The biggest fool that ever hit the big times by acting naturally ...1st. Kings 12:1 - 13
A good musician friend to me, Buck Owens passed away a few days ago...He recorded a song that really done well for him. The name of it was “Act Naturally” Well. Rehoboam had big shoes to fill. His illustrious grandfather was the beloved King David and his distinguished father was the WISE King Solomon.
However, the new king was not left without help. His father’s advisors were ready to help the young man make a good start, succeed his father, and complete the course, but the young Rehoboam took things too personally, too lightly, and immaturely.
He had more to prove than he thought, more to lose than he thought, and was more to blame than he thought for his misfortune. Although Rehoboam was the son of a wise father, he himself had a small mind. From the fifty references to this man, who despised wise counsel, we can learn a great many facts.
Although named as an ancestor of Christ (Matt. 1:7), he was unworthy of such an honor for three reasons.
1. He was dominated by a false principle. Rehoboam entertained an erroneous idea of the relation between God and these people. He was haunted with the false offer that the people existed for God and not God for the people. He carne to accept the ridiculous fiction of "the divine right of kings," that led him to treat his people as puppets if you will, to be manipulated for his benefit.
Rehoboam had been brought up under the high-and-mighty rule of his father, Solomon, When the people appealed, it was more against Solomon than Rehoboam, who had not had the opportunity of proving his quality as a king. So, the first appeal to Rehoboam was, "Thy father made our yoke grievous," and the son sought to copy the harm of his father.
2.. He followed the wrong advice. Alexander Whyte introduces his sermon on Rehoboam with the sentence: "Just by one insolent and swaggering word, King Rehoboam lost for ever the ten tribes of Israel. And all Rehoboam’s insane and suicidal history is written in our Bible for the admonition and instruction of all hot-blooded, ill-natured, and insolent-spoken men among ourselves."
What a different history of the Jews would have been written, had Rehoboam not followed
the advice of reckless counselors. When he went to She-kim, the rallying center of the northern tribes, to be formally crowned as king following Solomon, the people were willing to accept Rehoboam on one condition... that he should lighten the burdens imposed upon them by Solomon. This reasonable request, which should have been adhere to without any hesitation, was met with the cautious reply: "Come again to me after three days." But Rehoboam lost a golden opportunity of healing the sores of fears of preserving the unity of God’s people. Romans:1:22: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
first of all, the king sought the advice of the old men who had been counselors of his father and whose ripe experience qualified them to guide Rehoboam. They urged the king to be kind and considerate.
Speak good words to them, and they will be thy servants forever." with his mind already made up, he rejected the counsel of the old men and consulting the opinion of his young, rash companions who always fed his vanity, he followed their advice and, assuming a haughty attitude, announced that he would add to the yoke of the people.
The effect was firsthand, and a long-suffering people, aching for a long time, under a sense of wrong, refused to be inspire with dread, like the brave Hungarian people, by empty boastings. And as a result, the kingdom was tore into and Israel’s greatness was destroyed.
Have you ever taken the advise from someone because they said what you wanted to hear, only to find out it was VERY bad advise? These older men had been around. They knew what they was talking about. But Rehoboam thought he knew the best by going to the guys he grew up with. Look at our country today as opposed to 50 years ago or even less.
It used to be a persons word was their bond...It used to be the Andy Griffith days in America. Now, if cartoons is not saying curse words and shows with gays and lesbians as the stars...and if some little so-called judge sitting on the bench fails to uphold the homosexual pervert who says “they was born that way and they just can’t help it . That is a lie straight out of hell!...and this so-called judge says it’s alright to take God out of the pledge to our own flag, we are just not normal. We just don’t understand.
Child of God, listen to me.....If we continue to put up with this foolishness, the world is right...we are not normal. We are sick! Our feeble minds are warped worse than we thought. Had we as Christians, stepped up to the plate and held our ground when Madeline O’Hara said their was no God, where would we be today?
We followed the advise of the court system, voting in some guy or lady, that made a unkept promise that we wanted to hear, or some Senator and/or Congressman that promised to give us just what we wanted and now complain the way America is....Excuse me..HELLO! Where was God when you was making these decisions? Was He invited to your little meeting? And now if you had your time to go over would you call on Him BEFORE you made whatever decisions you did?
And Lastly No. 3. He failed to give God the first place.
If Rehoboam had consulted the Supreme King of Nations before seeking the advice of old young men, how beneficial the government would have been. While at the first he posed as the defender of the faith of his fathers and maintained the ’Temple services with accuracy, he failed to render an undivided respect.
In the second year after the Israelites had left Egypt, Moses felt that it was God’s will for him to take a census of the people, all except the Levites. Members of this tribe, partularly the men, were put in charge of everything sacred, including the ark of the covenant. Normally belongings were packed in wagons and carts, as these wanderers moved from place place. The precious symbols of their faith, however, were carried by the Levites. The ark of the covenant was transported on a stretcher-type litter which the bearers usually carried on their shoulders. These men were especially selected to care for the symbols of their faith, and they were willing to carry the "Sanctuary" on their shoulders.
I wish every pastor and every deacon and anyone who has a responsibility in leadership here in Tucson, AZ and around America could hear me this morning..... As leaders of the church, we have been carefully selected and screened for our loyalty, stewardship, and attendance. Our task is none other than to literally and spiritually carry this church and its causes on our shoulders and in our hearts. Turn to God ALWAYS for advise.
I know it is easy to do what you want to do in your church. But will it benefit God’s Kingdom? Will it be a help to this church or a stumbleing block? And by the way, young people, please do NOT take the advice of the ones you grew up with. PLEASE go to your elders, Go to someone that’s been around and has went through what you might just go through.
The last years of Solomon’s brilliant work were darkened by the recognition of heathen gods and their degrading cults which, along with the fact that Rehoboam was the son of a heathen woman, helped to explain his rejection. So attempting the impossible, he sought to please God and worship idols at the same time. But said Rehoboam’s perfect Descendant: "No man can serve two masters."
Now we leave Rehoboam, who went astray in a threefold direction, ruining himself and the people he sought to
govern, He lost the best part of his kingdom and reduced Israel as a whole to a much lower grade
nations.
Do you consult with God on advise? Do you put Him in the center of every decision you make? And please know, I have no reason to doubt good counselors as long as they are children of God. I mean born again, completely sold out to God, talking the talk-walking the walk counselors.
Psalms 1:1 has this to say: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” But if you leave God out of the picture, guess what? He will stay out of the picture; therefore leaving you with the outcome. And the results are a total flop.
And you thought you could make a life changing decision without Him......We seem to call God over to a corner and say: “God, if you would just listen for ten minutes then you could understand me better.”
To better find out who you really are, if you have not done it yet, go to the grand canyon and stay five minutes or less. Case closed.
Are you facing a HUGE decision about something that will effect you and perhaps others around you?
Most importantly are you ready to meet God? if not will you make that life changing decision today? You might say preacher, I know I need Christ but that is a decision that I will make when I’m more at ease. Well, sinner let me say this: Whatever you decide to do right now will be a decision. You will make heaven your home or, you will take a chance and wait for a more convenient time. That’s just what Felex told the Apostle Paul : Acts:24:25: And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Well, if you are waiting on a more convenient season, it will NEVER happen. And this just may be your last chance. Tomorrow just might start without you. Where will you be tomorrow? I know, we make our plans and most of the time they work out. But tomorrow may just start without you. One question and then I’m through. If you are here this morning a sinner, without God, Do you want to go to hell?
Let us pray
