King Solomon’s Son Follows Foolish Advice
After King Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam succeeds him as king. Jeroboam opposes him.
Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, had received a prophetic word that he would become king over ten of the tribes of Israel, with Solomon’s descendants ruling over the tribe of Judah.
Jeroboam, along with all of Israel, approach Rehoboam with a request. They ask him to lighten the people’s load. If he does, they’ll surely serve him.
Wisely, Rehoboam asks for three days to consider it.
The king seeks advice from the elders who had served Solomon during his reign. They think Jeroboam’s request makes sense and recommend that Rehoboam agree to it.
But Rehoboam doesn’t like their advice. He consults with his peers, young men he grew up with and who were now serving him as king. They give him the opposite counsel. This is what Rehoboam wants to hear.
Jeroboam and the people return in three days to learn Rehoboam’s response. The king doesn’t give them a favorable answer. He refuses to lighten their load. Instead, he’ll do the opposite. He’ll demand even more of them than his father.
The people reject Rehoboam as king and follow Jeroboam. Rehoboam is left with only the tribe of Judah to rule over, just as the prophet predicted.
Who should we get advice from?
What do we do when we receive counsel we don’t like?
[Read about Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12:1–24. Discover more in 1 Kings 14:21–31 and Matthew 1:7.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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