I Kings 14:16

"And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin."

As was the sin of Adam and Eve in the beginning, that afflicted all humanity; so now, the sin of Jeroboam now affects all the childre of Israel. We must remember that out of this hosts of people, for it was a nation, there was those that did not agree with Jeoboam, but they did nothing. This is the greater sin. Then there was a hosts of them that did nto agree and picked up and went into the land of Judah. And he shall give Israel up - what does anyone do, when God says He will give them up?; word study, to give; Oh, men forsake and people disappoint, but when compared to a faithful, merciful God there is no hope for such. God's nature is to aid, to help and to rescue, but when sin has broken the bonds and severed the people from their God, they are left to their own deluge. God give them up to their own fate. Now think of this for oursevles, what if God had given us up? Where would we be? Would we not already be destroyed and ravaged by this world? For when God gives them up, SAtan stands ready to do his best work. For as long as God is present, there is protection and delvierance from the devil's onslaught. What shall we say of a family that God has given them up to their sins? How long shall they last? Will there even be another generation? No, it ends and is wiped from the oracles of history, they cease to be. (Weigh the magnitutude of that) - cease to be; And what shall we say of a nation that God gives them up to their ways of sin and evil? Will they not quickly perish from off the eart? Every empire and nation that has not honored the Lord, and even, this, His own children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, did He given them up to their sinful ways of destruction. for the wages of sin is death. Because of the sins of Jerobaom - his continued curse for the two calfs placed in Israel to replace God; His sin was no small sin, it affected a nation of people. It affected history itself. Let no one ever consider their sin, "Well, it isn't hurting anyone else. It is just my sin." Sin reaps the whirlwind of suffering,d estruction and shame. The sins of one man did this, and how much more does our sin affect those around us? Oh, the weight of this that our sins affect others; one person's sins affects everything around their life: health, wealth, children, neighbors, church, nation, everything. Who did sin - It is declared here that sin is present; Too many want to skirt the issue of what is sin. Others do not want to beleive it is wrong, but under the eyes of the Lord it is sin. There is no whitewashing, no color coating, it is sin. Of Jeroboam, 'you sinned against the Lord'; of Israel, 'they sinned against the Lord'; and of us? 'we have sinned against the Lord'; of God's church, 'they have sinned against the Lord'. We are a wicked people in the sight of the Lord. let us cast off this sin, the sin that does so easily beset us and live holy, righteous and faithful unto Him. And let this phrase, 'Who did sin', be turned to 'Who was holy unto the Lord'. And who made israel to sin - word study, made; He made them? He set up the altar, the images and mandated the worship of the calfs as god. He forced the people to sin in this and they like sheep went along to the slaughter of his own devices. How many follow along and never consider the work of one's man sin? The choices that are made that last a lifetime. It is all accounted for and for nothing else but the grace of God are we able to survive. He made them to sin and the people did obey it. The people have a responsiblity also, to speak, to act against such things that are contrary to the known will of God. And if people look for justification to speak against rulers, against nations, then let us see the destruction that is spoken of here and later on recorded that God gives them up for a people that is apathetic and silent. That which is sown will be reaped. We chose what we want to reap; the blessings fo the Lord or the punishment of the Lord?