A Gentle Answer

Context: Why did King Rehoboam need counsel? (v6, 15, 1 Kings 11:9-11, 23, 26, 31, 40)

• Yahweh was angry with Solomon
  • Why? because his heart was turned away from Yahweh
    • Even though God, the God of Israel, appeared to him twice
      • and had commanded him concerning this thing
        • that he should not go after other gods; 
      • but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded.
• God raised up many adversaries to Solomon – one of those was
  • Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon
• Prophet Ahijah told Jeroboam, that “Yahweh, the God of Israel
  • Will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and give him ten tribes”
• Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam; but he fled to Egypt
  • Shouldn’t Pharoah support Solomon who was aligned via marriage?
• After Solomn’s death, Jeroboam is back.  Ahd he asks Rehoboam
  • Whether he would be a better king – with lighter load on the people

How did King Rehoboam prepare for his response? What was the response? (v6-14)

• He took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father
  • Stood before: meaning they counseled Solomon
  • They suggested him to be a “servant king” and respond with good words
• He also asked counsel from the younger generation that grew up with him
  • That he would be harsher than his father –
    • Don’t show weakness?  Be the strong king right from get go?
• Rehoboam, went with the counsel of the younger generation
  • Against Proverbs 15:1-3 which says
    • Gentle answer turns away wrath
      • But a harsh word stirs up anger

How did Jeroboam and his group react to Rehoboam’s response? (v16, 18-20)

• Israel rebelled.
  • Jeroboam became the king of all the tribes except Judah (and Benjamin?).

How did Rehoboam want to respond to the rebellion? Why did he stop? (v21-24)

• Rehoboam assembled all the people under him – Judah and Benjamin
  • 180,000 warriors to fight against Israel
    • To bring the kingdom back under Rehoboam
• But God spoke to Rehobam (and Judah and Benjamin) via Shemaiah, a man of God
  • That they should not go against their own brothers
    • That is the children of Israel
  • Why?  Because it was God who allowed it to happen!
• They, that is Rehoboam, Judah and Benjamin, listened to the Word of God
  • And didn’t go to war with Israel

Conclusion

• Who am I seeking counsel from?
  • God?  Those who follow God?
• Rehoboam, Judah and Benjamin let go of 80%+ of the kingdom, when God asked them to stop
  • Would I be able to do the same?

Main Passage 1 Kings 12:6-24 – World English Bible (WEB)

6 King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to answer these people?”

7 They replied, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them with good words, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may answer these people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?’”

10 The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Tell these people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us;’ tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11 Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, 14 and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

15 So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about from Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion have we in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So Israel departed to their tents.

17 But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day. 20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed David’s house, except for the tribe of Judah only. 21 When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Everyone return to his house; for this thing is from me.”’” So they listened to Yahweh’s word, and returned and went their way, according to Yahweh’s word.

Notes / Cross References

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 15:1-3 15 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

3 Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere,  keeping watch on the evil and the good.

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.

Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children”, says Yahweh, “who take counsel, but not from me; and who make an alliance, but not with my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,