|
THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 5, NUMBER 39, OCTOBER 2, 2005 A FOOLISH SON!
The historical account of the division of Israel into two kingdoms after the death of Solomon is a story of a foolish son. Rehoboam was Solomon’s son. He had inherited a magnificent kingdom and great opportunities, for his father Solomon “ruled over all the kings from the River (Euphrates) even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt ” (2 Chron. 9:26). There was no other nation so wealthy and whose commerce extended so far (1 Kings 10). Rehoboam was a foolish son. The people were oppressed by “the grievous service” and were restless under “the heavy yoke” placed upon them by Solomon. They were greatly taxed and forced to labor, just as God had foretold they would be (1 Sam. 8:10 -20). When Solomon died the people met Rehoboam “to make him king” but not without first making the following request: “Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee” (1 Kings 12:1-4). Rehoboam should have readily granted this request, but he begged three days for consideration. Rehoboam first “took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?” But when they advised him to lift the burdens of the people and to be lenient and generous, this did not suit the young king. So he turned to the young men that had grown up with him and accepted their counsel instead. Rehoboam spoke to the people, “after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions” (1 Kings 12:14). When the people saw that Rehoboam would not grant their most reasonable request they revolted, making Jeroboam king of Israel. Thereby the glorious kingdom of God’s people was divided, and the house of David, with Rehoboam as king, was left only with Judah and the small tribe of Benjamin. Emphasis on Youth
Youth should learn a lesson in the story of Rehoboam. Though the young today know more at an earlier age than those before them, they should never become so wise in their own eyes as the reject or ignore the counsel of the old. I am a “young preacher,” and although on the other side of thirty and supposedly separated by the “generation gap” no one is more sympathetic to the anxieties and problems youth face today. I am refreshed by the idealism, dedication, and enthusiasm found in many young people. But I am also alarmed by the tendency to rebel against what the older generation has done, whether good or bad. The most common complaint of young people about the older generation is “They don’t understand.” (This was said long before the “generation gap theory” was ever devised.) Occasionally, unreasonable parents may not understand, but usually the young are the ones who lack the wisdom. Rehoboam didn’t like the counsel of the old men either, but they were right, and his young counselors were wrong! Most young people experience the same surprise Mark Twain did when he marveled at how much his father had learned in the short time between his sixteenth and twenty-first birthdays. More power to young people, but may they always “rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:32). Whether young preachers or young sons and daughters of Christians, do not become so enamored with self and lifted up with pride so as to follow foolish and wicked advice. Many young men, like Rehoboam, with splendid opportunities, have come to nought. Give place for the counsel of the wise and older men.
Robert Harkrider HELP ME!
Help
me to forgive Help
me to be willing Help
me to be willing Help
me to focus entirely on You, Help
me to understand Help
me to recognize I
don’t know what tomorrow holds,
Greg Litmer
|