ahijah.(1 Kings 14:14-18)

How many years did Jeroboam reign? Twenty-two years. During these twenty-two years, his son succeeded him as king, and later his son was also killed, and then the whole family was destroyed. Except for Jeroboam's name being recorded in the Bible, there are no more descendants of Jeroboam on this earth. Today we must know for sure that if a person receives a Mingding Destiny from God, or receives a position, it is a very serious matter if he abandons this position.

For example, Esau and Jacob. Esau originally had the birthright, but he despised it, and as a result, he became a model of curse. Saul was the first king of all Israel, with Samuel as his priest. His son Jonathan and his son-in-law David were all very powerful people, but they disobeyed God and did not keep and follow God's word. As a result, he became a laughingstock for the rest of his life, which was very miserable! Now it's Jeroboam's turn again. Why are there so many tragic stories? Because human logic is very reasonable! Do you understand? Human logic is very reasonable, so Jeroboam's political economy has a very deep impact on later generations, even to this day!

The Impact of Jeroboam's Political Economy on Later Generations

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.(1 Kings 15:34)

Let me give you a supplement to the history of the Israelites. After Jeroboam had been king for twenty-two years, he died. Later, his son Nadab succeeded him as king. After Nadab succeeded him, there was a minister of Jeroboam named Baasha, who later killed Jeroboam's entire family. As a result, this Baasha was raised up by God to be the king of Israel. As a result, Baasha, as king, imitated the ways of Jeroboam and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. This is a very interesting thing! Why is this the case? Because Jeroboam's political economy is very reasonable!

Brothers and sisters, I tell you, we have a lot of Jeroboam's theories in our heads. That is, I know you believe in Jesus, I know you are a Christian, but what you have in your head is Jeroboam's political economy. Did Jeroboam know that there was a God? Know! Did he know that he needed to worship God? Know! But he made two golden calves. Don't think that you have seen many tragedies in Christians and you feel very miserable. Wow! Worshipping God like this! I tell you, many tragic tragedies are because they have violated God's word. Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, all of them!

Let me say it again, Jeroboam was king for twenty-two years, and his son Nadab succeeded him as king. Jeroboam's minister Baasha rose up and killed Jeroboam and Nadab. But what this Baasha continued to do was Jeroboam's set of political and economic theories. Later, Baasha died, and his son Elah succeeded Baasha as king. Then another minister like Baasha came out, named Zimri, who killed Baasha's and Elah's entire family. The results of Baasha and Elah's descendants were exactly the same as Jeroboam's family. As a result, Baasha and Elah's entire family followed the ways of Jeroboam. How deep do you say Jeroboam's political economy has had on later generations? Very deep!

I believe that Jeroboam in that generation should really be able to write books and say a lot of things that suit people's tastes. As a result, Zimri was the same. Later, a man named Omri rose up, and Omri killed Zimri's entire family. This change of dynasty is all very bloody. From Jeroboam to Baasha, Baasha to Zimri, Zimri to Omri, four dynasties have been experienced. Who is this Omri? Omri is the very famous father of Ahab. If you have heard of Ahab, you know that his father is called Omri. After this Omri seized the throne, he also followed the ways of Jeroboam. Do you say Jeroboam's influence is deep? Very deep!

Why? Because no matter how you think about it, it is reasonable. Later, Omri's son Ahab also followed the ways of Jeroboam. When Ahab's son Joram was king, God raised up another man named Jehu. This Jeroboam to Baasha, Baasha to Zimri, Zimri to Omri, Omri is Ahab's father, is Joram's grandfather, and then God raised up another person - Jehu. Jehu killed Ahab's entire family. Succeeded Ahab's family as king of Israel. Who is Jehu? Jehu is zealous for the Lord and destroys the priests who worship idols. This Jehu is very powerful and is zealous for the Lord, but this Jehu still follows the ways of Jeroboam. Don't you think this is very incredible? Does this Jehu know God? Know God! But he followed the ways of Jeroboam.

