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1 Kings 14 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
King Jeroboam decided it was time to seek the Lord, but only after his son was inflicted with sickness. In the past, the idol worship worked out just fine for him, but when he needed something more, he knew where to go. Jeroboam tells his wife to wear a disguise. Does this seem odd?
That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. 9 But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.”
Genesis 3:8-10 GNB
Hiding from God is something we all do when we know we are guilty. Just like Adam and Eve, Jeroboam and his wife were afraid to approach Him. Their shame was too much. This picture alone tells us so much about the king’s character. On top of rejecting God for most of his life, Jeroboam was also not honest. He preferred to scheme and manipulate God rather than own up to his sin and be honest with Him during his time of need.
Think about this. Jeroboam has traded in the truth of God for a lie. He actually believes that this prophet will be able to hear from God and predict the future (or intervene in some miraculous way) but not see through his wife’s disguise. Logically, it doesn’t even make sense. This is what happens in life when we suppress the truth… we get insanity.
One of the last verses of this chapter sums up exactly what has transpired since the downfall of Solomon’s kingdom.
During all this time Rehoboam and Jeroboam were constantly at war with each other.
1 Kings 14:30 GNB
Not only were they at war with each other, but they were also at war with God. This is the storyline of their life that will live on for generations to come.