Palace Smart Not Street Smart

2 Chronicles 10: 1 – 19

Palace smart not street smart

10 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “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.” 5 So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed. 6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.” 8 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. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’ ” 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!” So all Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore, King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

I want to start off by debunking a theory.

Being street smart does not mean you are ‘uneducated’ or ‘unintelligent’.

That is a false assertion.

I did relatively well at school and have 4 university degrees but since I grew up on the city streets of Philadelphia I would brand myself as having a degree in street smarts.

So, what is it to be street smart?

Being street smart means you have a good environmental, or situational understanding. You know what is going on around you.

More importantly you can see what is happening around you

You can make judgements on the scenario, the place and people around you, and you are able to trust these personal judgements. Let’s call it gut instinct, and your observation is usually right.

It is, stripped back, having a basic understanding of the street ‘level’. Being on the ground. Being in the battle, rather than looking down atop of it.

Further, your solutions to problems and tasks will more likely be practical, and pragmatic.

It is developed purely from experience and ‘real life’

It comes from doing the task, or the work, that others read about or just observe. From getting your hands dirty. From getting ‘stuck in’. Whether it is through successes or failures, these first-hand experiences develop your knowledge and understanding of the world and your work.