“Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”
I Kings 12:6-8 NKJV
Have you ever been given good advice – but ignored it, only to go in the opposite direction? I have. And I lived to regret it. Like King Rehoboam, I was smart enough to ask someone wiser than me, but in the end, it wasn’t advice I was looking for. What I really wanted was someone to tell me what I wanted to hear – a co-conspirator who would give me permission to act on what was in my heart. It’s a terrifying and dangerous truth we as humans are capable of.
King Rehoboam was given sound advice! Serve the people – be a ʿeḇeḏ – – bondsmen to them – someone who loves them and cares for them, who comes alongside of them – and they will serve you right back. But the advice wasn’t what Rehoboam wanted. He wanted permission to be a jerk. And he got it from immature, unknowing, unwise, foolish friends.
It’s one thing to ask for advice and another to ACT on advice. The difference is my heart. I am one decision away from being a jerk.
As I lead and influence those in my circle, I have to check my heart and make decisions free of offense and through the lens of this thought: I am dealing with a person G-d created – how would He want me to treat His son or daughter?
May I be mindful of the voices I allow to influence me and who I seek counsel from, and at the end of the day, may my actions and words sound and look like the great Counselor whose advice can be trusted.
Father – thank You for Your wise counsel. Give me ears to hear Your truth and not what I want to hear. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: 1 Kings 12-14
June 23, 2022