申十二5~7 但耶和华你们的神从你们各支派中，所选择出来立祂名的地方，就是祂的居所，那是你们当寻求的，你们要往那里去，将你们的燔祭和别的祭，……奉到那里；在那里，耶和华你们神的面前，你们和你们的家属都可以吃，并且因你手所办的一切事蒙耶和华你的神赐福，就都欢乐。

　　耶罗波安铸造了两只金牛犊，把一只安在伯特利，一只放在但，为要岔引他的百姓，不在耶路撒冷敬拜神（王上十二25~30）。神曾命定祂的百姓一年三次聚集在耶路撒冷。耶罗波安唯恐十个支派去耶路撒冷敬拜神，就必归向他们合法的王。因此，他设立了两个敬拜中心，说，去耶路撒冷实在不方便。这个方便的借口也被用来称义今日的宗派。耶罗波安的背道干犯神的定命，就是在圣地只可有一个独一的敬拜中心，以保守以色列人的一（申十二2~18）。这成了大罪，使百姓敬拜偶像（列王纪生命读经，六五页）。

　　Deut. 12:5-7 But to the place which Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name, to His habitation, shall you seek, and there shall you go. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices... And there you shall eat before Jehovah your God, and you and your households shall rejoice in all your undertakings, in which Jehovah your God has blessed you.

　　Jeroboam made two calves of gold, putting one in Bethel and the other in Dan, in order to distract his people from worshipping God in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:25-30). God had ordained that His people come together three times a year in Jerusalem. Jeroboam was afraid that the ten tribes would return to their rightful king if they went to worship God in Jerusalem. Thus, he set up two worship centers, saying that it was not convenient to travel to Jerusalem. The excuse of convenience also is used to justify today’s denominations. Jeroboam’s apostasy broke God’s ordination of having one unique worship center in the holy land for keeping the unity, the oneness, of the children of Israel (Deut. 12:2-18). This became a great sin and caused the people to worship idols. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, p. 54)

　　背道乃是岔开跟从神的正路。……什么时候有人用敬拜神为掩饰，走鬼魔的路，就落到背道中。……在天主教里的人，名义上是敬拜神，实际上是敬拜偶像。罗马天主教所作的，正和耶罗波安所作的一样。当时耶罗波安设立了偶像，并且说，“以色列人哪，……这就是……你们……的神！”〔王上十二28〕耶罗波安似乎说，“这是你们必须敬拜的神。”实际上那不是神，乃是金牛犊。因此，背道乃是用虚假、鬼魔的方式敬拜神。

　　 今日的基督教满了背道，背道是普遍的。许多宣称敬拜神的人，实际上是敬拜偶像（创世记生命读经，一五七五至一五七六页）。

　　耶罗波安造了丘坛的殿，又从那不属利未支派的俗民中，立人为祭司（王上十二31）。神已命定利未支派作祭司，耶罗波安却立俗民为祭司。……耶罗波安定八月十五日为节期，像在犹大的节期一样（32上）；这乃是行他私心所虚构的。他也许告诉百姓，他们不需要上耶路撒冷去守节。……耶罗波安在伯特利的坛上，向他所铸造的牛犊献祭，又将丘坛的祭司安置在伯特利（32下~33上）。……耶罗波安在他的背道里，为以色列人定节期；他虽然不是祭司，却上坛烧香（33下）。……耶罗波安以上五项的背道，可视为预表今天基督教的背道。

　　王上十三章一至三十二节记载神对耶罗波安在伯特利所造之坛的审判。这审判由一个从犹大来的神人所执行（1~10）。这神人后来被一个老申言者所骗，行路违背神的命令，以致被狮子撕裂（11~32）。

　　十四章一至十八节是亚希雅预言耶罗波安悲惨的结局。耶罗波安打发他妻子改装，往示罗去见申言者亚希雅，盼望得着一些关于他儿子亚比雅的好消息（1~5）。申言者亚希雅得着从神来的预言，非但没有告诉耶罗波安的妻子任何好消息，反而告诉她，由于耶罗波安背道的恶行，神必要除灭耶罗波安和他全家，如人烧掉粪土，直到烧尽一般（6~18）。……耶罗波安……的性命因神严厉的刑罚而结束（19~20上）（列王纪生命读经，六五至六七页）。

　　参读：列王纪生命读经，第八篇；申命记生命读经，第十至十一篇。

　　Apostasy means to be distracted from the right track in following God... Whenever someone uses the worship of God as a cloak to take a devilish way, he has fallen into apostasy... Although those in Catholicism worship God in name, they are actually worshipping idols. The Roman Catholic Church does exactly the same thing Jeroboam did when he set up the idols and said, “Behold your gods, O Israel” (1 Kings 12:28). Jeroboam seemed to be saying, “This is the God you must worship.” In reality that was not God; it was a golden calf. Hence, apostasy is worshipping God in a way that is false and devilish. Today’s Christianity is filled with apostasy. Apostasy is universal. Many who claim to be worshipping God are in fact worshipping idols. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 1321)

　　Jeroboam built a temple at the high places and appointed priests from among the common people who were not of the tribe of Levi (1 Kings 12:31). Whereas God had ordained that the tribe of Levi would be the priests, Jeroboam appointed common people to be priests. Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that was in Judah (v. 32a), doing what he had devised in his own heart. He might have told the people that it was not necessary for them to go to Jerusalem in order to have a feast. Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places (vv. 32b-33a). In his apostasy Jeroboam ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and, although he was not a priest, he went up to the altar to burn incense (v. 33b). The apostasy of Jeroboam in the above five items could be considered a type of the apostasy of today’s Christianity.

　　First Kings 13:1-32 is a record of God’s judgment on the altar at Bethel made by Jeroboam. This judgment was carried out by a man of God from Judah (vv. 1-10). This man of God was then deceived by an old prophet to take the way against God’s commandment and was torn apart by a lion (vv. 11-32).

　　In 14:1-18 we have Ahijah’s prophecy concerning the tragic ending of Jeroboam. Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to see Ahijah the prophet in Shiloh, hoping to get some good news concerning his son Abijah (vv. 1-5). Instead of giving good news, Ahijah the prophet, in a prophecy from God, told the wife of Jeroboam that because of Jeroboam’s evils in his apostasy, God would destroy Jeroboam and his whole family as a man sweeps dung until it is all gone (vv. 6-18). Jeroboam’s... life was ended by the severe punishment of God (vv. 19-20a). (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 54-55)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, msg. 8; Life-study of Deuteronomy, msgs. 10-11