Judgment on Continuous Sin

1 Kings 14:1-18
    1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. 3 Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child." 4 And Jeroboam's wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.
    5 Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, "Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman."
    6 And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9 but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD has spoken!"' 12 Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
    14 "Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15 For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin."
    17 Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

Jeroboam continued unrepentant in his sin against the LORD, and the script of his life and that of Israel was finally sealed in this last attempt at deception.  He imagined to fool a prophet of God who could barely see anymore with his eyes, to trick him into healing his dying son.  This prophet, Ahijah, was the one who was used to deliver the word of the LORD to give Jeroboam the tribes of Israel torn from Judah (1 Kings 11:29-30).  But there was a condition to the rule over Israel, and that was the same to Solomon and to Rehoboam his son and successor.  They were to live obediently to the word of the LORD, not serving other gods in worship or following any other.  Jeroboam had failed in this, and his attempt to deceive a spokesman of the LORD brought the finality of judgment upon him.  The result was not only Jeroboam losing the throne over Israel, but all Israel herself having their land revoked and the people scattered until a remnant was brought back.  The sins of Jeroboam caused Israel to sin with Him and caused the LORD to give them up for their continued sin of rebellion against Him as the first commandment clearly told them (Exodus 20:3).  This shows how leaders can bring down the flock by wrong examples of continuance in and justification of sin (2 Peter 2:18-20, Jude 1:4, 8).  But our certain hope is that God forgives and calls back those who are His.  Those who continue unchecked in sin as a way of life need to examine themselves if they are actually of Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 3:6-7, 9).  He is able to save to the uttermost all He calls and turn from sin to him.