1 KINGS 12:1-11 - Rehoboam went to Shechem

12:1-4

Solomon had been renowned for his wisdom, one might have expected his son to inherit some of this wisdom, but this proved not to be the case. They were going to make Rehoboam king, Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and was a natural choice as successor to Solomon. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, who had fled to Egypt to be safe from Solomon. On hearing of SOlomon’s death he returned from Egypt. While Solomon had been very wise and effective, he had imposed heavy burdens on the people, both in terms of taxing them and using them as slave labour. \the people hoped they now had a chance to be relieved of these burdens. There would have been wisdom in doing this. Initially Jeroboam took a wise course. \he wanted time to think about this. It is wise not to answer quickly when people make demands. Jeroboam went to the elders. The elders gave wise advice They knew how things had gone under Solomon, and the simmering problems. They said he would gain the heart of the people  if he gave the people a favourable answer. However, the young men gave a different answer, urging Jeroboam to give a harsher answer. \the young men were urging a more macho approach, which has a superficial attraction, but would lead to disaster. So Rehoboam gave the people a harsh answer. The people predictably reacted by thinking they had no interest in striking with David. Instead they would go their own way. 

12:5-11

Initially Rehoboam acted wisely seeking time to consider the matter. It is usually wise to think about matters, rather than giving a hasty matter. However, the mere act of waiting does not in itself guarantee a wise answer, as proved to be the case here. Rehoboam continued acting in a wise vein by consulting the elders who had served under Solomon, and they did indeed give wise advice. However Rehoboam rejected their advice and sought the counsel of “the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him” They encouraged him to promise to be even harsher than his father had been. \why did they give such stupid advice? Maybe they thought they were being clever, and knew better than the elders, or maybe resentment had built up for some reason.