INTRODUCTION
When the prophet Shemaiah confronted Rehoboam, the king turned from his plan (1 Kings 12:21-24). But Jeroboam is not so responsive to the word of the Lord. A man of God from Judah confronts him at his altar at Bethel (13:1-3), and Jeroboam responds by trying to arrest the man of God (13:4). But the word of the king is nothing compared to the word of Yahweh. As the man of God finds, the word of Yahweh always comes to pass.
THE TEXT
?Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. And he went out from there and built Penuel . . . .?E(1 Kings 12:25-13:34).
STRUCTURE
The story of Jeroboam and the man of God begins in chapter 12. Jeroboam is at the altar in Bethel burning to his golden calves (12:33), when a man of God appears out of nowhere (13:1; if there were a Hebrew word for ?Poof!?Eit would be used here). The scene at the beginning of chapter 13 is a continuation of the scene at the end of chapter 12. The structure of the passage makes this clear, since the passage begins and ends with similar themes:
a. This thing became a sin, 12:30
b. He built houses on high places, 12:31a
c. Made priests from all the people, 12:31b
c?E Made priests from among all the people, 13:33a
b?E Ordained priests of the high places, 13:33b
a?E This became a sin, 13:34a
The whole passage in fact can be seen as a chiasm:
a. Jeroboam?s innovations in worship, 12:25-33
b. The man of God?s warning against the altar, 13:1-10
c. The old prophet goes out to meet the man of God, 13:11-19 (old prophet hears a report; saddle)
d. Man of God eats and is killed (but is not eaten), 13:20-25: centers on bread and water
c?E The Old prophet goes out to see the man of God, 13:26-28 (saddle; old prophet hears a report)
b?E The old prophet reiterates the man of God?s warning, 13:29-32
a?E Jeroboam does not ?return?Efrom his sin, 13:33-34
In a sense, the story is unfinished. The word of the man of God is immediately fulfilled (13:3, 5), and so is the word of the prophet (13:21, 24). But the main prophecy of the man of God is not fulfilled (13:2). That prophecy will hover over the book of Kings until 2 Kings 23, when Josiah appears to destroy the altar at Bethel and the other shrines scattered around the N. Kingdom.
JEROBOAM?S LITURGICAL INNOVATIONS
The exodus context of chapter 12 (Rehoboam = Pharaoh; Jeroboam = Moses) is important background for 12:25-29. Jeroboam leads ?all Israel?Eout of the ?Egypt?Eof the house of David, and sets up golden calves, as Aaron did at Sinai (Exodus 32).
Several things are noteworthy about his reforms. First, he believes that religion is useful for social and political cohesion (vv. 26-27); he is a sociologist of religion. Second, he builds houses (v. 31), suggesting a parallel with Solomon. Third, Jeroboam breaks the Second Commandment, the prohibition against images. As a result, his kingdom lasts only a couple of generations (cf. Exodus 20:4-6). Finally, and most importantly, he gives a ?conservative?Espin to his innovations. He says that his golden calves represent the God of the exodus (v. 28; cf. Exodus 32:4, 8), and he names his two sons after the sons of Aaron (14:1, 20; cf. Leviticus 10). This indicates that he is attempting an ?Aaronic revival.?EHe pretends that he?s holding fast to the true tradition of Israel, leading Israel back to the worship they enjoyed before the ?Mosaic corruptions.?E
MAN OF GOD FROM JUDAH
Chapter 13 raises a number of questions, but answers few. Why does the man of God prophecy against the altar instead of Jeroboam? How does the sign of the split altar confirm his word? Why does Jeroboam invite the man of God to dine with him? How was the man of God supposed to know that the old prophet was lying? Why does the lion kill him but not eat him? How can we explain the old prophet?s reaction to the man of God?s death? Who are we supposed to identify with in the story? Who?s the good guy?
A couple of literary details help us to enter into the story. First, the major characters are anonymous ?E?man of God,?E?the king,?Eand ?the old prophet.?EThis has the effect of turning them into archetypal characters, rather than individuals. Second, the two prophets are identified by their home. The man of God is from Judah, and the old prophet is from Bethel. The conflict of Judah and Israel is an important part of the story.
Without resolving all the riddles of the story, a few things are obvious. First, the story gives a ?testimony of two witnesses?Eagainst the shrine at Bethel. Both the man of God and the old prophet prophesy its eventual destruction (13:2, 32). Yahweh has clearly rejected the worship at this shrine. Second, the story is an allegory of the history of the divided kingdom. As Jerome Walsh puts it, ?The individuals mirror their kingdoms, and their tragedy portends the tragic destiny awaiting Israel and Judah. Israel has become unfaithful. Judah can speak the word that Israel needs to hear; but if Judah, too, following Israel?s lead, compromises its worship (as history shows it will do), then both are doomed to overcome their separation only in death. Judah will be buried in an alien land, and Israel will be saved only so far as it is joined to Judah.?EIn this story, the prophet from Judah is seduced by the old prophet from Bethel, much as Judah was turned to idols by Israel (cf. Ezekiel 23). Third, Walsh?s last point is noteworthy: The old prophet wants to be buried with the man of God from Judah. Eventually, both Israel and Judah will be buried in the grave of exile, and this will be the means for Israel?s eventual restoration and the reunion of the kingdom.
Finally, another theme, more on the surface of the text, is the character of the word of Yahweh. The man of God from Judah is not an entirely faithful prophet. The old prophet lies to his colleague (v. 18). Yet, Yahweh?s word, delivered through these sinful, fallen instruments, stands. Yahweh?s word triumphs, even if every man is a liar, even if every prophet is a fallen Adam who eats what he?s not supposed to eat. All flesh is as grass; the flower falls and the grass withers, but the word of Yahweh stands forever.