A fortress here would defend the kingdom of Israel from the attacks of Assyria on the east and north, and from Judah on the south.

THE KING’S APPREHENSION.

  “And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the
  house of David.

“If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam, King of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah.”

Now that Jeroboam is king, his troubles begin.  Having settled the matter of protection against invasion by the building of the strongholds as just noticed, a more serious danger arose before him.  It would seem that the people had no thought when they separated from the government of Rehoboam that they would also give up their religion.  It was expected that Jerusalem should be still the religious capital, and the temple the place for all the people of both nations to worship.

But Jeroboam reasoned with himself that if the people of his kingdom went up to Jerusalem three times a year, as the law directed (Deut. 16:  16), to worship there, they would by this become alienated from him as their ruler, would learn to reverence the king who was of David’s line as more rightfully their sovereign, and the result would be not only that they might change, such was the fickle temper of people in the east, but they might expel him and perhaps take his life.

It was a very natural course of reasoning, but he should have trusted in God.  In I Kings 11:  38, the promise had been expressly made to him that on condition of his obedience, he should be protected and his throne should be firmly established.  But he forgets this and goes on in the foolish fashion of all doubt and unbelief.

FALSE GODS SET UP.

  “Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and
  said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold
  thy gods, oh, Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,

  “And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.”

He reasoned that if there were to be two kingdoms, there must also be two religions:  at least, the citizens of one kingdom should not get their religion from the worship and service held in another kingdom.  On the face of it this looked like the very essence of wisdom.  It was worldly wisdom, but it was religious folly because it was putting policy above principle.

After he had thought this matter over for some time, Jeroboam took some of his friends and counselers into the secret of his reflections, and they agreed with him.  Thereupon he proceeded to establish home rule in religion as in everything else, and his whole course is an exhibition of great shrewdness.  It is a pity that so bright an intellect had not been united with a better heart.