To Whom Are You Listening?
"But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers" (1 Kings 12:8, NLT).
The Bible teaches that getting counsel is a good thing. We don’t know everything. When you don’t know something, don’t wallow in ignorance. Get some advice!
In that passage often read at Christmas from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor ...” we see that the Lord is our Counselor. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
You and I don’t know everything. We ought to seek counsel from the Lord first.
After seeking the Lord, there is still room for godly counsel from other human beings. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22). “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6).
Don’t try to live this life with the limited stuff inside your head. Seek the Lord first (Matthew 6:33). After you have laid your plans before the Lord, then seek the advice of others.
But who should you seek counsel from? 1 Kings 12 reports two stories of leaders who listened to bad advice.
The first is Solomon’s son Rehoboam who succeeded his father to the throne. A delegation came to him shortly after his administration was in place asking that he reconsider some of the policies of his father’s administration with respect to labor demands and taxes.
Rehoboam didn’t answer them right away. He asked them for three days. In those three days he got counsel. He first sought it from the older men who had counseled his father. They advised Rehoboam to be a servant to his people and give this delegation from the Northern part of the kingdom a favorable answer.
Rehoboam didn’t like their advice. So he called for his peers. And, of course, they advised him to talk tough and promise that if this delegation thought his father was tough, they hadn’t seen anything because he was going to be many times tougher than his dad.
The result is that the entire Northern kingdom of Israel seceded. Rehoboam lost over 80% of his kingdom listening to bad advice!
It always amazes me how we are inclined to seek the advice of people who (1) will either tell us what we want to hear or (2) know nothing about the area where we need counsel. (Advice: if your marriage is in shambles, don’t talk to all your single and divorced friends. Talk to the ones who have a proven track record -- the ones who stayed married through the ups and downs.)
Later in the chapter Jeroboam, leader of the northern kingdom leads his people into idolatry “on the advice of his counselors” (1 Kings 12:28, NLT).
On this Christmas, give yourself a gift. Learn to seek the Lord first. Before picking up the telephone to talk to someone who will likely give you advice before they ask the Lord to give them wisdom as they talk to you, go on and fall on your knees and ask Him yourself. He has promised to give you his Holy Spirit to “lead” and “guide” you (John 16:13).
And then give yourself an equally big gift and stop listening to the advice of folk who (like Jeroboam’s counselors) are encouraging you to do the things that you know displease the Lord or (like Solomon’s son Rehoboam’s counselors) are telling you how to get somewhere they have yet to successfully go themselves.
If things aren’t working, at least ask yourself the question, “To whom am I listening?” Are you seeking the Lord? Are your counselors godly and experienced? Think about it.
The Bible teaches that getting counsel is a good thing. We don’t know everything. When you don’t know something, don’t wallow in ignorance. Get some advice!
In that passage often read at Christmas from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor ...” we see that the Lord is our Counselor. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
You and I don’t know everything. We ought to seek counsel from the Lord first.
After seeking the Lord, there is still room for godly counsel from other human beings. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22). “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6).
Don’t try to live this life with the limited stuff inside your head. Seek the Lord first (Matthew 6:33). After you have laid your plans before the Lord, then seek the advice of others.
But who should you seek counsel from? 1 Kings 12 reports two stories of leaders who listened to bad advice.
The first is Solomon’s son Rehoboam who succeeded his father to the throne. A delegation came to him shortly after his administration was in place asking that he reconsider some of the policies of his father’s administration with respect to labor demands and taxes.
Rehoboam didn’t answer them right away. He asked them for three days. In those three days he got counsel. He first sought it from the older men who had counseled his father. They advised Rehoboam to be a servant to his people and give this delegation from the Northern part of the kingdom a favorable answer.
Rehoboam didn’t like their advice. So he called for his peers. And, of course, they advised him to talk tough and promise that if this delegation thought his father was tough, they hadn’t seen anything because he was going to be many times tougher than his dad.
The result is that the entire Northern kingdom of Israel seceded. Rehoboam lost over 80% of his kingdom listening to bad advice!
It always amazes me how we are inclined to seek the advice of people who (1) will either tell us what we want to hear or (2) know nothing about the area where we need counsel. (Advice: if your marriage is in shambles, don’t talk to all your single and divorced friends. Talk to the ones who have a proven track record -- the ones who stayed married through the ups and downs.)
Later in the chapter Jeroboam, leader of the northern kingdom leads his people into idolatry “on the advice of his counselors” (1 Kings 12:28, NLT).
On this Christmas, give yourself a gift. Learn to seek the Lord first. Before picking up the telephone to talk to someone who will likely give you advice before they ask the Lord to give them wisdom as they talk to you, go on and fall on your knees and ask Him yourself. He has promised to give you his Holy Spirit to “lead” and “guide” you (John 16:13).
And then give yourself an equally big gift and stop listening to the advice of folk who (like Jeroboam’s counselors) are encouraging you to do the things that you know displease the Lord or (like Solomon’s son Rehoboam’s counselors) are telling you how to get somewhere they have yet to successfully go themselves.
If things aren’t working, at least ask yourself the question, “To whom am I listening?” Are you seeking the Lord? Are your counselors godly and experienced? Think about it.
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