Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Jeroboam I Breaks the Covenant” by Ligonier
• Sermon: “1 Kings 12:25–13:34” by Skip Heitzig
• Sermon: “God’s Lamp in Judah’s Darkness” by Austin Walker

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 13, Session 2: Divided Kings, with the core passage of 1 Kings 12:25-32 and 14:21-26. And with the key concept of: our sin and false worship anger God.

Last week, we saw the kingdom divided because Rehoboam chose poorly and listened to the advice of his peers instead of the elders. The kingdom split into the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom with Jeroboam leading the north and Rehoboam leading the south.

One of Jeroboam’s first move is to fortify his cities. He does so with Shechem and Penuel, building them out. Shechem was a strategic city on the trade routes, so as a leader, he was wise in doing so. Now Jeroboam was in power and afraid of losing that power, thinking, in verse 27, “the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” So he, like Rehoboam, listened to bad advice and made two golden calves for the people to worship. He set them up at Bethel and Dan so the people wouldn’t go back to Jerusalem. Some commentators see this as activating idol worship away from the Lord, while others compare it to the calves that Aaron built in the desert—still wanting to worship God, but wanting something tangible. Others see a syncretistic type of worship that merges both cultic practices and worship of the Lord. In all these scenarios, however, God would not be pleased, breaking the commandment of worshiping idols and worshiping other gods. This was the beginning of Jeroboam trying to be distinct from the Southern Kingdom, motivated by self-interest and self-preservation. He made shrines in high places and picked priests that weren’t Levites. And so the Levites in his area, moved to be with Judah, the southern kingdom. He also changed the date of the Feast of Tabernacles from the 7^th month to the 8^th month. Jeroboam was trying more and more to be separate and distinct from Judah, the kingdom in the south, making sure people stayed loyal to him and him alone.

What are some ways we might skew our worship of God for convenience or self-interest? Some answers may include how we might worship a church or a pastor or the programs instead of worship God Himself. Maybe we are syncretistic in our political views with our biblical views and can’t see when those interfere. Maybe we take lightly some of God’s commands, like taking a Sabbath-rest or taming the tongue. There will be varying answers.

How can we be on guard against imitations of the true worship of God to which we are called? As we walk consistently with the Lord, the Holy Spirit gives us discernment and helps us guard against imitation of true worship. There’s no fool-proof way, but the more we are in the Word and walking with God, we will be more attune to what true worship looks like. Being around trustworthy believers also help in collective discernment.

So we see that Jeroboam was a bad king, but Rehoboam wasn’t any better. “Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” in chapter 14 verse 22. “They provoked him [God] to jealous anger more than all that their ancestors had done with the sins they committed.” God saved the line of David, but they disregarded Him and provoked His anger. They worshiped the pagan gods, building sacred pillars and Asherah poles. They followed the ways of the pagan gods, having male cult prostitutes and doing other detestable acts. And so, it doesn’t say it explicitly, but God allowed King Shishak of Egypt to war against Jerusalem, and he stole the treasuries of both the temple and the palace. Sin will eventually lead to destruction in the natural world and spiritual world. Rehoboam had the opportunity to root out sin from the kingdom, but he didn’t. He chose to accept the pagan practices around him and not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

What do you do when you know you need to root out sin? Of course, the need is to root out sin in our own lives first, being self-aware, relying on the Holy Spirit to help us search our hearts and help us confess sin. Then, if there is generational sin or family sin or sin within the church, we use wisdom and discernment to speak truth in love where needed. We need to make sure, however, that our hearts are in the right place and are not corrupted by cynicism, legalism, or pride.

Rehoboam, instead of influencing those around him in righteousness, chose to follow the pagan practices surrounding him. Instead of being a positive example, he was not the king after God’s own heart, like his grandfather, David.

What role should our holiness as believers play in sharing the gospel with the world around us? We should be a light to the world around us, not only because we have the good news of salvation through Christ to share, but that our words and actions exemplify those of Christ. Our lives should be an example of godly living so the world could see true goodness, peace, and love that comes from God.

