2 Chronicles 10:8 (NIV) But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.

Whatever incredible wisdom Solomon had, it didn't seem to get passed down to his son, Rehoboam. When Solomon died, Rehoboam was the son that was in place to succeed his father as the next king of Israel. All the people of Israel went to Shechem to crown Rehoboam king, but before the ten northern tribes would swear their allegiance, they asked for a consideration. If appears that King Solomon had levied heavy taxes on the people, perhaps because of all the construction that went on during his reign, including the Temple and his huge palace. The people of the ten northern tribes told Rehoboam that if he would lighten their load, they would serve him. Rehoboam asked them to give him three days to consider their request. During that time, he consulted with the elders that had served his father and they wisely counseled him that if he was kind to them and lightened their load, they would always serve him. But Rehoboam didn't like their answer and went to the young men that he grew up with that were now his advisors and they gave him the exact opposite advice. He went with the advice of his young friends, and he wound up losing control of the ten northern tribes as they revolted and named Jeroboam as their king.

The Bible tells us in many places to seek advice from counselors, but you must choose your counselors wisely. When it's a choice between godly people with good experience under their belt and friends with no experience, then the choice should be obvious. But many times, we seek counsel from people that we think will agree with what we want to hear instead of desiring to know and do what the right thing is. Many times, we get angry at truth, as if truth were out to hurt us. The Bible even tells us that wounds (truth that hurts) from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy (Proverbs 27:6). While the truth may hurt sometimes and wise advice that you receive may not be to your liking, lies or foolish counsel can lead to great trouble, great loss, and even death. Greater still than wise advice is the Word of God. The Bible contains commands and unquestionable wisdom from God, not opinions. Living according to the Word of God is likened to "building your house on the rock." That house will not be shaken and will not fall. For those things that the Bible does not speak to specifically, such as changing jobs, moving to a different location, etc., seek wise counsel from godly and wise counselors, and then do what King Rehoboam did not do: follow it, even if it's not what you wanted to hear. Learn from Rehoboam's huge mistake and be very careful who you listen to.

Pastor Joey Vazquez