Erosion: It Starts at the Top 1 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 10 -12 by Phil Taylor
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Erosion: It Starts At the Top 1 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 10 -12 By Phil Taylor What a tragedy. A multimillion – dollar house reduced to a heap of sticks in just a few seconds. Fire? Nope. Earthquake? Not this time. Hurricane? Guess again. It’s a mud slide. Once a mud slide starts, there’s no way to stop it. A relentless rain pummels the side of a hill, turning packed dirt into a downhill gush of grimy goo. And if your dream house is in the way, look out. Once the dirt around the foundation begins to wash away, there’s nothing left to hold the house in place. All you can do is watch your home slide down the hill and crumble into a muddy, mangled mass of lumber. Like a mud slide, Israel’s spiritual slippage started at the top of the hill – with King Solomon. It gained momentum with his son Rehoboam, whose foolishness divided Israel into two nations. Then crash. Both Israel and Judah were taken into captivity as punishment for their shameless idolatry and brazen immorality. Unlike a mud slide, however, spiritual erosion can be stopped – if we’ll turn to the Lord and follow His Word. Do you sometimes feel as though the solid ground beneath your spiritual house is starting to get a little slushy? Then let’s look at the life of Rehoboam and his father’s legacy for some lesson on how to stop – even prevent – spiritual erosion in our lives. A Quick Glance at Rehoboam’s Roots As with all of us, Rehoboam’s life was shaped by a variety of forces, the most powerful of which was his father. His Father Solomon Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place. (1 Kings 11:42-43) Solomon reigned for forty years. And if we compare chronologies, we see that Rehoboam assumed the throne when he was forty-one years old (1 Kings 14:21). That means Solomon began his rule when Rehoboam was a year old. So Rehoboam grew up in the splendid surrounding of royalty. “What an enviable heritage!” one might say. And it was in many respects. Solomon was the talk of his day. He was brilliant, wise, creative, and industrious. Free from war and basking in the warm light of peace, Solomon undertook numerous building projects, including the construction of the Lord’s temple. Wealth and wisdom adorned his kingdom as the stars adorn the heavens. He was the envy of every king and queen. And Rehoboam was right there in the middle of it all. He saw his father rise to prominence ….and he saw him slide into immorality. G. Frederick Own provides a chilling summary of Solomon’s decline. For probably the first half of his reign, Wisdom, loyalty, faithfulness and efficiency characterized the attitudes and act of David’s brilliant son….. Then, as if he had attained the mastery of man and God, he turned from following the Lord, and selfishly seizing the reigns of wrong, drove to the misty flats of licentiousness, pride and paganism. Maddened with the love of show, Solomon swung into a feverish career of wastefulness, impropriety, and oppression. Not satisfied with the necessary building and legitimate progress of his past years, he over-burdened his people with taxation [and established forced labor] … All Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and those of his house were of pure gold. The shields of his mighty men were made of beaten gold, and his great throne was made of ivory and overlaid with the finest gold. Silver in Jerusalem became as common as stones. Solomon literally built himself a paradise of pleasure….His love for many women caused him to marry and pamper numerous foreign, heathen wives, who not only robbed him of his Excellency of character, humility of spirit, and efficiency in state affairs, but dominated him and turned his heart to seek “after other god.” Just across the “king’s vale” on a hill overlooking the village of Siloam, strange edifices arose before the eyes of the awe-stricken Hebrews. Solomon was building temples for the strange gods he and his strange wives were serving. 1 Solomon’s Flawed Philosophy Among other things, Rhoboam inherited from his father a faulty philosophy of leadership: “The king has divine rights.” In other words, he does whatever he wants – regardless of who suffers or whether his actions honor God. Such a philosophy as Solomon’s has been the downfall of many a leader. Those who view themselves as infallible, exclusive, and accountable to no one are destined to fall. Such people fail to see themselves as stewards whom God has granted the privilege and responsibility of leading. Instead of serving the people, they demand service from them; they lord their leadership over those they should be helping. Those leaders, sooner or later, must come to terms with a God who shares His glory with no one. Those in positions of leadership – pastors, teachers, heads of companies, parents, etc….beware. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re passing on a philosophy of living to those under your authority. Now let’s see how Rehoboam’s life continued the spiritual slide started by his father, Solomon. A Closer Look at Rehoboam’s Reign Scripture reveals several reasons why Rehoboam contributed to the spiritual erosion of Israel. Listened to Unwise Counsel First, he listened to the unwise counsel of his contemporaries instead of heeding the wisdom of the elders. Rehoboam showed his pride when some of his people approached him about the high taxes they had to pay. Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Now it came about when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, that he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke hard; therefore lighten the hard service of your father and heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”1 Kings 12:1-4 Notice with whom Rehoboam consulted first: “the elders who had served his father Solomon” (v.6). These men knew what harsh rule and the pursuit of materialism could do – they had watched Solomon do the very same thing. And so they counseled Rehoboam, “If you will be a servant to this people today, will serve them, grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” (1 Kings 12:7) In other words, “Lighten up, Rehoboam. Stop looking at these people as your personal income-producers. Be a servant tothem. Help them, and they’ll repay you with loyalty.” But Rehoboam ignored their counsel. Instead, he followed the advice of the “young men” (vv. 10 – 15), who urged him to turn the screws even tighter. Leaders, choose your advisers wisely. Our only infallible counselor, of course, is God, particularly as He speaks through His Word. But we should also listen to those around us – especially those who have walked closely with God over a period of time and whose hearts and minds harbor the lessons of experience. Be wary of those who encourage you to take all you can at any cost. Followed Parents Weak Example A Second way Rehoboam kept the spiritual mud slide moving is that he followed his parents’ weak example at home rather than the timeless truths of Scripture. Rehoboam’s mother was not a devout Israelite but an idol-worshipping Ammonitess (2 Chronicles 12:13). How could a worshipper of false gods possibly teach her son about following the true God? She couldn’t but Solomon could have. Solomon addresses his teaching to “My son” so often in his book of Proverbs that one can’t help but wonder if he were writing to Rehoboam. Unfortunately, it appears that Solomon’s later actions spoke louder than his earlier words. Rehoboam didn’t thirst afte God the way Proverbs admonishes us to; rather, he soaked up the bad habits of his father. Solomon oppressed the people; so did Rehoboam. Solomon was a polygamist; so was Rehoboam (see 2 Chronicles 11:18-21). Both had concubines, both turned away from the Lord, and both allowed the worship of idols to flourish under their reigns (see 1 Kings 14:21-24. When we ignored God’s Word, we fall prey to whatever influences happened to be surrounding us at the time. A word of caution here for those whose parents neglected the spiritual life at home. A child with godless parents doesn’t have to become godless. The fingers of God’s grace can pluck a soul out of any environment, no matter how hopeless it may seem. And each of us is responsible to God for our own actions, regardless of how we were raised. So let’s be aware of and learn from our parents’ weaknesses, but let’s not use them as an excuse for our own disobedience. As for those who are still raising children, don’t use the vast scope of God’s grace as an excuse to neglect the spiritual development of your family. He has, after all, set up the family as the primary field for the sowing of His Word (Deut.