But later the end was almost the same! Today we need to know what year is this Ahab and Jehu? From Ahab to Joram, to Jehu, there are also four kings, Ahaziah, between them, that is, the years of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah is the great prophet we are talking about, who performed powerful miracles, and Elisha also performed very powerful miracles. These two great prophets were both in the years of Ahab and Jehu.

At that time, Jeroboam's political and economic theory ruled the entire Israel. If you know about Samaria. Samaria is the Samaria that Jesus passed by in the New Testament. Who did this Samaria? It's Omri! It is a city built by Ahab's father. Samaria, a city built by Omri, became the capital of the Israelites. The names I have given you are the kings of Israel. Why were they all killed? They were killed because of a very simple matter, that is, the throne became their snare.

The Throne Became a Snare for People

Why are we talking about this? What I am talking about is very important! This is a very important paper, so important that it has a very profound impact on many of us. This throne has become a snare for people! Why has the throne become a snare for people? We need to ask this question. The people we are talking about, from Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Jehaziah, Joram, and then to Jehu, these are all kings. The later ones are the same, they all follow the ways of Jeroboam, and few choose to imitate David, who is loved by God.

People in their positions seek their own interests, and they all follow a theory, that is, the theory that is reasonable in the eyes of people. What is reasonable to us is unreasonable to God; what is reasonable to God is unreasonable to people. Once a person becomes a king, what he must first think about is how to keep his throne, how to establish a good relationship with his subordinates, and how to manage his subordinates well. This is a matter of life and death. This matter is actually clearly stated in the Bible. Don't think that God arranged a king who was not good, and then arranged another king who was not good. Don't think that God made a mistake. God's good intentions are right here. When we read the Bible, you will find that God says this:

The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, and he is the one you are to dread. He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.”(Isaiah 8:13-15)

It turns out that God often tests people! Fortunately, there are these stories that allow us to reflect on what? Reflect on the miserable state of people after they fall! Don't think that God wants you to fall. No! It is you who will fall. Once we value our position and value our status more than we value God, then we will be in big trouble. I will not discuss my views too much, but I thank God that many of my practices are imitating David, and I do not care about this position.

Because this position is given to me by God, I will not protect my own position, I know that God will protect me. Some of our small leaders, small pastors, and group leaders have a kind of tension with the pastoral district leaders. As far as I know, there are several group leaders who tell the people they shepherd that they cannot talk to the pastoral district leader without going through them. Don't tell the pastoral district leader what I tell you. What is this doing? Just trying to do these things. Then you say what is this if not foolishness?

They value their position as group leader extremely highly. He is not even a king yet, he is just a group leader, and he takes this matter so seriously. If he were a king, who would he be if he were not Jeroboam? I think our pastoral district leaders are the same. But later I actually tell you that if people value their position more than valuing God, value their business more than valuing God, value their children more than valuing God, value their work and boss more than valuing God, the throne will become a snare for people.

How the Throne Became a Snare for People

He will be a sanctuary; but to both houses of Israel, He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, To the inhabitants of Jerusalem a trap and a snare. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken captive.”(Isaiah 8:14-15)

You often hear me talk about logical systems, you often hear me talk about core interests, I tell you, if a person's logical system is not changed to be godly, no matter how you calculate it, you will think it is cost-effective to do so, and you will always think it is cost-effective to walk the path of Jeroboam. What will be the result? You will stumble, fall, be broken, and be trapped and captured. What God's word, what keeping and following God's commandments will all be forgotten. Because your core interests and your logical system determine your choices. When you look at it with godly words, no matter how you look at it, you will feel that God's words are unreasonable. Think about it, we have seen many pastors, and we have also seen many of these people, many such pastors and leaders, all kinds of people, in order to protect their interests, they dare to say anything.

