{"id":34783,"date":"2025-02-21T22:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T05:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=34783"},"modified":"2025-02-12T16:46:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T23:46:44","slug":"1-kings-12_1-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-kings-12_1-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Before You Make A Big Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Kings 12:1-15 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Kings 12:1-15.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a012<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>1<\/em><\/strong>-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.\u00a0<\/em>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.\u00a0<\/em>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:\u00a0<\/em>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>“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.”\u00a0<\/em>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-5:\u00a0 Israel is about to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam the next king of Israel.\u00a0 While in Egypt, Jeroboam hears about this, returns to Israel at this crucial juncture in Israel\u2019s history.\u00a0 Jeroboam reconnects with the Israelites\u00a0and together they approach the king with a request: lighten the load that Rehoboam\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Do not make rash promises or say yes to someone without thinking.\u00a0 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Kings 12:6-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then 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.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They 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.”
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The 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.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0My 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.'”
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders,
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0he 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.”
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the\u00a0LORD, to fulfill the word the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 6-15:\u00a0 Rehoboam seeks the advice of the elders who served with Solomon.\u00a0 The elders encourage Rehoboam to respond to the people by granting their request to lighten their load.\u00a0 They encourage Rehoboam to take on the attitude of a servant for the people.\u00a0 They tell Rehoboam to serve the people, believing that when he does the people will serve him.\u00a0 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)\u00a0 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\u2019s trust and confidence.<\/p>\n

However, Rehoboam rejects his elders’ advice.\u00a0 Instead, Rehoboam looks for peers who tell him what he wants to hear.\u00a0 Rather than responding humbly to the people’s request, Rehoboam responds harshly and arrogantly, threatening to make their load even heavier.\u00a0 Rehoboam’s arrogance would ultimately lead to his downfall.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 Two lessons:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0The elders were encouraging Rehoboam to remember the first principle of leadership, which is that a leader is a servant.\u00a0\u00a0The reason why God places you in a position of influence is so that you can serve like Jesus served<\/strong>.\u00a0Because Rehoboam didn\u2019t get that, he lost much of the influence he was given.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s so that you can use what God has given you to serve others.<\/p>\n

2. Do not take lightly the advice of those whom God has placed in your life as a mentor, leader or advisor.\u00a0Before making a big decision, seek good advice, and have a humble, teachable heart when seeking advice.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0How quick are you to seek advice from experienced leaders before making big decisions? As Proverbs\u00a012:15\u00a0says, \u201cThe way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father, thank You for the influence You give me. I remember today that it\u2019s 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\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Kings 12:1-15.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1\u00a0Kings\u00a012:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.\u00a0
\n3\u00a0So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verses 1-5:\u00a0 Israel is about to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam the next king of Israel.\u00a0 While in Egypt, Jeroboam hears about this, returns to Israel at this crucial juncture in Israel\u2019s history.\u00a0 Jeroboam reconnects with the Israelites\u00a0and together they approach the king with a request:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34783"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34786,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34783\/revisions\/34786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}