31Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even they were not Levites.
Here is Kmart religion. Ten tribes were rebelling against the rule of David’s family, and by extension, rebelling against the Lord. Solomon had lost the right to rule the whole nation because of his personal rebellion. His sin caused the whole nation to suffer consequences. And now the ten northern tribes continue in the rebellion by setting up alternative worship. Their leader Jeroboam led them astray. He wanted to accommodate their current situation into their worship practices. He was afraid they would rebel against him if they went to Jerusalem for their worship, so he came up with a culturally adapted worship experience. Instead of sticking with the Truth, he created his own truth. We must be very careful when we redefine Truth to fit our needs. Truth is Truth and can’t be redefined and remain Truth. We can’t rename and redefine the fundamentals of life and expect Truth to still be present in the new definitions. We can’t expect “the man upstairs” to contain the Truth that is embodied in the Name the LORD revealed in Scripture. We might want to shape our message so as not to offend, but we must be very aware of what we are losing in the process. Joel Osteen’s god is missing some Truth. God is love, but He is also just. He is more than a feel-good mascot we run to when we are hurt.
The Arnold Journey 