INTRODUCTION
The man of God from Judah and the old prophet both prophesied against Jeroboam?s idolatries. In this passage, a third prophet, Ahijah of Shiloh, prophesies the end of Jeroboam?s house. When Jeroboam?s son dies, Jeroboam and his house have no future.
THE TEXT
?At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, ?Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people . . . .?E(1 Kings 14:1-31).
STRUCTURE
Chapter 14 is divided into several obvious sections. Verses 1-18 tells the story of the death of Abijah, Jeroboam?s son, and verses 19-20 announce the end of Jeroboam?s reign in stereotyped language. The remainder of the chapter (vv. 21-31) resumes the story of Rehoboam and concludes the account of his reign.
The longest portion of the chapter is the story of Abijah?s sickness and death. This focuses on the words of Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh, and this is the last time we hear about Ahijah. The prophecy of Ahijah is framed by the movements of Jeroboam?s wife: She departs from her own home and arrives at Ahijah?s doorstep (vv 4, 6), and after Ahijah?s prophecy she leaves Shiloh and returns to the threshold of her own house (v 17). Doorways symbolize transitions, whether birth or death (cf. Genesis 18:10 in context). Here, the threshold signifies that Abijah is on the threshold of death, as is Jeroboam?s dynasty.
SICK KING, SICK KINGDOM
Since a king represents his kingdom, a sick king represents an unhealthy kingdom. Here, Jeroboam?s son is sick, which points to the fact that the future of Jeroboam?s dynasty is in jeopardy. Thus, the story begins with Jeroboam?s concern about his son, but the prophecy of Ahijah expands far beyond this particular concern (v. 15).
Why does Jeroboam send the queen? It would have been hard for Jeroboam to sneak away to Shiloh without being recognized. But the effect is to have a confrontation between a woman, a queen, and the prophet. The woman, however, is in disguise, and the word that describes her ?disguise?Eis sometimes used to describe the ?foreign?Eor ?strange?Ewoman (cf. 1 Kings 11:1, 8), or ?foreign gods?E(Genesis 35:2, 4; Joshua 13:20, 23; 1 Samuel 7:3). Perhaps she is actually dressed like a foreigner, but the word also associates her with the foreign women who drew Solomon after foreign gods. Jeroboam?s instructions to his wife, then, symbolize what he?s done to the nation; instead of protecting the nation from foreign influences, he promoted foreign worship. Further, the scene in 1 Kings 14 anticipates later scenes where Elijah and Elisha meet women who are concerned with their sick sons.
PROPHET OF DOOM
Ironically, Jeroboam?s wife disguises herself to visit a blind prophet (14:4). Though blind, he ?sees?Ethrough the disguise because he is guided by the word of Yahweh (v. 5). Once the queen arrives, she has nothing to say. Ahijah hears the ?voice of her feet?Eat the door (v. 6), but otherwise she is completely silenced before the prophetic word of Yahweh.
Ahijah?s prophecy has a chiastic structure:
a. Reminder of Yahweh?s exaltation of Jeroboam, vv 7-8a
b. Jeroboam?s sins, 8b-9
c. Therefore, calamity on house, vv 10-11
d. Abijah will die, vv 12-13
c?E King who will destroy Jeroboam?s house, v 14
b?E Exile of Israel, v 15
a?E Jeroboam?s sins, v 16
The structure centers attention on the prophecy that Abijah will die, but Jeroboam and Israel are also in view. Jeroboam?s name used 7x in the oracle (12x in the whole chapter), and the climactic use refers to the exile (v. 16). Jeroboam was ?exalted?Elike David (v. 8), but because of his sins he is doomed. Yahweh threatens an eye-for-eye punishment, bringing ?evil?E(v. 10) because of the evil of Jeroboam?s actions (v. 9). Also, because Israel has ?cast Yahweh behind your back?E(v. 9), treating Him with contempt, He will treat them with contempt. Jeroboam?s house is like an unwashed stable, and Yahweh is going to come to take out the garbage (v. 10). The devastation will be so great that there will be none to bury the dead; the corpses of Jeroboam?s family will be for the dogs and birds (v. 11). There is no mention of Jeroboam?s burial in verses 19-20, though Ahijah promises that Abijah will be buried and honored (v. 13). All this will be done through an unnamed king (v. 14), Baasha (15:27ff). Israel will be shaken like a reed in the water (v. 15), and eventually will be removed from the land because of the sins of Jeroboam (v. 16).
MEANWHILE, IN JUDAH
Solomon reigned 40 years, and Jeroboam another 22 (14:20, and these sixty odd years of Israel?s history have taken 13 ? chapters to tell. Suddenly, with 14:21, we go into hyperspace, and the text takes us over the next 60 years in a couple of chapters.
Things are not much better in Judah than in Israel. Rehoboam introduces various abominations into the kingdom (vv. 22-24), and his son Abijam does the same (15:3). In the third generation, however, Asa reforms the kingdom, removing some of his father?s idols (15:9-15). This sets the pattern for the future history of Judah. As a result of Rehoboam?s sins, Yahweh sends Shishak of Egypt, to plunder the temple. This is a preview of the eventual exile of Judah, when the temple will be destroyed and completely plundered. Solomon presided over Israel in a golden age; Rehoboam?s age is merely an age of bronze (vv. 26-27).