1 Kings 14:1-6
1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.”
It has been said that sin blinds us. This is true. Sin keeps us from having good sense, from making decisions that are logically consistent.
The story above is a picture of one of those totally nonsensical moments in someone’s life. Jeroboam was the man who led the rebellion of the northern kingdom of Israel against the southern kingdom led by Rehoboam (no relation). Jeroboam had been told by Ahijah the prophet exactly what God would do with him and for him. Ahijah also told Jeroboam to be careful, when he was king of a new kingdom, to follow the commands of the Lord.
In chapter 13, we saw that Jeroboam refused to follow the ways of God. He devised his own religion as a ploy to keep his people from returning to Jerusalem for worship. Like the Israelites at Mount Sinai, Jeroboam fashioned a pair of golden calves and declared that these were the gods who led Israel up out of Egypt.
Now, as chapter 14 tells us, Jeroboam has a problem. His son is sick. Jeroboam and the boy’s mother are worried. Who can help Jeroboam know what is going to happen? Who has the insight to see into the future for this young man? Who might be able to devise a healing? It is not the calf statues, that is for sure. Jeroboam sends his wife to Ahijah to learn what is to come. After all, Ahijah is the guy who spoke to Jeroboam about his future. Ahijah is the one who has God aiding his sight.
Now, here is the part that actually struck me this morning. Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself. Stop. Think that through. Jeroboam is sending his wife to somebody who has God speaking directly to him. Jeroboam expects that this man will see into the situation and the future of his family by the power of God. And yet Jeroboam thinks a disguise will fool somebody. Seriously?
Now, just in case you think that Jeroboam and the Mrs. Are just trying to keep her identity hidden while she traveled—a thought that occurred to me—notice that, when she arrives at the home of Ahijah, the prophet tells her that she’s not fooling anybody. Clearly this woman and her king husband thought they could somehow fool the prophet. At the same time, they thought they could get the prophet to look past what ordinary men can see, hear from God, and tell them their future.
What is the right word for a person who, on the one hand thinks Ahijah can see beyond human reckoning while on the other hand believes that a pair of Groucho glasses will throw him off the trail of the woman’s identity? This is simply nuts, illogical, foolish. Sin blinds. Jeroboam has lost all sense. He is not thinking straight. His rebellion against God has led him away from consistent, logical thinking. He has slipped down into folly.
What about you and me? You know we do the same stuff, don’t you? What is the word for someone who knows God and knows his power, but who chooses to do things his or her own way? What is the right descriptor for someone who says we know God can see everything we do, yet who decides to do things that dishonor him? We are just as crazy. We claim to follow God with all our hearts, but then put on the wig and clown nose to somehow sneak past One we have declared we know to be omniscient and omnipresent.
Christians, let us bow before our God and plead with him to restore our sense. We need to stop hiding. We need to realize that we get nothing past God. All our thoughts and actions are open to him. He sees us. He knows us. He is never fooled. Let this knowledge lead us to repentance and seeking his mercy. May we run to Jesus, throwing off any of our disguises, and ask him to transform us into people who make sense and who please the God who knows all.
Pastor Travis Peterson 