Read 2 Chronicles 10.
With a change in leadership, the nation looked for relief
from the burdens of King Solomon; namely, the style of leadership, amount of
work, and taxes.
The new king, Rehoboam, had been given an opportunity to be
more popular than his famous father. He
inherited this expanded kingdom and all its wealth. There could not have been anything lacking. But this inaugural decision required wisdom
and character. Rehoboam possessed
neither one.
Solomon wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning
of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)
There is no indication that Rehoboam tried to understand
what God wanted him to do. Given that,
there was no way his leadership would ever last. Solomon left the new king an advisory council
to provide guidance in making important decisions. Rehoboam met with them but ignored their
wisdom. His young, foolish friends, with
their greedy agendas, swayed the king away from what was right.
Meanwhile, Jeroboam and ten of the twelve tribes of Israel
Two insights for us today from verse 15:
1. "So the king did not listen to the people..."
A good leader listens.
That does not mean that every decision will be popular with the
majority, but it does mean that people need to feel heard. It requires wisdom and skill to navigate what
was said to make a right decision. As a
local talk show says, "It is not what is right or left. It is what is right or wrong."
2. "...it was a turn of affairs brought about by God
that the LORD might fulfill his word..."
When an authority makes a bad decision, a wrong decision, or
even a sinful choice there is One in heaven who is the Ultimate Authority. It requires a spiritual perspective for
followers to look beyond the human leader and trust God for the outcome. None of Rehoboam’s actions caught God by
surprise. He predicted it. And, the story has not concluded. One day every wrong will be made right. Every sin will be judged. Every faithful person will be rewarded.
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