Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

An important lesson to learn from ancient Israel.

What went wrong with the ancient nation of Israel? Knowing the answer will provide us, the latter day descendants of the lost ten tribes with very valuable information about the way in which to serve YHVH our Elohim. Most believers are aware that matters really started going wrong before King Solomon’s death. Prior to his death King Solomon appointed Jeroboam over all forced labor of the house of Joseph, as we read from 1 Kings 11: 26 – 28: ‘Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. (27) Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo (or citadel), and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. (28) Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.’

Continuing with the account given in 1 Kings: 11, we read from verses 29 – 39, ‘And it came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. (30) Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. (31) And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (32) (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), (33) because they have forsaken Me, and have worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. (34) Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; (35) but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. (36) But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. (37) And I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. (38) Then it will be, that If you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. (39) Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’’ Notice that Jeroboam was chosen by Elohim to rule the ten tribe nation of Israel, provided he obeys YHVH the Elohim of Israel, the way King David did before him.

After Solomon’s death his son, Rehoboam reigned in his place. King Solomon ruled the united nation of Israel (all twelve tribes) for forty years. During his rule, the nation lived very well, because he demanded heavy taxes from the citizens allowing Israel to dominate its neighbors both economically and militarily. However, this heavy tax burden caused significant resentment among the citizens of Israel. Because of Jeroboam’s effective administration over the forced labor in Israel, the nation called upon him to be their spokesman to try and lighten the tax burden under Rehoboam. We pick up the account in 1 Kings 12: 4, where Jeroboam said to Rehoboam, “Your father made our yoke hard; therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam required some time to consider the nation’s request through Jeroboam and told them to return three days later. Rehoboam consulted with the elders who served under his father, who advised him as recorded in verse 7 of 1 Kings 12, saying: “If you will be a servant to this people today, will serve them, grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” However, Rehoboam did not listen to the counsel of the elders, but consulted with the young men who grew up with him. We read the young men’s counsel to Rehoboam from verses 10 & 11, as follows: “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ But you shall speak to them. ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! (11) Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” When the nation of Israel saw that Rehoboam did not listen to them they answered the king, as recorded in verse 16 of 1 Kings 12, in this way, saying: ‘“What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel departed to their tents.’ Verses 19 & 20 inform us about the rebellion of the house of Israel against King David, in this way: ‘So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. (20) And it came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.’

We see further from verses 21 - 24 of 1 Kings 12 how Rehoboam immediately assembled his army to fight against Israel, as follows: ‘Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. (22) But the word of Elohim came to Shemaiah the man of Elohim, saying, (23) “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, (24) ‘Thus says YHVH, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.”’” But, we see despite the fact that YHVH informed Jeroboam that He has chosen him to rule over the ten tribes of Israel (provided he does what is right in (YHVH)’s sight), he feared that if the house of Israel returned to Jerusalem to keep Elohim’s Feast days, they will want Rehoboam to be their ruler again. We read from 1 Kings 12: 28 - 33, how Jeroboam went off the track, because of his fear motivated by jealousy, in this way: ‘So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them (the house of Israel), “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (29) And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. (30) Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. (31) And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. (32) And Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah1, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. (33) Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.’

King Jeroboam’s personal agenda led to spiritual mistakes that would bring untold misery to the house of Israel and their descendants. Soon after taken over the leadership of Israel, Jeroboam led the nation away from worshipping YHVH the Elohim of Israel, in the way that He prescribed in the Scriptures. Jeroboam’s counterfeit worship, with its own festivals and priesthood was the primary reason for the house of Israel’s downfall. Jeroboam like us was specifically chosen by Elohim to rule His people, but he failed to use the opportunity given him by YHVH our Elohim. Similarly today, there are some leaders whom YHVH specifically called to lead His people, by teaching them to keep His Sabbaths (weekly and annual) as specified in the Scriptures, but because of their personal agendas, motivated by fear and jealousy of other leaders, or because of anti-Semitism, they contradict what the word of Elohim teaches. Elohim pronounced a sobering judgment against Jeroboam, through Ahijah the prophet in 1 Kings 14: 7 – 10, as follows: ‘Go, say to Jeroboam, thus says YHVH Elohim of Israel, “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, (8) and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; (9) you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—(10) therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.”’ Because of Jeroboam’s sin, YHVH also rejected Israel as is recorded in verses 14 – 16, in this way: “Moreover, YHVH will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on. (15) For YHVH will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim (wooden symbols of a female deity), provoking YHVH to anger. (16) And He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”

A second witness is recorded in Psalm 78: 58 – 68, as follows: ‘For they provoked Him with their high places, and aroused His jealousy with their graven images. (59) When Elohim heard, He was filled with wrath, and greatly abhorred Israel; (60) So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, the tent which He had pitched among men, (61) and gave up His strength to captivity, and His glory into the hand of the adversary. (62) He also delivered His people to the sword, and was filled with wrath at His inheritance. (63) Fire devoured His young men; and His virgins had no wedding songs. (64) His priests fell by the sword; and His widows could not weep. (65) Then YHVH awoke as if from sleep, like a warrior overcome by wine. (66) And He drove His adversaries backward; He put on them an everlasting reproach. (67) He also rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, (68) but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.’ The sins committed by Jeroboam were very serious in (YHVH)’s sight and its results are recorded a second time in 2 Kings 17: 20 – 23, in this way: ‘And YHVH rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight. (21) When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following YHVH, and made them commit a great sin. (22) And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, (23) until YHVH removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.’

