Can You Hear Me Now?
Scripture: 1 Kings 13:8
"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. 9 "What is your advice?" he asked them. "How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?"
Observations:
Although King Solomon was the wisest and most successful Kings in history, he was not immune to bad decisions. Perhaps his worst decision was his failure to listen to God. Unfortunately, his failed legacy was picked up by his son Rehoboam who made one huge mistake that cost him his Kingdom. Early on when he was asked by the people whether or not he would continue his father's policy of forced labor, he sought the advice of two groups of people before making his decision. However, instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders (whose advice was correct), he followed the advice of his unexperienced friends whose wisdom was severely lacking. Consequently, his failure to listen to wise counsel split the Kingdom and cost him greatly.
Application:
In life we will always face decisions that require greater wisdom than we ourselves possess. For that reason God's Word instructs us that when we encounter such decisions "there is safety in having many advisers." (Prov. 11:14). However, that doesn't mean we if ask a variety of opinions and go with the one we like the best that things will always work out well. Nor does it mean that if we are repeatedly given advice we don't like we should just keep on seeking until we find some we finally agree with. Wisdom only works when we decide in advance to hear it. Jesus said that if we aren't really interested in understanding the truth, we won't recognize it even when we hear it. But if we are truly seeking wisdom, it requires that we be humble enough be willing to part with our own opinion if necessary when wisdom speaks.
Prayer:
Father, we acknowledge that we don't always know what's best and that we need wisdom. Give us understanding hearts that are open to truths that may sometimes be difficult to hear so that we will be able to consistently make wise choices. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"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. 9 "What is your advice?" he asked them. "How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?"
Observations:
Although King Solomon was the wisest and most successful Kings in history, he was not immune to bad decisions. Perhaps his worst decision was his failure to listen to God. Unfortunately, his failed legacy was picked up by his son Rehoboam who made one huge mistake that cost him his Kingdom. Early on when he was asked by the people whether or not he would continue his father's policy of forced labor, he sought the advice of two groups of people before making his decision. However, instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders (whose advice was correct), he followed the advice of his unexperienced friends whose wisdom was severely lacking. Consequently, his failure to listen to wise counsel split the Kingdom and cost him greatly.
Application:
In life we will always face decisions that require greater wisdom than we ourselves possess. For that reason God's Word instructs us that when we encounter such decisions "there is safety in having many advisers." (Prov. 11:14). However, that doesn't mean we if ask a variety of opinions and go with the one we like the best that things will always work out well. Nor does it mean that if we are repeatedly given advice we don't like we should just keep on seeking until we find some we finally agree with. Wisdom only works when we decide in advance to hear it. Jesus said that if we aren't really interested in understanding the truth, we won't recognize it even when we hear it. But if we are truly seeking wisdom, it requires that we be humble enough be willing to part with our own opinion if necessary when wisdom speaks.
Prayer:
Father, we acknowledge that we don't always know what's best and that we need wisdom. Give us understanding hearts that are open to truths that may sometimes be difficult to hear so that we will be able to consistently make wise choices. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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