Title: The Wisdom of the Aged/ Topic: Counsel

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10; 2 Chronicles 11; Philippians 2

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:1-11
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 still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of 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, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." 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 today you will be a servant to these people and serve 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. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.' "

Observation: Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king over Israel; not exactly very young. But he made a huge error when he was first established as king. He rejected the counsel of all of the elder statesmen that had served his father and only heeded the counsel of advisors that were his own age. The result was disastrous. The Bible has many passages that speak of the value of listening to the wisdom of the aged. Proverbs 13:20 says that a person who walks with the wise grows wise himself. We never get too old to listen to those who are even older and more experienced than we are.

Application: I am 53 years old and I still listen carefully to and seek advice from my parents. They are not believers, so I filter what they say through the truth of the Word, but they have much wisdom that I can benefit from. So often younger people think that the elderly have little to offer them because they are not necessarily in sync with the current culture. But they have learned valuable lessons about human nature, which doesn't change, and timeless truths about how life works. I am glad I have those in my life who are a generation or two ahead of me to give me counsel and advice. I never want to be without that. It has served me well and I know it will continue to do so.

Prayer: Father, help me to teach others younger than myself the wisdom of having older friends and advisors in their lives by my example of doing the same. And as I grow older may I be one of those wise counselors to those younger than me.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.