12  Rehoboam succeeds and Jeroboam returns out of Egypt, Ki1 12:1-2.
The peoples petition to Rehoboam, and his answer, Ki1 12:3-15.
Ten tribes revolt and make Jeroboam king, Ki1 12:16-20.
God forbids Rehoboam to make war upon them, Ki1 12:21-24.
Jeroboam sets up two golden calves, Ki1 12:25-33.

12:26 Said, etc - Reasoned within himself. The phrase discovers the fountain of his error, that he did not consult with God, who had givenhim the kingdom; as in all reason, and justice, and gratitude he shouldhave done: nor believed God's promise, chap.Ki1 11:38, but his owncarnal policy.

12:27 Will turn - Which in itself might seem a prudent conjecture; for this would give Rehoboam, and the priests, and Levites, the sure andfaithful friends of David's house, many opportunities of alienatingtheir minds from him, and reducing them to their former allegiance.But considering God's providence, by which the hearts of all men, and theaffairs of all kingdoms are governed, and of which he had lately seen soeminent an instance; it was a foolish, as well as wicked course.

12:28 Calves - In imitation of Aaron's golden calf, and of the Egyptians, from whom he was lately come. And this he the ratherpresumed to do, because he knew the people of Israel were generallyprone to idolatry: and that Solomon's example had exceedinglystrengthened those inclinations; and therefore they were prepared forsuch an attempt; especially, when his proposition tended to their ownease, and safety, and profit, which he knew was much dearer to them, as wellas to himself, than their religion. Too much - Too great a trouble andcharge, and neither necessary, nor safe for them, as things now stood.Behold thy gods - Not as if he thought to persuade the people, that thesecalves were that very God of Israel, who brought them out of Egypt:which was so monstrously absurd and ridiculous, that no Israelite in hisright wits could believe it, and had been so far from satisfying his people,that this would have made him both hateful, and contemptible to them; buthis meaning was, that these Images were visible representations, by which hedesigned to worship the true God of Israel, as appears, partly from thatparallel place, Exo 32:4, partly, because the priests and worshippersof the calves, are said to worship Jehovah; and upon that account, aredistinguished from those belonging to Baal, Ki1 18:21, Ki1 22:6-7, and partly, from Jeroboam's design in this work, which was to quiet thepeoples minds, and remove their scruples about going to Jerusalem toworship their God in that place, as they were commanded: which he doth, bysignifying to them, that he did not intend any alteration in the substanceof their religion; nor to draw them from the worship of the true God, to theworship of any of those Baals, which were set up by Solomon; but toworship that self - same God whom they worshipped in Jerusalem, even thetrue God, who brought them out of Egypt; only to vary a circumstance:and that as they worshipped God at Jerusalem, before one visible sign,even the ark, and the sacred cherubim there; so his subjects should worshipGod by another visible sign, even that of the calves, in other places; andas for the change of the place, he might suggest to them, that God waspresent in all places, where men with honest minds called upon him; thatbefore the temple was built, the best of kings, and prophets, and people,did pray, and sacrifice to God in divers high places, without any scruple.And that God would dispense with them also in that matter; because going toJerusalem was dangerous to them at this time; and God would have mercy,rather than sacrifice.

12:29 Beth-el, etc - Which two places he chose for his peoples conveniency; Beth-el being in the southern, and Dan in the northernparts of his kingdom.

12:30 A sin - That is, an occasion of great wickedness, not only of idolatry, which is called sin by way of eminency; nor only of theworship of the calves, wherein they pretended to worship the true God; butalso of the worship of Baal, and of the utter desertion of the true God;and of all sorts of impiety. To Dan - Which is not here mentionedexclusively, for they went also to Beth-el, ver. Ki1 12:32-33, but forother reasons, either because that of Dan was first made, the people inthose parts having been long leavened with idolatry, Jdg 18:30, or toshew the peoples readiness and zeal for idols; that those who lived in, ornear Beth-el, had not patience to stay 'till that calf was finished, butall of them were forward to go as far as Dan, which was in the utmostborders of the land, to worship an idol there; when it was thought too muchfor them to go to Jerusalem to worship God.

12:31 An house - Houses, or chapels, besides the temples, which are built at Dan and Beth-el; he built also for his peoples betteraccommodation, lesser temples upon divers high places.Of the lowest - Which he might do, either,

1. because the better sort refused it, or,
2. because such would be satisfied with mean allowances; and so he could put into his own purse a great part of the revenues of the Levites, which doubtless he seized upon when they forsook him, and went to Jerusalem, Ch2 11:13-14, or,
3. because mean persons would depend upon his favour, and therefore be pliable to his humour, and firm to his interest, but the words in the Hebrew properly signify, from the ends of the people; which may be translated thus, out of all the people; promiscuously out of every tribe. Which exposition seems to be confirmed by the following words, added to explain these, which were not of the sons of Levi; though they were not of the tribe of Levi. And that indeed was Jeroboam's sin; not that he chose mean persons, for some of the Levites were such; and his sin had not been less, if he had chosen the noblest and greatest persons; as we see in the example of Uzziah. But that he chose men of other tribes, contrary to God's appointment, which restrained that office to that tribe.

12:32 A feast - The feast of tabernacles. So he would keep God's feast, not in God's time, which was the fifteenth day of the seventhmonth, and so onward, Lev 23:34, but on the fifteenth day of theeighth month. And this alteration he made, either,

1. to keep up the difference between his subjects, and those of Judah as by the differing manners, so by the distinct times of their worship. Or,
2. lest he should seem directly to oppose the God of Israel, (who had in a special manner obliged all the people to go up to Jerusalem at that time,) by requiring their attendance to celebrate the feast elsewhere, at the same time. Or,
3. to engage as many persons as possibly he could, to come to his feast; which they would more willingly do when the feast at Jerusalem was past and all the fruits of the earth were perfectly gathered in.

1. by his priests. Or, rather,
2. by his own hands; as appears from Ki1 13:1, Ki1 13:4, which he did, to give the more countenance to his new - devised solemnity.

13  A prophet threatens Jeroboam's altar, and gives a sign, which immediately comes to pass, Ki1 13:1-5.
He restores Jeroboam's withered hand, and leaves Bethel, Ki1 13:6-10.
The old prophet deceives and entertains him, Ki1 13:11-19.
He is threatened with death, Ki1 13:20-23.
Slain by a lion and buried, Ki1 13:24-32.
Jeroboam is hardened in his idolatry, Ki1 13:33-34.

13:33 After this - That is, after all these things: the singular number put for the plural; after so many, and evident, and successive miracles.Made again - He abated not so much as a circumstance in his idolatrousworship. Whosoever - Without any respect to tribe or family, or integrityof body, or mind, or life; all which were to be regarded in the priesthood.

13:34 Sin - Either, an occasion of sin, and means of hardening all his posterity in their idolatry: or, a punishment, for so the word sinis often used. This his obstinate continuance in his idolatry, after suchwarnings, was the utter ruin of all his family. They betray themselveseffectually, who endeavour to support themselves by any sin.

8 

8:1  Mat 15:32.

8:8 So they did eat - This miracle was intended to demonstrate, that Christ was the true bread which cometh down from heaven; for he who was almighty to create bread without means to support natural life, could not want power to create bread without means to support spiritual life. And this heavenly bread we stand so much in need of every moment, that we ought to be always praying, Lord, evermore give us this bread.