1 Kings 12

Rehoboam The Unwise

But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him. 1 Kings 12:8.

There are some men in the Bible who are like signposts placed on a road to show us the right way to go. They lived brave and true lives, and we shall do well if we follow in their footsteps. Such men are Samuel, and Daniel, and Josiah the boy king in the Old Testament, and Stephen in the New.

There are other men who are like those motor signs which tell us that a certain turning or a certain hill is to be taken with care, or that we are approaching a hidden side road. They are the men who were not altogether good and not altogether bad, the men who made mistakes and committed grave errors, but who afterwards sincerely repented and tried to make up for their faults. I think among these we must count Jacob and David in the Old Testament and the apostle Peter in the New. And they seem to say to us, “Go with caution, and avoid the mistakes we made.”

But there is another class who are like the danger signals on thin ice. They are the men who were foolish and obstinate, who rushed headlong on a mad career which led to their own ruin. And they seem to say, “Turn aside altogether from this way, for it is fatal for you to walk in it.” Among these last is Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

Rehoboam succeeded to the throne at a very troublous time in the history of Israel. There had always been a good deal of jealousy and ill-feeling between the Northern tribes and the tribe of Judah, and of late years this feeling had increased. Besides this the people were very discontented on account of the heavy burdens that King Solomon had laid upon them. In order to maintain the magnificence of his court he had made many of them work like slaves and had imposed very high taxes on them.

The leader of the Northern tribes was a strong, ambitious man named Jeroboam to whom the prophet Ahijah had promised five-sixths of the kingdom. On the day that Rehoboam was crowned, Jeroboam came to him with a petition from the people. They begged that the yoke which King Solomon had laid upon them might be lightened, that some of their taxes might be taken away and their work made less hard. And on condition that Rehoboam should comply with their wishes they promised to serve him faithfully.

Rehoboam seemed rather taken aback at their proposal. It was a new thing for the people to dictate terms to the king. He asked for three days in which to think out his answer and his request was granted.

In the meantime Rehoboam sought advice upon the matter. First he consulted the old men, the experienced counsellors of his father King Solomon, and they advised him to conciliate the people. They told him that if he would consent to the wishes of his people, give up his own desires, and seek to serve them in this matter, then he would win their allegiance and bind them to him for ever.

But this kind of advice did not suit King Rehoboam. He had been a spoiled boy all his life. He had been brought up in a luxurious court where nothing had ever been denied him, and he was not prepared to give up his own wishes, or, as he thought, lower his dignity. He turned his back upon his father's sage counsellors and sought the advice of the young men who, like himself, had been brought up in the lap of luxury. And these silly young coxcombs advised him to give an arrogant answer. “Tell the people” they said, “that instead of lightening their yoke you will add to it, that whereas your father chastised them with whips you will chastise them with scorpions.” The answer pleased Rehoboam and flattered his foolish pride. Was he not an absolute monarch, and could he not do as he liked with his own? So he rejected the advice of the old men and gave to the people the answer of the young men.

It was the last straw. Through the camp sounded the cry, “To your tents, O Israel!” And before the night fell Rehoboam found that of all the kingdom his father had ruled over, he was left with the tribe of Judah only. For Israel departed from Judah that day never again to be united with it under one king.

Now I wonder why we have raked up this old story today. Well, you remember, at the beginning we compared Rehoboam to a danger signal on ice. And what is it he warns us off? I think it is just the thin ice of taking bad or foolish advice.

You know we have all to make decisions in life. Sometime or other we have to decide on our career; very often we have to choose between two paths which lead in opposite directions; every day we have to make a choice between good and evil; always we have to choose between serving God and following the desires of our lower nature. It is well when we can have at our side a wise counselor.

1. There are two things I want to say to you, and the first is always be ready to listen to the advice of older and wiser people. Perhaps you think them cautious and slow-going, but they have lived much longer in the world than you. What you have just read or heard about, they have learned by experience; and in nine cases out of ten they are right and you are wrong. You can beat them perhaps in energy and enthusiasm, and it is right that it should be so, but they can beat you at every turn in wisdom and knowledge of the world. One of the reasons why you have a father is that he may be there to advise you.

It is said that Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo because one of his generals was too proud to take the advice of those who were wiser than himself.

That general's name was Grouchy. He intended taking his troops to Wavre and two other generals advised him to take them straight to Waterloo. Their tone was rather dictatorial and Grouchy resented it. He persisted in taking his men to Wavre. And so, at a critical moment in the battle, when Napoleon was counting on his aid, he failed to appear. He was not in time to save the Emperor from final disaster.

2. And the second thing I want to say is always be rather suspicious of advice that suits you. Now please don't run away with the idea that all that is agreeable is wrong. What I mean is that very often when we ask for advice it is because we are hesitating between a path that is difficult but right, and one that is easy but wrong.

All Scottish boys and girls know the name of Robert Burns and some of the older ones here know that although Burns wrote such marvelous poetry his own life was a sad failure. He had something very fine and noble in his nature, but he yielded to temptation, and so he never became the splendid man he might have been.

Now at one time Burns felt specially drawn to higher things. He began to feel very dissatisfied with the life he was leading. He began to be afraid of the consequences of that life. And in his heart there was a great longing for God and for the things that are true and right. Unfortunately, the poet consulted an unwise friend who advised him to drown his fears in bowls of wine and forget them in foolish pleasures. It was the easy way, and Burns took the pleasant advice. So he made a wreck of his life and of his better self.

There is one Guide who will never lead us astray, and we can always have His guidance for the asking. It is a good rule through life never to start an undertaking or make any important decision without taking God's advice. And whether our decisions be great or small we can never go far wrong if we keep close to His side and listen to His voice.