Jeroboam and Rehoboam displeased and angered God and led their people astray into idolatry that imitated the world. But Jesus came as the true King, to one day lead His people into righteousness.

Onto the Group Experience, start off with the icebreaker, talking about off-brand products. Transition into the Context, looking at how Israel was in a constant cycle of sin and returning to God and sinning once more. Even with a king, first Saul was corrupt. And only David lived in faith, although he wasn’t faultless either. Solomon had wisdom but chose poorly in women, following their idols leading to a tearing of the kingdom. Then both Jeroboam and Rehoboam had the choice to follow God righteously, but they failed as well. Jeroboam tried an “off-brand” version of worship, and it did not live up to the hype either.

As you Recap, look at the obstacles the kings seemed to have in their own minds. Jeroboam, looking for acceptance and popularity, off-branded worship. And Rehoboam was in a similar boat as the pagan cults and gods around him seemed enticing to him and to the people in his kingdom. What obstacles might Rehoboam have been facing as king over the southern Kingdom of Judah? The need to be popular, the need to be [quote unquote] “relevant,” the need to be accepted by his people and those around them.

Onto the Group Activity, recreate the chart on the board as you point to page 30 in the Personal Study Guide. Ask someone to read 1 Kings 12:25-32. Then have the group record the imitation worship introduced by Jeroboam: namely, making two golden calves for the people to worship (verse 28), placing one in Bethel and one in Dan (verse 29), making shrines in high places and making priests who weren’t Levites (verse 31), changing the date of the Feast of Tabernacles (verse 32), and offering sacrifices on the altars (also verse 32).

Then have another person read 1 Kings 14:21-26. Record Rehoboam and the southern kingdom’s sins: namely, they built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles everywhere (verse 23), they had male cult prostitutes (verse 24), they imitated all the detestable practices of the nations around them (verse 24), and they allowed a foreign king to steal all the treasury from the temple (verse 26).

How were the sins of Judah a form of imitation? They wanted a form of worship but if it’s not worshiping the Lord Yahweh, that’s false worship, an imitation worship, not real or true. If Jeroboam and Israel had an “off-brand” form of worship, how would you describe the imitation worship of Rehoboam and Judah? Their worship was fake worship. It wasn’t even close to the real thing or an off brand. They followed the idols of the pagan world around them. Is one form of imitation worship better than the other? No because both did not worship the one true God in the ways that He wanted and deserved to be worshiped. Both was worship of convenience and pleasure and self-service and not for God’s glory at all.

For the Debrief questions: Why is it right for the Lord to be angered by cheap imitations and false worship? Because He is the Lord Almighty, holy and righteous and deserving of true worship. What are some ways we might step into the trap and consequences of sinful imitation and false worship? In our modern times, we may get caught up in the production or the music of worship so much that it overshadows where are hearts are or how our hearts need to be attuned to the praise of God, bringing Him glory and not satisfying our pleasure or interest in music styles or production quality. We can easily be tempted by the lure of music and personal experience over a tender heart to see sin and approach God with right reverence, praise, and thanksgiving.

Pass out Pack Item 5: The Better King as it summarizes Jeroboam and Rehoboam’s actions and shows how Jesus is such a harsh contrast to them, revealing that He is the better king in so many ways.

Enter the Head, Heart, Hands section, focusing on the Hands question if time is limited. Preface it with the reality that many follow false or imitation forms of worship and do not know what true worship is. Ask, with whom will you share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ this week? Your group will have varying answers here. Encourage the group to write down some names that they could be already praying for or just be praying for opportunities to come their way.

Challenge your group to look through the options in the Next Steps for further study and application. Go through prayer requests and praises and if time permits, pray through Psalm 135:13-19: 13 Lord, your name endures forever, your reputation, Lord, through all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. 15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold, made by human hands. 16 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears but cannot hear; indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them. 19 House of Israel, bless the Lord!

Hey, thanks for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!