The Pragmatism Of Jeroboam

The Pragmatism Of Jeroboam 

I Kings 12:26-28 NKJV

[26] And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: [27] If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” [28] Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 

Jeroboam had become a Pragmatist. Pragmatism is described by Sandra Rosenthal and H.Thayer in Britannicca as a pattern of thinking based on " ...the principle that the usefulness, workability, and practicality of ideas, policies, and proposals are the criteria of their merit. It stresses the priority of action over doctrine, of experience over fixed principles". It takes God and His principles out of daily experience. Yet God had spoken in 1Kings 11:38 the conditions in which Jeroboam will have His  blessings.  God is the one who gave prophet Ahijah the initial prophecy in 1Kings 11:31. Now the fear of loosing the Northern kingdom because of worship in Jerusalem has forced him to act out of God. He replaced God with idols. This is John MacArthur on the subject. "... when pragmatism is used to make judgments about right and wrong, or when it becomes a guiding philosophy of life and ministry, it inevitably clashes with Scripture. Spiritual and biblical truth is not determined by testing what "works" and what doesn't". 1 Cor.1:22-23: 2:14. By now you're probably feeling this is heading into a catastrophe. Have you ever felt like screaming at a Bible character, " No, thats not right!" God's promise may appear to delay, dont become pragmatic. Stay on the word. We wiill find out more about this tomorrow. Good morning.