The visit of the man of God from Judah with his prophecy against the altar of Bethel with the accompanying miraculous sign did nothing to change the rebellious heart of Jeroboam. The writer tells us that he did not repent of his evil way. In fact, Jeroboam increased his disobedience by installing an illegitimate priesthood upon the high places. There were at least two issues that caused this to be evil. First, God had ordained the Levitical priesthood to be the only priesthood for Israel, and in the second place, since the time of Solomon, Jerusalem was to be the one place of sacrificial worship.
If the old prophet of Bethel
is something of a mystery, Jeroboam is equally a mysterious figure. He was singled out by God as the king of the northern kingdom, and he had been established in the kingdom by the intervention of God in stopping Rehoboam, the king of Judah, from crushing the rebellion at a point when it was too weak to resist. Nevertheless, he took all the glory of his rule to himself, choosing to follow Solomon in the way of disobedience rather than David. Either he belittled the grace of God which had placed him on the throne, or he took it for granted, feeling no obligation of thanksgiving and obedience to the One who had set him in his place.
33 Après cet événement, Jéroboam ne se détourna point de sa mauvaise voie. Il créa de nouveau des prêtres des hauts lieux pris parmi tout le peuple; quiconque en avait le désir, il le consacrait prêtre des hauts lieux.