The wisdom, glory, and wealth of King Solomon are renowned; notwithstanding, he had many wives. And when he was old, his wives turned his heart from the Lord to worship other gods. He built shrines and altars throughout Israel to them, and the Lord’s anger was kindled against him.

And the Lord appeared unto Solomon and made it known unto him that the twelve tribes he ruled over would be divided; ten tribes would be torn away from his house and given to his servant to rule, but for the sake of David, one tribe would remain along with Judah, which thing came to pass during the reign of his son Rehoboam.

For the Lord sent Ahijah the Shilonite to Solomon’s servant Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, and Ahijah caught the new garment that he was wearing—representing one kingdom that would become two—and tore it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you.”

Moreover, Ahijah said to Jeroboam by the word of the Lord, “If you will hearken unto all that I command you and will walk in my ways and do that which is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.”

The words of Ahijah came to pass in the days of Solomon’s son Rehoboam; Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the House of Judah to the south and the ten tribes of the House of Israel to the north. Notwithstanding, the name of the Lord and the temple remained in Jerusalem, and once a year, all the tribes of Israel were commanded to gather there to worship the Lord.

Knowing that his people would go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship every year, Jeroboam feared that their hearts would be turned back again to the House of David and Jerusalem, and they would kill him. He did not trust God to make his kingdom sure, as he had promised him.

After taking counsel, Jeroboam made two golden calves and said to the ten tribes, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

And he set one calf in Bethel, being about ten miles from Jerusalem, where worship more closely resembled that of Judah, and the other in Tel Dan, the farthest city in Israel from Jerusalem, where idols were served. This was Jeroboam’s way of offering a conservative option or a liberal way of worship to please all.

Tel Dan was formerly the Canaanite city named Laish, infamous for its careless lifestyle, idolatry, sexual immorality, and liberal orientations; the tribe of Dan dispossessed them; however, they adopted their culture and worshiped their gods.

Thereafter, from Bethel unto Dan, Israel erected high places to worship, and they ceased going up to Jerusalem to worship as the Lord had commanded. The two kingdoms became even more divided, and the House of Israel walked after their own inventions.

Jeroboam also held a feast in Bethel, similar to the feast of the Lord in Jerusalem, to entice the children of Israel to forsake going to Jerusalem to worship the Lord as commanded. Afterwards, Israel worshiped in their high places. And after the manner they chose, they made groves and altars for other gods.

Israel never recovered from the sins of Jeroboam until the day the Lord brought judgment upon them by the hand of the Assyrians, who destroyed Israel and carried those who remained away captive. Afterward, Assyria was destroyed by the Babylonians; the captives were scattered among all nations, becoming known as the “Lost Tribes.”

Judah also faced severe judgment. Around 125 years after Israel went into captivity, the first temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. A second temple was built and dedicated around 515 BC; it was destroyed in 70 AD. The Jewish people were then scattered and have been without a temple ever since.

Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The temple he was speaking of was his body. The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes the location of worship irrelevant; wherever the Lord is worshiped is holy ground. Jesus said, “The hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

Thus, Spirit and Truth are given to us as the new temple mount, spiritual Jerusalem, of which the earthly Jerusalem is a typology.

Perversions of the truth send the same message Jeroboam preached—teaching that you need not stand in the holy place as the Lord has commanded.

Wherever we are, we are to stand on holy ground. We cannot willfully live in sin, offering the sacrifices of Cain, and be found guiltless. We must go up to the place appointed by God, the New Jerusalem of His Spirit, and worship Him in obedience.

The scripture states, without holiness, no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26). Therefore, take your shoes from off your feet, stand on holy ground, and worship the Lord.