2 Chronicles 10
Scripture:
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:
4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
Observation:
Can you imagine what it would be like to be king in a line following David and Solomon? Yeah, me either. The pressure must have been incredible. In the beginning of his reign, Rehoboam did a smart thing. When the first real leadership test came his way, he didn’t fake it and act like he knew what to do. He asked for some time and sought some wise counsel. This, however, is as far as his wisdom took him. He rejected the advice of the wise counsel and accepted the advice of his buddies.
As we walk on this discipleship journey, we all need people around us. Here are the three relationships that everyone needs while on this journey.
- We all need someone ahead of us on the journey. (Mentor)
- We all need someone who is on the journey with us. (Friend)
- We need someone who is behind us on the journey. (Mentee)
As we encounter difficult seasons in our life, we can learn from the mistake of Rehoboam. If you do not have a mentor, I encourage you to get one. We will all need wise and Godly counsel from time to time. While on this journey, we should let our friends be our friends and our mentors be our mentors. As a Spirit-Empowered Man we must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and let the advice of our mentors and leaders confirm that direction. When we do, God will be honored and His purposes will be accomplished.
Application:
- Personal Application: Find a mentor for your life and seek Godly counsel in the difficult seasons of life.
- Family Devotional: Read this passage to them and discuss the importance of wise counsel from elders. Offer yourself as someone who will be there when they have a tough decision to make. Also, give them the name of one or two leaders, who you trust, that they can call if they need advice from a non-family member. Then, bring the family together and pray for them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the wisdom to seek and know Spirit-Led counsel when you need it and to give wise counsel when you are asked.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will always seek wise counsel when they need it and have the courage to follow it when the Spirit leads them.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, September 6 – Sunday, September 13:
- Sunday, September 6: 2 Chronicles 9
- Monday, September 7: 2 Chronicles 10
- Tuesday, September 8: 2 Chronicles 11
- Wednesday, September 9: 2 Chronicles 12
- Thursday, September 10: 2 Chronicles 13
- Friday, September 11: 2 Chronicles 14
- Saturday, September 12: 2 Chronicles 15
- Sunday, September 13: 2 Chronicles 16
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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