King Jeroboam, the Man Who Missed the Golden Opportunity (2)
Earlier
I have talked about the meaning of the name of Jeroboam, his youthful period which makes the king to take notice of him and give him a higher responsibility, the tribe from which he comes from, the names of his parents, wife, and children.
He Fled Israel
After he was given the message, things would not remain the same between him and his master, the King and when he discovered that his life was in danger he had to flee the country to seek political asylum in another country.
Why He Seeks Political Asylum
(a) The King Heard of the Prophesy: The prophesy given him by Prophet Ahijah flittered to the ears of King Solomon and he sought to kill him for he does not wish to see the prophesy come to pass.
How the king heard of the prophesy was not clearly stated but it stands to reason that he heard of the prophesy and became uneasy with himself in the palace, because what his father handed over to him he would not be able to hand it over to his son.
“Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.” (1 Ki 11:40)
He, the King, feels if the person on whom the prophesy is centered is dead, the fulfilment of the prophesy would be difficult if nor neat impossible.
That is how the enemies do to us, when they see that there is good prophesies concerning our lives, they would do everything within their power to ensure that such prophesies do not come to pass.
Bringing this to the life of Jesus we shall see that it is for the same reason that the devil masterminded the killing of Jesus Christ, for he believes that if he be dead the salvation role, the messianic role, the deliverances which he has come for would cease, it won’t continue again, but he was mistaken because he did not know that he was working in tandem with the will of Gods for which Jesus has been sent to the world.
(b) He Formed Conspiracies with Some People: Some authors believed that after he heard the words of prophesy from the prophet, he formed conspiracies with some people in the country to bring the kingdom of the King to an end. This King Solomon got to know, and he sends people out to get him killed.
When he knows that his life was in danger he fled the country to another to save his life from the hand of the king and his subjects.
The Country He Fled to
The country he fled to was Egypt. It will interest you to know that God has weighed the Kingdom of Solomon and he was through with the kingdom, thus he did not allow the king of Egypt to deny him the asylum.
Logically speaking I think he should have denied him the asylum because the wife of King Solomon was also a princess from Egypt. But this man does not think like this as he grants him the asylum which shows that God has made up his mind on what he will do for King Solomon.
He was living in this country until the death of King Solomon.
What Orchestrated His Return to Israel
At the demise of the king, King Solomon’s wife who was a princess from the land of Egypt must have sent messages to her family that she has become a widow. Through this means Jeroboam would have heard of the demise of the king and he decided to return to his country because the person seeking for his death has died.
When he discussed this with the King of Egypt his host his wish was granted and he returned to his country after the new King, the son of King Solomon has been crowned.
“And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.
“And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.” (2 Ch 10:1-2)
Why He Was Sent for
On returning to Israel from the land of Egypt, the ten tribes having heard that he has arrived and having been privy to the prophesies (by prophet Ahijah concerning him) and perhaps having been part of the conspiracies that he has formed before fleeing the land he was sent for by the leadership of the ten tribes to come to them and he honored their invitation by going to them.
“That they sent and called him…” (1 Ki 12:3a)
Some of the reasons why he was sent for include the following.
(i) To Act Before the King Becomes Established: He was sent for by the people to come to them to deliberate on the issue before the king becomes established on the throne, because immediately he gets himself established and has known the rudiments, pros and cons of leadership he would be difficult to be confronted and he would have power to get him killed.
(ii) Not Contented with His Father’s Style of Leadership: The people sent for him because they were not contented with King Solomon’s style of leadership even before his demise, and since the dead king was enormously powerful and couldn’t be confronted, they think it is time they met, deliberate, reason together to meet with the new king to table their grievances with him.
(iii) They Need a Leader, Advisor and Spokesperson: He was sent for because the people discovered that they need a leader, a spokesperson and an advisor who would tutor them on how to go about things and would be bold enough to confront the new King. This position this man fills because of his interaction with the demise King.
(iv) Because of their Knowledge About the Prophesy: He was sent for because they have heard of the prophesy and why the king wants him dead before his demise. Thus, they think this is time for the fulfilment of the prophesy for the man.
(v) God Stimulates Them: Their sending for him may have been stimulated by God who has determined to take the kingdom off King Solomon’s son because of his sins. (2 Chro 11:4)
(vi) Popular Among Them: He may have been sent for because he was popular among them before his exit.
Having seen the country he fled to, the reasons for fleeing and how he was invited by the people, in the next article I shall be writing on the outcome of the meeting they had with the new King, Rehoboam.
© 2020 OLUSEGUN
