1 Kings 12:1-11
…But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ (Verse 8-11)
One of the saddest things to happen to a people is to be led by a foolish leader. Rehoboam was such a leader. He was the last of the kings to lead the united kingdom of Israel, but for only a short period before his folly led to the division of the kingdom. In the early days of his rule, the people came to him to beg that he relaxes the heavy yoke placed upon them. He did not give an immediate response but told the people to come after three days. In these three days, he sought counsel (a good thing) first from the old men who gave him very wise counsel. But rather than implementing this, he opted to consult his friends and peers who gave him horrible counsel. And he was foolish enough to follow the counsel of the latter.
This one foolish move led to a revolt and split in the kingdom, and Jeroboam began to reign over the Northern kingdom (10 tribes). Rehoboam was left to lead only two tribes of the Southern kingdom, and this is because the LORD had made a covenant with his grandfather David. There is surely no place for foolishness in leadership, for the stakes are just too high. And so, whether at home, or in church, or at the work/business space, or in the political space, we must put away foolishness. And the way to do this is to surround ourselves with wise counsel and not merely with people who tell us what we want to hear.
Reflections
1. What other example of a foolish leader, dead or alive, can you think of?
2. What do you need to do in order to avoid being a foolish leader?
