13[Rehoboam] answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier.”
Rehoboam was heir to the throne of King Solomon, his father. After his father died, the people requested a lighter tax and work burden. Rehoboam sought the counsel of elders that served his father. They told him that if he lightened the load of the people, they would become loyal to him and would be his servants forever.
Rehoboam then sought the advice of his childhood friends. Their advice was completely opposite. Their counsel was to be heavy handed and threatening; to lead through intimidation and fear. All of the Israelites, except those living in Judah, rejected his authority and went to their own homes. The kingdom was now divided.
There are several lessons to be gleaned from this passage. First, is the affirmation that, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton, 1887) These young men were friends of the king’s son. This no doubt afforded them special privilege amongst those that were not Rehoboam’s friends. They probably looked forward to Rehoboam’s accession to the throne to gain even more vicarious power.
Another lesson to be gleaned is the value of advice. We all learn from our mistakes as well as our successes. How much better it is to learn lessons from the successes and failures of others. However, many people shop for advice until they hear what it is they wanted to hear. We want people to “tickle our ears” with words that affirm the desires of our hearts. This is how many people shop for a church. They want to hear from the word of God provided that word is comforting and affirming.
A true friend is one who will tell the truth even when the truth is harsh. Speaking truth in love is not that difficult provided the love is established long before the truth needs to be told. If a friend is sinning and we sugar coat it, we are doing more harm than good.
Our current society likes to call everything an addiction or a disorder. This diagnosis suggests that things really are not your fault and you may suffer with this addiction or disorder for the rest of your life.
Sin, however, needs no cure. It needs no medication. It requires no support groups or sponsors to call. When we call it sin, we give the sinner an opportunity to immediately repent and receive forgiveness and restoration. Tickling the ears is fatal to the soul.
Sin, however, needs no cure. It needs no medication. It requires no support groups or sponsors to call. When we call it sin, we give the sinner an opportunity to immediately repent and receive forgiveness and restoration. Tickling the ears is fatal to the soul.
