Make Sure to Surround Yourself with Advisors:

A few weeks ago, I recapped new lessons I learned through the kings of Rehoboam and Jeroboam.  However, I am going to recap one more big life lesson I have learned from this story.  Rehoboam was a king easily influenced for the worse.  He was Solomon’s son, and he was chosen to be king over all of Israel.  Solomon had made work really hard for the people of Israel, and they were forced to complete a lot of labor.  However, he was asked by the people of Israel, with the help of Jeroboam, to ask for their burdens to be lightened.  

Rehoboam had a decision to make.  Does he weaken the load of his people?  There is a lot of work necessary in the country and if jobs don’t get done, they look to the king for the solutions.  What if they are being lazy and want to get out of work completely?   But on the other hand, maybe he really should listen to what his people are telling him.  Rehoboam goes to two different sources for advice.  He goes to the older advisors in the country.  They advise him to listen to his people.  Rehoboam honestly didn’t seem to completely agree with this answer, so he went to the younger people for advice as well.  The younger people told him to make the people’s burdens harder and their loads heavier.  Rehoboam decided to listen to the younger people and initiated harder jobs for his people.  

   From the reading, I would guess Rehoboam would rather be a hard and intimidating king.  He would rather the people do a lot of work, so his kingdom can be run proficiently.  It shows he was very willing to listen to the peers of his own age for advice.  I would say this shows he would rather listen to the people who tell him what he wants to hear as opposed to what he maybe really should hear.  

Throughout this devotional, I can see there are many other instances of the kings of Israel following bad advice and following bad people to their ultimate bad decisions.  One of the worst kings of Israel was named Ahab.  Ahab was the king during the time of the prophet, Ezekiel.  However, he would not choose to go to him for any advice.  Instead he would listen to his wife named Jezebel.  Jezebel was a very devout follower of Baal, another popular false god.  Because his wife loved and worshiped this god, Ahab would become very devout and would create altars for him throughout the land. 

However, there would be another example of a king who would be impacted by the people around him in a positive way.  Jehoash, or sometimes written as Joash, would become king at a very young age.  However, his young age did not make a difference in this instance on whether or not he would end up becoming a good king.  He was hidden by his aunt in the temple with many different priests. Because of this, he would be very positively impacted by the people in the temple and the priests he was surrounded by.  He would go on to be one of the best kings of Judah, and would be a king that would follow the Lord till the end of his days.  

I have definitely been in situations where I go to people for advice but in reality, I have my own ideas of what I believe should be done or how I should best handle a certain situation.  I may go to people, but really I want to do what I want to do, and I am just seeking advice from others, so they can confirm my thoughts.  Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”  It is important to remember to avoid bad counsel and fight against the people who are making unwise choices.  It is also important to seek advice, not just “yes people” who will tell you what you want to hear.  

I have definitely been a person who has been inspired and impacted by both positive and negative influences.  I have known people who have sometimes seemed to pull me more in one direction, but then I have had other people who have pulled me back in the right direction.  Luckily, I grew up with family members who helped me grow closer to God and to have a desire to really learn about God’s goodness.  However, I have definitely been led astray through peer pressure.  It is important to be constantly reflective on where one is getting swayed at different points in one’s life.  

I am not trying to suggest we shouldn’t seek to know people who we may think are making poor decisions.  We have definitely been called to love people of all different walks of life.  We have been called to be the salt and the light to all people.  However, we should be very aware of where our heart is leading.  Do the people in our life help lead us?  And if they do, where are they leading us towards?

My challenge for you this week is to reflect.  Who are the top five people you regularly talk to?  Who are the people you first go to when you are feeling down?  Who do you seek advice from?  Then reflect on whether these are the people you should be seeking advice from.  Are these people helping you make wise decisions or are they leading you towards the path of destruction?  I hope through this reflection, you will find the people you really can go to, who will lead you toward a life filled with God’s goodness, just as the king Joash of Judah.