Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
King Jeroboam's son is dying, and he sends his wife to a prophet with bread, cakes and honey. He still believes God's word comes true, yet he sends her in disguise, with a present in hand — the way people approach a stranger.
What He Asks For
One writer notes what is missing from the errand:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinHis wife, in disguise, goes to Shiloh. She does not go to ask prayer for the sick son. She goes to find out what would become of the child, as if consulting a fortune teller.
He respects the prophet's record without reckoning on the God behind it:
H. L. RossierJeroboam recognises the man of God's ability and thinks he can help him. One thing, however, is missing. An unconverted soul always lacks it: the awareness of dealing with God. It does not enter his mind that he is about to come before Him... Jeroboam would just as easily consult a fortune teller.
The Present
The ten loaves, the cakes and the honey are not lavish. Older translations read "cracknels" here — "a kind of cake that is not clearly identified" (Morrish Bible Dictionary). The gift itself is chosen to fit the disguise:
H. L. RossierBring him some presents, he says — not the kind that would suit the dignity of a queen, which would give us away. But after all, a present is always in order when someone goes to consult a prophet!
The same instinct appears in another king who sent gifts to a prophet:
W. W. FeredayLike Naaman, he was prepared to pay well for any benefit he might receive... That God is not a trader but a giver — and a very generous giver — seems a fact people find very hard to grasp. In every age people want to bargain with God: so much money or labour for so much blessing.
A Religion He Did Not Trust Himself
The king had a religion of his own close at hand. In this crisis he sends past it to a prophet of the Lord.
Eugene P. Vedder Jr.Jeroboam had set up a religion of his own invention for his people. Yet it is clear he had no real confidence in it himself... His own religion might be useful for his political goals. It was no use when his own body failed or his son's life was at stake. This same principle holds true of all religions that people invent.
Conscience Still Working
The choice of Ahijah says something about the king, and something about the prophet:
C KnappJeroboam's troubled spirit does not turn to the old prophet of Bethel, or to others like him in Israel. In his distress he turns to the Lord's prophet. This is not uncommon with sinners. It is a striking witness to the power of conscience, and a testimony to the influence of a righteous man while evil is everywhere.
The Disguise That Failed
The queen came dressed as an ordinary woman. The prophet named her as she stepped through the door.
Hamilton SmithA hypocrite never got pardon in the disguise of a saint. He will call you by your own name, even if you come to Him looking like someone who has repented. "Come in, wife of Jeroboam," said the prophet. Hypocrisy is too thin a veil to blind the eyes of the Almighty. You may put your own eyes out, so that you do not see Him, but you can never blind His eyes so that He does not see you.
The Answer About The Child
Jeroboam asked what would become of the boy. The answer was that he would die — yet one writer finds mercy in it for the child:
An Outline of Sound WordsWhen God takes away one of His own by death it is not always in judgment. We see this when God took away the son of king Jeroboam. He did it because in him there was "found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel." In His goodness God took the lad away from the evil that was coming. It was His severity towards the wicked Jeroboam, but His goodness towards his son.
Summary
- Trouble drives him. A dying child sends Jeroboam past his own invented religion to the Lord's prophet. Man-made religion serves his politics. It is useless at a sickbed.
- Curiosity, not repentance. He asks what will happen, not for mercy. He consults the prophet the way others consult a fortune teller.
- A gift to trade with. The loaves, cakes and honey treat God as someone you can pay for an answer. He is a giver, not a trader.
- A disguise that changes nothing. The prophet names her at the door. Hypocrisy is too thin a veil to blind God.
- Severity and goodness together. Judgment falls on Jeroboam's house. Yet God takes the one child with some good thing in him away from the evil that was coming.