Bible passage: 1 Kings 14:1-18
Prophet: Ahijah
Written: More than 2,500 years ago
In 1 Kings 14:1-18, Ahijah the prophet, who at this time was aged and blind, prophesied against King Jeroboam and the northern kingdom of Israel, because of unfaithfulness to God.
Ahijah predicted that the bloodline of Jeroboam would come to an end and that the kingship of the northern kingdom would be turned over to another family. This was fulfilled soon after Jeroboam's son, Nadab, became the second king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Like his father, Nadab worshiped false idols and led the people of Israel into sin. He was assassinated by Baasha while he was with Israel's army during an attack on the Philistine city of Gibbethon. Baasha, who was not related to Jeroboam, then became the next king.
The story of King Nadab of Israel is found in 1 Kings 15:25-32. Some scholars propose that Nadab reigned for about one year, about 2,900 years ago, including Edwin Thiele, who proposes that Nadab reigned from 910 to 909 BC, in his book, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, (3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983).
Ahijah's prophecy not only spoke of the demise of Jeroboam's bloodline but also of the northern kingdom of Israel:
For Yahweh will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking Yahweh to anger. (1 Kings 14:15, WEB)
A few centuries later, about 2,700 years ago, the Assyrians invaded, conquered and brought an end to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Earlier in Ahijah's prophetic ministry, he foretold, in 1 Kings 11:29-33, that the 10 northern tribes of Israel would become their own kingdom (the northern kingdom of Israel) and that Jeroboam would become its first king.