Read 2 Chronicles 10.
With a change in leadership, the nation longed for relief from the burdens of King Solomon; namely, the style of leadership, the amount of work, and taxes.
The new king, Rehoboam, had been given an opportunity to be more popular than his famous father. He inherited an expanded kingdom and all its wealth. There could not have been anything lacking. His 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
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.
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 was not over. One day every wrong will be made right. Every sin will be judged. Every faithful person will be rewarded.
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