THE COUNSEL OF FOOLS

• DAY 319
• FEAR FILE: REHOBOAM
• SCRIPTURES: 1 KINGS 12

Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 

I KINGS 12:3-8

Dear courageous person, who do you take advice from? This is a very important question to examine and answer for yourself because the person you take advice from can stir you to faith or fear, to wisdom or folly. A fearful person cannot counsel you in faith and a foolish man cannot speak wise saying. I’m sure Rehoboam learned this the hard way.

This man was born by the wisest king that ever lived. A man who had the capacity to manage a thousand women. His wisdom was so phenomenal that people traveled from different parts of the world to see him. As next in line, he obviously didn’t have the wisdom that his father, neither did he do what his father did when he was filling the big shoes of David. Solomon’s legacy would have been tough to follow and that can be a lot of pressure. So maybe he felt the need to measure up, we do not know but his actions clearly suggest that he was trying to prove a point.

Going Foolish

Because how do you leave the wise counsel of men that served and advised your father, the wisest man on earth, and pick the counsel of your mates? Obviously, he felt one made him look weak and the other made him look strong. The advice of his friends fed and aligned with his fear. His fear of not being good enough to fit in the father’s shoes, imposter syndrome, or, maybe, the fear of being seen as a weak king. He probably thought, “Nobody ever came to challenge my father before, but this mob is here because they think I’m weak.” So he chose the worst advice ever given over sound counsel.

He inadvertently fell into fulfilling God’s decree that the nation will be divided and he sped up the whole process. I believe that if he had acted right and probably pleaded and sacrificed like his father, maybe there would have been a way out. God had changed His mind before. He did it for Hezekiah and Moses. It was the sins of his father and God honors a humble man with a broken and contrite heart. But no, he was surrounded by a companion of fools. They gave him terrible advice that destroyed his father’s kingdom.

May your fears not mislead you. When you need counsel, may you not be surrounded by fools. May God give you people who are full of His wisdom and give you a heart that is not opposed to counsel. Above all, I pray that you will experience the work of the Spirit of counsel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom.