When We Have To Choose

Introduction

1 Kings chapter 12. I’d like to say it’s a wonderful day the Lord has made, amen. I’m thankful to be with everyone here, and on that note, I would like to express sincerely, I am happy that you are here, whether you are a member or you’re visiting, although if you’re a member, maybe I’d have to think about that again, because I know you a little too well. I’m a little under the weather today, so please don’t take me not shaking your hand or being right next to you as a sign of unhappiness. I just don’t think you want to share what I’ve been enjoying the past several days. In first Kings chapter twelve, Rehoboam had a decision to make. A decision with the weight of the kingdom upon him.

Now, if there was something we wouldn’t want to share, if you’re not one that’s prone to high pressure moments, you wouldn’t want to be Rehoboam here. In chapter twelve and verse one, Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, for he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon. Then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you. He said to them, Go away three days, and then come again to me.

So the people went away. And so Raboam has this decision to make.

1. God Has Spoken

If you do that for us, though, we will serve you. We will be your servants. And so Rehoboam has to decide, as a king, what do you say? When those who answer to you are asking for a reprieve of sorts? Do you come down all the harder? Or do you grant them their request and be a king of the people, and in return have the people’s respect and undying loyalty. But before we can appreciate this choice, we need to understand where God is in this picture. Well, you look at chapter 11 with me and verse 1. Rehoboam is, of course, the son of King Solomon. By the way, King Solomon, we know is one of the most wise men to ever live. Think that might help Rhaboam with his choice?

Let’s see. But in 1 Kings chapter 11, now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, you shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you. Now God sounds real mean there, doesn’t he? Just don’t marry these other women. God just hates everyone who’s not his people, right? Well, that’s not where the verse concludes, and neither should we. For surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. There’s a reason God had this law in place, and King Solomon. Well, Solomon clung to these in love. He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred concubines.

Wouldn’t you know it? And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. What you’re going to see is traits like clinging to God and wisdom are not inherited. They are found through practice and an individual relationship with the Lord being formed. You see that with Solomon here. He did not seek God the way David did. And we see that Rehoboam didn’t have the wisdom that Solomon did. But continue the reading with me in verse 9. How is the Lord going to respond to King Solomon not obeying him and worse yet, suffering the fate of not obeying him, having his heart turned away towards other gods?

Verse 9, and the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, Since this has been your practice, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, that I have chosen.

And so what we see is that God has spoken.

In fact, he would keep Rehoboam, Solomon’s son with one tribe, but the rest would be split away. And we know this period in history is characterized as the united kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon, and he might say briefly, Rehoboam. But who made the decision? Was this God being cruel? No. Who is at fault for the kingdom being divided? At this point of the story? Solomon. Because of why? Because of Solomon’s choice. Solomon chose to go after foreign women when God explicitly had said not to. He had said not to on the basis that they would turn away his heart towards other gods. God twice appeared to him to keep him from doing just that, and yet he did anyway. And for that God justly stepped in.

And so I want you to know in the background of this tough choice that Rehoboam is going to face, realize that God has spoken. That yes, Solomon’s son would retain a tribe, but the kingdom would be ripped from him. But consider how and why was the kingdom ripped from Rehobam? Was it because of his father? Was it because God had preordained it and there was nothing to be done? Consider those questions. As we examine, so we see Rehoboam had a tough decision to make. And I wonder sometimes if I face tough decisions in life. Where should I live? What should I do? But more specifically, not these big, easy questions that we can ponder on and think about maybe with fondness. But what about our occupational hazards that we choose?

2. Rehoboam Sought Wisdom From Two Sources

Rehaboam was king of Israel. And as king, his people came to him. And now he had a decision to make because he was the king. And I wonder what type of decisions do I have to make because of my role in life? As a father, as a husband, as a wife, as a mother, as a child, as a student at school, as an employee at work. What are the decisions I have to make? And we see that Rehoboam does something arguably well here. I’ll come back towards the end and insert something. But from the looks of it, he sought wisdom from two sources. Go back to chapter twelve and know with me in verse six. In light of this discussion, when Rahboam has told the people, come back in three days, let me think about this.

Then King Rehaboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon and his father while he was yet alive, saying, How do you advise me to answer this people? And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever. Now I want you to really zone in on what they said. It wasn’t just let the people have what they want. Look at verse 7 again. If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them. Then they will be your servants forever. There is substance and there is kindness, there is reasonableness in his tone when he tells them what should be this good news.

This is the advice of the counsel that was with Solomon. Do you think these men had been around the block once or twice? Yes, nod your heads, yes. They had been in the presence of Solomon. They had life experience at minimum, and perhaps had benefited from the wisdom that Solomon exhibited. And while Solomon’s choice in women was not the best, he was a wise man in other areas. So consider then what Rehoboam does in verse 8. 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.

So now he’s abandoned this older, wiser counsel. Now, by the way, how do you think this is going? You think it’s a good sign when you’re asking for advice, and you get some from people who probably know a little bit better than you do. And then you say, I’m not going to go that direction. Let me try over here. Now note who he comes to. Did you see that in verse 8? He took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him. So these are his peers. And in verse 10, here is their advice. 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 disciplines you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions. Not only are they saying, Lay it on him, Rayboam, how nice do you think that type of answer is? Do you think those are good, encouraging words? Do you think that makes you want to serve a king like that? Remember in verse 7. What was the older counsel? What was it? In verse 7 again. If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and what? Speak good words to them. So Rhaboam has the choice. He still could decide either way. He has the advice from the older counselors, he has the advice from the younger counselors.

3. Wisdom Is Wise, No Matter Who Speaks It

And I know you’re considering with me this morning. Oh, here it is. The younger counselors are wrong, because the older counselors are older. They must be right. And that’s not necessarily true. Before we get to the conclusion of the story, consider that wisdom is wise, no matter who speaks it. Whether there is a 30-year-old man who speaks words of wisdom, or an 80-year-old man who speaks words that are foolish, the advice is wise or foolish based on the merit of the advice, not the person giving it. However, don’t you think that sometimes when we make decisions we lean on expertise? We lean on experience. If I told you you had an illness and you could go to a doctor that had no experience with the strain of flu that you were dealing with, or one door over, there was a doctor who had treated that for 30 years.

Which door are you walking into? I’m walking into the door of the one with 30 years of experience. Why? They know what they’re doing. Does it guarantee that he would treat me better than the one with no experience? Absolutely not. But it does make me feel a whole lot better about my chances. And by the way, we look with me at 1 Kings chapter 14. In 1 Kings chapter 14, this is a wonderful lesson to examine not only how God’s will is exercised through people’s choices, but consider who this is. We think about Rehoboam, and you think about, well, you know, my child needs to seek good wisdom, and we’re going to talk about that momentarily. Or it’s important to avoid foolish counsel, and we’ll talk about that shortly.

But how old was Rehoboam? I understand there’s some ideas about this, but either way, he’s an adult. And according to the biblical text that we have in 1 Kings chapter 14 and verse 21, do you see with me how old he was? Now Rehaboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to be able to reign. And he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. How old was Rehoboam? Forty-one years old. This is a man. This is a grown man facing a grown man type of decision. Consider that as we go back to the story. So what is he going to do?

4. Rehoboam Chose the Counsel of His Peers

Well, you know where this is going. You’ve heard the story. You understand the context. And consider with me the reading in verse 12. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, Come to me again the third day. And the king answered the people how? Harshly. By the way, what was the counsel of Solomon’s counselors? Solomon’s contemporaries. Speak good words to them. Okay. And verse 13, continuing, and forsaking the counsel that the old man had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplines you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions. So the king did not listen to the people.

Well, he chose. How’s it going to play out? Verse 16. And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the Son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel, look now to your own house, David. So Israel went to their tents. And what happens? Verse 20, and when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. I want to look at a big picture point. God had spoken to Solomon that this would happen, didn’t he? This exact thing. The kingdom would be ripped, not from him, but from his son.

But there would be a tribe that would remain faithful. Now I ask you again, whose fault is this? Did God make this happen? No. Solomon disobeyed God, seeking foreign wives and having his heart turned towards other gods. Rehoboam had an opportunity to at least, it seems, momentarily appease the people. Now, would the kingdom have still been ripped? It seems like it because what God has spoken will come to pass. But consider that Rehoboam had that choice. He chose the counsel of his peers. He chose wrongly, not because they were young, but because the advice stinks.

For those of you who weren’t here Wednesday night, you missed Brother Tony Thigvin giving a Wednesday night invitation. And he offered his opinion on what those who are under 25 are like now. I won’t repeat how he described that, but someone under 25, I apologize. A couple of you were here Wednesday night. Consider, though, that Rhobam’s choice finished the United Kingdom. I’m not blaming Rehoboam for the rip. Again, it seems likely that this is where it was going. And you have to set up from the beginning when you’re asked a question that you can give an answer, and the entirety, almost the entirety of the people will revolt against you. That means the kingdom’s not going real well at the time, anyhow. But his choice undoubtedly finished the period we know as the United Kingdom.

It began that period we know as the divided kingdom, where Jeroboam took the ten tribes to the north, and Rehobam reigned over Judah and Benjamin. Rehobam had a choice. And frankly, he made the decision. The counsel was there. He could have accepted or rejected. He could have tried something in between. But he took counsel, and that was good. But he rejected the wise counsel. And that was bad. I wonder what it would have been like if he had only asked the counselors of Solomon. If he had only asked those who were contemporaries with his wise father. Do you think the story might have played out a little differently? To see how it finishes, note with me in verse 21. When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, there’s Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.

But the word of God came to Shemiah, the man of God, say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people. Thus says the Lord, you shall not go up or fight against your relatives to the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me. God has spoken. What does he said? Do not go to battle with them. Go home. So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord. Now I’m curious, with our last remaining time here, some applications. How will we make our choices? Because Rehoboam gets a bad wrath because he did, in fact, make a wrong choice, but he did something that a lot of us don’t do, and that’s seek counsel.

5. Will We Ignore God or Seek Him First?

He at least tried. In fact, he did something interesting. He weighed two different sets of advice. He didn’t just go with the first one or just with the second one. He took two types of counsel. You know what that means? It means he was at least willing to hear it. Whether he liked it or not shows he at least did not agree with the counsel that said, speak kindly to them and be a good king to them, and they will be your people. But I want to consider. Will we ignore God or seek him first? There was someone that the text does not indicate that Rehoboam did consult. Who was that? God. And I make that point. And I can come down pretty hard on Rehobam until I think for a second.

And I say, do I have the relationship with God where I go to him with my decisions? When I go to him with my struggles, do I go to God at all? Do I trust him? Do I seek his counsel first, whether in prayer or through reading of his divinely inspired word? And if not, I can rightly say that Rehoboam messed up, but I better have a finger coming back to me that says, I’ve messed up too. Consider in verse 24. What did the man of God say to him? Return home. Do not fight this battle. Can I ask you a question? What would happen if Rahboam said, I know God said don’t go fight. Nah, I’m going to go fight. How do you think that fight’s going to go?

Chances are they’re going to get obliterated. Why? He didn’t do the will of the Lord. Now I have a question. Rehoboam did good there, but where was that care for God’s decision first? We all can realize that if you go against the will of God, that’s bad. But I have a question. Do I seek God proactively first? What about these gray area decisions in my life? What about the tough times? How do I make decisions? Do I seek God first? Or only when I happen to think of a passage that outlines for me directly, go left or go right? We need to seek God’s opinion. Don’t you think if Rahboam had the type of relationship that David did with the Lord, that this would have been a no-brainer?

Look at me in 1 Samuel chapter 30. In 1 Samuel chapter 30, the Amicalite, I’m just going to turn there and you’re going to see with me. In 1 Samuel chapter 30. And verse 1, now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid, there you go, against the Negev and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. By the way, note in verse 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive. What is David going to do? In verse 7. And David said to Abathar, the priest, the son of Amalek, bring me the Ephid.

So Abathar brought the Epha to David, and David inquired of the Lord. Shall I pursue after this man? Shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely escape. And it rescue, excuse me. It’s easy to look at Samuel in this one context and say, or excuse me, David, and he sought the wisdom of the Lord. But can’t we always do that? Can’t we just be of a nature as Christians where God is so imprinted on our heart that we just ask God because that’s what we do? Because we know God knows best. That’s what we should do. That’s how God’s people behave. If we’re people passing through this life, and we only care about pleasing God, what are we going to do when we have questions?

6. Are We Willing to Seek Wise Counsel?

Say, how does God feel about this? And that type of question is a game changer, isn’t it? All of a sudden, a lot of my worries and complaints and decisions are a lot easier. Albeit I might not like the direction it takes selfishly. But I want to talk about the counsel that he did seek. Are we willing to seek wise counsel? Well, you look with me in the book of Proverbs. I want to look at several Proverbs relatively quickly here. Beginning in Proverbs chapter 12. Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 15.

Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 15, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Am I wise or am I a fool? It’s not up to me. How does my actions? How are they represented by this text? Am I right in my own eyes or do I listen to advice? In chapter 13 and verse 20. Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 20. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Remember I asked that question? What if Rehoboam had only speaken to those who are around the time of Solomon? Those counselors from Solomon’s age? You know, it’s a lot easier to take good advice when we’re around people who have good advice.

It’s a whole lot easier to take bad advice when we’re trusting and being around people who will give bad advice. I don’t care if they’re 45, 15, or 85. Foolish people make foolish decisions. And we are fools if we ask them and are their companions too. That’s what the Bible teaches. Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 20 again. The companion of fools will suffer harm. There’s no other way to say it. We cannot be with foolish people and expect to come out unscathed. That’s not me talking. That’s the Bible. Consider if you had a question, who would you go to? If I could get you past the point of seeking wise counsel, who would you turn to? And what qualifies them as someone that you would turn to?

Well, you look with me in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 10. Proverbs chapter 15. Excuse me, in verse 22. Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed. Who is your counseling team? Who do you have? Who do you trust? And if you say, well, I don’t really know because I don’t have any counselors, I want to read Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 22 again. Without counsel, plans what? Plans fail. But with many advisors, they succeed. Who is your counselors? Who are they? What qualifies them? Let me ask just arbitrarily, who would be qualified to give good advice to the Christian? Think in your mind. Who is the type of person? What type of characteristics make up this person? Is it not someone who might be an elder?

And I mean that in the church sense and as well in age? Would it be someone who has experience? But most importantly, is it someone who puts God first? Wouldn’t it be someone who has been transformed by Christ? Why would we ask people who are not Christians for advice on Christian living? Why would we ask people who are not seeking God first questions on how to please God? And if we’re not worried about pleasing God, we’ve missed the ship entirely. Who are my counselors? And are they qualified to be so? You look with me at one other passage in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 20. In Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 20. The Bible says, listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Conclusion

You know what the catch of that wisdom in the future is? You know what the catch of that future gain is? That I seek advice. Let me ask a question as we conclude this morning. Is life hard? Is life difficult? In some way at least. I better be asking you all for advice. No one thinks life’s difficult. How many times have you asked someone for advice in the past month? And I don’t mean what type of food to get. I mean on a spiritual question. How to get over this hurdle I’m having. How to not be selfish. How to put God first? How many times in the past couple months? If that answer is zero or anywhere close to zero, either that needs to change, or you need to be on the front lines teaching people like me how to get through this life pleasing to God.

We are a team. We need to be willing to help one another, and that implies seeking and taking help, advice, counsel. Because it’s not about me. It’s about God. Rayhaboam had a choice to make. He chose wrongly. Yes, he sought advice, but he did not seek God’s will first. Will we make the same mistake? Rahboam sought good counsel, but he rejected it. Will we make the same mistake? Rahboam allowed himself to be the companion of people who offered foolish advice. Will we make the same mistake? If you take nothing out of this lesson other than learning some Old Testament history, please take this. Have a team of counselors. Know who you would go to in a time of trouble. And make sure they’re qualified to give you godly advice.

And if you don’t have someone, find someone. A good start would be our elders, the elders’ wives, the deacons and their wives. Because heaven’s worth everything. Let’s not let our pride and our decision to not ask for help imprison us until the day comes where it’s too late. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious Heavenly Father, we love you. We praise you. And we’re so thankful for your great love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. Help us to show those characteristics in our lives towards others. Lord, help us to be selfless. Help us to choose you. Help us to seek your ways and to bring to be pleasing in your sight.

Please encourage us and convict us to be lights into the world, to shine where there is darkness, and to lead others to you. Lord, we’re so thankful for the example that you’ve given to us in the Old Testament. We’re thankful for the men like David who did serve you, and we’re thankful for the example of them seeking your counsel, and we pray that we will think to do the same. Help us to be completely devoted to you, to where not a day goes by where we’re not speaking to you, praising you, thanking you, and asking you for help until we return home with you for all eternity and can praise you in glory for all for all of our the rest of eternity. Please help us to get through this day with good health and certainly in a way that’s pleasing in your sight in our worship service, and help us to open our Bibles to teach the truth and be willing to stand on whatever you have taught.

Keep us safe to this day. It’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen.