1 Kings 12:1-15 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 12:1-15. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Kings 12:1-5 (NIV)
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:
4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.
On verses 1-5: Israel is about to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam the next king of Israel. While in Egypt, Jeroboam hears about this, returns to Israel at this crucial juncture in Israel’s history. Jeroboam reconnects with the Israelites and together they approach the king with a request: lighten the load that Rehoboam’s father King Solomon had required of them, and in turn they would serve Rehoboam. Wisely Rehoboam asks for some time to think and consider what to do.
What can we learn from this? Do not make rash promises or say yes to someone without thinking. When someone makes a request of you and you’re not sure what to do, take the time you need to prayerfully consider how to respond and to get advice if necessary.
1 Kings 12:6-15 (NIV)
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
9 He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “Tell these people who have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter’–tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'”
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”
13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders,
14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
On verses 6-15: Rehoboam seeks the advice of the elders who served with Solomon. The elders encourage Rehoboam to respond to the people by granting their request to lighten their load. They encourage Rehoboam to take on the attitude of a servant for the people. They tell Rehoboam to serve the people, believing that when he does the people will serve him. As verse 7 says, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” (v7) Especially since this was the first big decision that Rehoboam would need to make as king, the elders understood how important this decision was and how important it was for Rehoboam to gain the people’s trust and confidence.
However, Rehoboam rejects his elders’ advice. Instead, Rehoboam looks for peers who tell him what he wants to hear. Rather than responding humbly to the people’s request, Rehoboam responds harshly and arrogantly, threatening to make their load even heavier. Rehoboam’s arrogance would ultimately lead to his downfall.
What can we learn from this? Two lessons:
1. The elders were encouraging Rehoboam to remember the first principle of leadership, which is that a leader is a servant. The reason why God places you in a position of influence is so that you can serve like Jesus served. Because Rehoboam didn’t get that, he lost much of the influence he was given.
Whenever you are promoted in any way, be it in your home, your workplace, your school, or your church, remember what that promotion is ultimately for. It’s so that you can use what God has given you to serve others.
2. Do not take lightly the advice of those whom God has placed in your life as a mentor, leader or advisor. Before making a big decision, seek good advice, and have a humble, teachable heart when seeking advice. How quick are you to seek advice from experienced leaders before making big decisions? As Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”
Father, thank You for the influence You give me. I remember today that it’s so that I can serve like You served. May I not be rash in making promises, or arrogant in the way I make decisions, or insistent on just hearing what I want to hear. Instead may I seek advice with a teachable, humble heart before making big decisions. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
