Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, fell ill. Jeroboam wanted to know if his son would live or die; and so he sent his wife in disguise to Shiloh, to the prophet Ahijah who was there (I Kings 14:1-2). Why in disguise? Perhaps Jeroboam feared that if the prophet knew that the king was asking, he would try to give a more favorable answer; and Jeroboam wanted the most accurate answer, regardless of whether it was the most favorable.

But even though Ahijah was old and blind, Yahweh had told him that the wife of Jeroboam was coming, and so he was able to greet her directly (14:5-6). The news he offered was not happy: the child would die, and indeed all the children of Jeroboam would die (14:10). The Lord had torn the kingdom from the house of David and given it to Jeroboam; but Jeroboam had not been faithful, and had worshiped other gods, and so the heritage of the kingship would not remain with him (14:8-9).

And indeed, all Israel would suffer because of Jeroboam’s sins. “The Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; he will root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their ancestors, and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their sacred poles, provoking the Lord to anger. He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and which he caused Israel to commit” (14:15-16). Quite a few more generations would go by before Israel was conquered and scattered; yet the text wants us to understand that the end was already starting with the idolatry of Jeroboam.

There is, of course, a deep unfairness in this: the whole nation will suffer, and will eventually be wiped away, because of Jeroboam’s unfaithfulness. Yet it really is just another way of saying that the role of leadership is important. A great leader can lift the people up much higher than they could have reached on their own; but a poor leader can cause great turmoil and destruction, dragging all the people down to the depths.

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We pray for our leaders, Lord: that they may be people of courage, perseverance, and wisdom, to direct nations and communities to walk in the way of righteousness and faithfulness. Help us, O God: our strength is not enough. We trust in you.