Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, 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. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in 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. (32-33)
After Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, acted foolishly and failed to follow the wisdom of his father’s advisers, the kingdom was divided in two. The ten northern tribes of Israel followed Jeroboam, and the kingdom was split forever. Because all worship was tied to Jerusalem in the south, Jeroboam decided to make his own place of worship. His actions were motivated by fear that his people would be drawn back to Rehoboam because of the temple in Jerusalem. His desire to “hold on” to his people and kingdom led him to create an artificial religion, a hollow copy of the original. He copied the altar, the sacrifices, and the holidays and tried to convince his people that this was a fitting substitute for the real thing.
I see this narrative played out in so many churches today. Pastors are so afraid of losing their members that they come up with every kind of gimmick to compete with the other congregation down the street. In today’s church, we often fall into the trap of a “man-made religion” that focuses on my needs and preferences rather than focusing on worshipping God in His way and in biblical truth. Most churches have sacrificed a missional model of church for an “attractional” model that employs every means possible to get people in the doors and keep the offerings up. True religion does not appeal to the carnal desires of man; instead, it focuses on the will of God. True religion does not revolve around what is most convenient for me but on what brings God the most glory. Man-made and man-centered religion might satisfy our personal whims, but it will never be a substitute for biblical ministry and worship.
