Seeking Advice

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

SEEKING ADVICE

1 Kings 12:1-11

12:1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you." 5 Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked. 7 They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." 8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?" 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'"

NIV

Before the death of Solomon, he attempted to kill his own son, Rehoboam, but he fled to Egypt. Now that Solomon has gone the way of all flesh and rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, the people sent for Rehoboam. The story is about two groups of advisors with completely different advice. The people of Israel, which means the whole of Israel, twelve tribes, ask Rehoboam to lighten their load, because his father put a heavy burden on them. Rehoboam seeks the advice of his father's senior advisors. Here is the truth for any leader of people, as they advised him to serve his people, that is to be a servant leader, and the people would respond positively. But youth does not understand servant leadership, and his young men, who had grown up with him, advised him to double down on burdening the people.  It was a sad situation, yet it was happening just as Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, had told Jeroboam what the LORD was going to do: tear the kingdom from the son of Solomon. Our story could be about always having good senior advisors whenever we are in a leadership position.  However, not all believers serve in leadership roles; how can we apply this truth to our lives as we live in community with one another? We think we have only one person we need counsel from, and He is our Lord and Savior, Jesus. It might be good to have other people to ask how we should proceed in specific situations in life. We might need legal advice, or maybe financial advice, or the best way to grow, cook, sow, build, or whatever else we do in life. However, we could run into the problem because we should not take counsel from the ungodly. This is explicitly stated to us in the first Psalm, and that Hebrew word means "advice." So if we seek any counsel, we should make sure that the person is a believer and will consider the word of God in their counsel. Yet, when it comes down to the matter of life within the community of faith, our most excellent counsel comes straight from the Lord. All the truth we need for life is within the holy word of God. Of course, whenever we do find ourselves in any area of leadership, it is good to have help in making plans. There are hundreds of books written about various ways to build a bigger, better, more powerful ministry or church that can reach the lost. There are plans, programs, and seven steps to a healthier church, and on and on, one after another, as if this is the way to be successful as a leader. But our help is in the Lord. No matter what we face in life, if we are taking counsel from the Lord, we will be walking in the Spirit, or walking the path the Lord has laid out for us. Rehoboam took the wrong advice, although this was all in accordance with God’s plan. That is why we need to be careful about any advice that does not line up with God’s plan for our lives. Let us always seek advice from the Lord.