1 Kings 11:26-43
King
Solomon repaired the outer defense system of Jerusalem, and there was a
guy named Jeroboam who really stood out. He was strong and able, and
worked harder than anybody in his crew. Solomon noticed him, and
eventually promoted him to supervisor over the whole construction crew
of the tribe of Joseph.
As Jeroboam was walking down the road out of Jerusalem one day, he ran into a prophet named Ahijah. Jeroboam was wearing his new uniform, representing his new position of authority under Solomon's kingdom. Ahijah saw the cloak, ripped it off of Jeroboam, and tore it into twelve pieces. He said, "Solomon has faithlessly abandoned the God of Israel for other gods. Because of this, his kingdom will be ripped out of his hands. However, two tribes will stay in David's family to be a witness to David's faith in God. The other ten tribes will all go to you. You will be the next king of Israel."
Some time after the two meet, Solomon hears about their conversation, and puts a target on Jeroboam's head. As a result, Jeroboam flees to Egypt and gets asylum under king Sheshak. He remains in exile there until Solomon's death. In all, Solomon led Israel for forty years.
Every leader of Israel has been a trainwreck for the most part. David was really the only one who actually did wrong and then did what he could to make it right. Solomon, however, has been worshiping these other gods with his 1,000 women, and has crossed the line. He probably doesn't even know how bad off he really is, and his kingdom is gradually slipping from his control.
The point in question in this whole story is not if we, as leaders, are going to chase after other gods. The question is, what are we going to do when we do chase after other gods? The leaders I have the hardest time trusting are the ones who don't admit any current mistakes. We can all talk about the mistakes of our past, using that as a buffer for our failures. But, the truth is, leaders are inevitably going to chase after other gods.
Whether it be power, prestige, or wealth, there is always one god that keeps knocking on the door, waiting for us to open up and let it in. A trustworthy leader is honest about these other gods, and doesn't hide them away, hoping no one finds out about them. The temptation to hide these other gods is very appealing, because it seems that as long as no one knows about them, things are going to be better. People will like us. People will look up to us. But, the more we have to cover them up, lie about them, and point out the gods that other people are following, the more we self-destruct. The more we slip. The more out of control and desperate we become.
When
I took my last drink, I replaced alcohol with pot. I developed a
tolerance that was so high that I could show up high to my leadership
meetings. I could have my input, strategize, and help lead the church
and be stoned at the same time. Nobody knew except me. If the people
around me would have known, they would have told me to quit or at least
look into quitting, and I didn't want any of that. On the outside, it
looked as if I was a great leader. On the inside, I was toeing a line
that wasn't sustainable. On the inside, I was self-destructing. I did
everything I could to make it appear that I had all my stuff together,
and it worked. It couldn't last though. There came a time in my life
where I needed to progress spiritually, and I couldn't. I was blocked
from any sort of spiritual growth, and I needed a way out. I folded and
told the people I trusted, and they walked with me through it. It's been
nearly four years since I sat in the room with those ten people and
told them what had been going on.
I believe it's not other people's responsibility to tell me what I'm doing wrong or how I'm screwing up. It's also not my responsibility to tell others how they're screwing up. If we claim to be leaders, its our responsibility to let people know when our gods are taking over or tripping us up. If no one tells us, that's on us. It's not other people's fault when I don't take responsibility for my own idolatry.
When we talk about the other gods in our lives, and admit that we're whores when it comes to monotheism, we become human to the people around us. We become real. We become trustworthy. People want leaders who admit they fail at following God, but keep on trying and getting back up. Leaders who claim they follow God and don't chase after any idols need to be questioned and taken with a grain of salt, because they can become idols for us if we give them that much power and divinity.
Today's Action: Have we talked to anybody about our secret gods today, this week, or this year?
As Jeroboam was walking down the road out of Jerusalem one day, he ran into a prophet named Ahijah. Jeroboam was wearing his new uniform, representing his new position of authority under Solomon's kingdom. Ahijah saw the cloak, ripped it off of Jeroboam, and tore it into twelve pieces. He said, "Solomon has faithlessly abandoned the God of Israel for other gods. Because of this, his kingdom will be ripped out of his hands. However, two tribes will stay in David's family to be a witness to David's faith in God. The other ten tribes will all go to you. You will be the next king of Israel."
Some time after the two meet, Solomon hears about their conversation, and puts a target on Jeroboam's head. As a result, Jeroboam flees to Egypt and gets asylum under king Sheshak. He remains in exile there until Solomon's death. In all, Solomon led Israel for forty years.
Every leader of Israel has been a trainwreck for the most part. David was really the only one who actually did wrong and then did what he could to make it right. Solomon, however, has been worshiping these other gods with his 1,000 women, and has crossed the line. He probably doesn't even know how bad off he really is, and his kingdom is gradually slipping from his control.
The point in question in this whole story is not if we, as leaders, are going to chase after other gods. The question is, what are we going to do when we do chase after other gods? The leaders I have the hardest time trusting are the ones who don't admit any current mistakes. We can all talk about the mistakes of our past, using that as a buffer for our failures. But, the truth is, leaders are inevitably going to chase after other gods.
Whether it be power, prestige, or wealth, there is always one god that keeps knocking on the door, waiting for us to open up and let it in. A trustworthy leader is honest about these other gods, and doesn't hide them away, hoping no one finds out about them. The temptation to hide these other gods is very appealing, because it seems that as long as no one knows about them, things are going to be better. People will like us. People will look up to us. But, the more we have to cover them up, lie about them, and point out the gods that other people are following, the more we self-destruct. The more we slip. The more out of control and desperate we become.
When
I took my last drink, I replaced alcohol with pot. I developed a
tolerance that was so high that I could show up high to my leadership
meetings. I could have my input, strategize, and help lead the church
and be stoned at the same time. Nobody knew except me. If the people
around me would have known, they would have told me to quit or at least
look into quitting, and I didn't want any of that. On the outside, it
looked as if I was a great leader. On the inside, I was toeing a line
that wasn't sustainable. On the inside, I was self-destructing. I did
everything I could to make it appear that I had all my stuff together,
and it worked. It couldn't last though. There came a time in my life
where I needed to progress spiritually, and I couldn't. I was blocked
from any sort of spiritual growth, and I needed a way out. I folded and
told the people I trusted, and they walked with me through it. It's been
nearly four years since I sat in the room with those ten people and
told them what had been going on.I believe it's not other people's responsibility to tell me what I'm doing wrong or how I'm screwing up. It's also not my responsibility to tell others how they're screwing up. If we claim to be leaders, its our responsibility to let people know when our gods are taking over or tripping us up. If no one tells us, that's on us. It's not other people's fault when I don't take responsibility for my own idolatry.
When we talk about the other gods in our lives, and admit that we're whores when it comes to monotheism, we become human to the people around us. We become real. We become trustworthy. People want leaders who admit they fail at following God, but keep on trying and getting back up. Leaders who claim they follow God and don't chase after any idols need to be questioned and taken with a grain of salt, because they can become idols for us if we give them that much power and divinity.
Today's Action: Have we talked to anybody about our secret gods today, this week, or this year?
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