Some time ago, there was a young man, I have known him for decades, he was very young when I met him. He suddenly became fascinated with Chinese Mingding Destiny, and I wondered if this was the one I used to know? Later I found out it was. Later, I contacted him through a small assistant. After contacting him, he found that what we said was very consistent with the Bible. As a result, he sent it to his own pastor, and his own pastor said to him: You have to be careful. In fact, there is absolutely no problem with the phrase you have to be careful, you should be careful. Then what should you be careful about? In fact, many pastors are afraid of losing their own interests, and many pastors are like this.

Then I think, should the logical system and core interests that are installed in our brothers and sisters be to protect our position? Is it to protect our things, or is it to keep and follow God's word? Then this is very interesting. In fact, I thought about it carefully later, what I said may not be all right, but many times people like to erect a lot of golden calves! It is Jeroboam's golden calf. For example, people have to do things according to people's intentions, and as a result, family comes first. Marital relationship, wife should obey husband, husband should love wife, talking a lot of these logic. Are these things the words of the Bible? Actually, they are really not!

Do you think God really cares about these things? What God cares about is His temple. We people easily come up with a lot of Jeroboam's logical system. But the purpose of this is not to edify people! The purpose of this is to enable people to maintain their status and maintain the church that they have worked so hard to build. It sounds like there is nothing wrong, but it is chilling to think about it carefully! They are all problems. Today I will not say this so clearly. Observe and study carefully, you will find the way of thinking of these people and their core interests, what they need is their own kingdom. What they need is not God's kingdom, but their own kingdom. But in the end, they interpreted one thing, why they suffered such a deep curse. Look at these, Jeroboam was the king of Israel appointed by God, and later his whole family was killed.

We see that he also works very hard. Saul worked very hard but became a curse. Jeroboam also worked very hard. Baasha also worked very hard to usurp the throne. Zimri also worked very hard to usurp the throne. He also held up the banner of the Lord God. Omri also worked very hard. They are all working for their own throne! Did Ahab know God? Also knows God. Know the prophet Elijah? Know! Have you experienced God? Experienced it! But they all followed the path of Jeroboam. Jehu was a king who was zealous for the Lord, and later he also followed the path of Jeroboam, for his own throne. So, brothers and sisters, you need to know that it is not that they have no concept of God, they have, but they followed the path of Jeroboam. And in today's church, there are many who follow the path of Jeroboam, which is a problem!

Summary

Do we want to walk the path of Jeroboam or the path of David? Do we want to imitate Jeroboam or imitate David? Jeroboam's logical system is very complete and very reasonable to people. David's logical system often sounds confusing and unclear. Why? Because David knew that his throne came from God, and he also knew that everything he had came from God.

Do we want to walk the path of Jeroboam or the path of David? Imitate Jeroboam or imitate David? Do we value our face, our glory, and our position so much? Do we really say according to God's word: God, I have left everything to follow you. You ask God carefully, if you see the words that Jesus told you in the Bible, are you willing to do it? Jesus said you left everything to follow me. Are we really willing to leave everything? If you are not willing to leave everything, you always have a little bit of Jeroboam in you.

Brothers and sisters, you need to know that the suffering of many of us is not in vain. Whether you believe in the Lord or not, the blessings and curses that God speaks of are all running in the world. A sister's father achieved success at a young age. In the context of that time, he had already become a very famous person in that place. He managed everything he managed very well and very prosperously. As a result, he encountered some difficulties in his work, and people did not recognize what he did so much. Later, he got cancer, fought cancer for three years, and left sadly in his forties, valuing his position very much! He valued his position more than his life, and followed the path of Jeroboam, putting his life on the line.

If we are Christians, will we still walk this path? It is really worth our consideration. So, brothers and sisters, if you don't understand how David did it, go back to the Bible and look at David's actions. I didn't understand it before, but later I understood a lot, and until today I am still learning from David, trying hard to implement it, because everything comes from God. I hope this message can have a certain impact on you, and know how far-reaching the harm of Jeroboam's political and economic theory is to a believer. May God bless everyone!