February 4th, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Which Advice to Take?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Lord, I praise You for leading me into Your Kingdom; the Kingdom of faith, hope and love.

Read 1 KINGS 12:1-20

[1] Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel 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, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now 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.'” [12] Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” [13] The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, [14] he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” [15] So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. [16] When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” So the Israelites went home. [17] But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. [18] King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. [19] So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. [20] When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid” (Prov. 12:1). We need discernment to evaluate the advice others give us.

Think Further

The repetitive language of this story is characteristic of storytelling in oral cultures including those of the Ancient Near East and aids memorization. Like a visitor to a statuary or ancient monument, I walk slowly round the pentagon of people in the story (Rehoboam, Jeroboam, the elders, the youths and Israel), observing closely. There is a dramatic reversal between verse 1 and verse 20! Jeroboam had fled to Egypt (1 Kings 11:40), but today’s story ends with Rehoboam only just making it to his chariot in order to flee himself (18) after Adoniram, his forced-labor chief, has been stoned to death.

The narrative indicates subtly some reasons why Solomon’s project is creaking and cracking: he could never have achieved all his building and commercial projects without forced labor–the heavy yoke, the harsh labor, the whips. The elders advise a different approach: the three uses of the word “serve” make the point quietly. The youths, Rehoboam’s peers, have no time for such conciliation and gentleness: they crudely urge much more force. The narrator artfully passes his verdict on this advice by making Rehoboam omit the young men’s coarsest expression (about little finger and loins).

Rehoboam stupidly followed the advice of his peer group. The separatist cry of verse 16 had been heard before in David’s time (2 Sam. 20:1). A division is appearing between “David” and “Israel.” They had always been together, but now Israel was going to its tents and only Judah “remained loyal to the house of David” (20). I focus on the unique word translated “turn of events” in verse 15. Somehow Rehoboam’s stupidity is caught up and contained within God’s wider sovereignty. What he has spoken through his prophet will come to pass.

Apply

Recall a time when a bad choice of yours was “caught up and contained within God’s wider sovereignty.” What lessons did you learn from the experience?

Closing prayer

Mighty God, I’m grateful that You are in charge of all things, not me. Thank You for bringing good out of my bad choices.

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