It is important for us to understand that the sins of Jeroboam had widespread consequences. We who are called at this time to follow the way of Elohim need to learn from these mistakes, so as not to make similar mistakes. Elohim does not give us a choice of how to worship Him, as we read from Deuteronomy 12: 32, where YHVH says: “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” Even so, He does give us a choice as to whether we will worship Him according to the instructions that He has given us in His word, or not. We all know that the Feast of Booths are to be kept in the seventh month like it is observed in Judah, and not a month or even a few days later. The practices that Jeroboam set in motion, by substituting (YHVH)’s Set-apart Days with His own have continued to this day. Elohim tells us in the Scriptures how and when to worship Him. He does not want us to invent our own feast days or practices to worship Him. In fact by keeping the feast Days of Elohim, we get to understand His plan of salvation for all mankind. Believe it or not, Elohim’s plan of salvation for all mankind will happen exactly as planned. The fact that He has called us at this time, presents us with the tremendous opportunity of becoming kings and priests under Yahshua in His coming Kingdom. It is important for us to learn from the mistakes of ancient Israel, if we want to enter (YHVH)’s millennial rest, as witnessed in Hebrews 4: 1 & 2, as follows: ‘Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.’

We are aware that the nation of Israel was split into two separate nations during the reigns of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. But, Elohim clearly shows that the 12 tribes of Israel will one day soon be united again. We read accordingly from Jeremiah 50: 4 & 5, “In those days and at that time,” declares YHVH, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; (Yes those who believe that they will go back without Brother Judah are mistaken) they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be YHVH their Elohim they will seek. (5) They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to YHVH in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” We read further from Ezekiel 37: 21 – 28, “And say to them, ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; (22) and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. (23) And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their Elohim. (24) And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them. (25) And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever. (26) And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (27) My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their Elohim, and they will be My people. (28) And the nations will know that I am YHVH who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”

This will happen after Messiah’s return to earth, during which time all the first-fruits will be resurrected as may be read from 1 Thessalonians 4: 14 – 18, in this way: ‘For if we believe that Yahshua died and rose again, even so Elohim will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Yahshua. (15) For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Master, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep (such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the prophets and others called specifically by YHVH to follow Him during their physical existence on earth). (16) For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of Elohim; and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Master in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Master. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words.’ We also see from Hebrews 11: 32 – 35 that King David and all our other fathers in the faith, are waiting to be in the first better resurrection and that they have not as yet receive what was promised them, as follows: ‘And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, (33) who by faith conquered kingdom, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, (34) quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (35) Woman received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection.’ We see further from Hebrews 11: 39 & 40 when our fathers in the faith will receive the promises that they did not receive yet, in this way: ‘And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, (40) because Elohim had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.’ Those who will be in the better, first resurrection will all be resurrected when Messiah returns one day on the Feast of Trumpets. It is at that time that David and all those who did what was pleasing in (YHVH)’s sight be given eternal life as witnessed in Revelation 20: 6, as follows: ‘Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Elohim and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years.’

The fact that YHVH has called us at this time is no guarantee that we will one day be in the kingdom of Elohim. YHVH has personally chosen Jeroboam to rule over the ten tribe nation of Israel and he failed to make it, because of his own agenda. Similarly did Yahshua personally choose His twelve disciples, one of whom betrayed Him. We see that being called and even chosen does not guarantee our final success, but those who will be with Yahshua when He returns will require an additional qualification to make it into the kingdom of Elohim, as witnessed in Revelation 17: 14, in this way: ‘These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Master of master and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.’ Yes, being called at this time is significant, but we need to wash our robes in the word of Elohim, by keeping Elohim’s commandments if we want to be chosen, as Yahshua explained in the parable of the king who gave a wedding feast for his son in Matthew 22: 1 – 14, but especially from verses 11 – 14, as follows: “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, (12) and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless. (13) Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (14) For many are called but few are chosen.”

In addition we need to remain faithful to the end, we need to put an end to our rebellious attitudes to escape Messiah’s judgment at His return and finally enter the Promised Land into the Kingdom of Elohim, as we read from Ezekiel 20: 33 – 38, in this way: ‘As I live,’ declares YHVH, “surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. (34) And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; (35) and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. (36) As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares YHVH. (37) “And I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant, (38) and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am YHVH.” Think carefully about it!

1 The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles kept by Judah is as given in Leviticus 23: 33 – 36, as follows: ‘Again YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to YHVH. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to YHVH. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to YHVH; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.”’ Moses and subsequently the Levites who remained with Judah were responsible to proclaim the Feast Days of Elohim, at the times (or seasons) appointed for them, as testified in the blessings that Moses gave the tribes in Deuteronomy 33 and specifically in verses 8 – 11, in this way: ‘And of Levi he said, “Let Thy Thumminn and Thy Urim belong to Thy godly man, whom Thou didst prove at Massah, with whom thou didst contend at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons, for they observed Thy word, and kept Thy covenant. “They shall teach Thine ordinances to Jacob, and Thy law to Israel. They shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt offerings on Thine altar. O YHVH, bless his substance, and accept the work of his hands; shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, and those who hate him, so that they may not rise again.”’