Rejecting good counsel

1 Kings is a pretty cool Old Testament book. In it, you get the story of Israel from King David's last days onward. David's son, Solomon, is thought of as being perhaps the wisest king to ever reign, yet political wisdom doesn't always lead to personal wisdom.

King Solomon loved women. He loved them so much that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Imagine trying to keep all of those women happy! Polygamy wasn't that big of a deal back in those days but this was extreme, and to make it even worse Solomon chose to intermarry with women from several different pagan nations, violating a command that God had set in order centuries earlier (Deuteronomy 7). As a result, Solomon began to worship the false gods that his wives worshiped and the kingdom began to slip through his hands.

Fast forward to Solomon's son Rehoboam. He was named king after Solomon's death and he had a decision to make: Did he correct some of the evils that his father had done or did he dig the hole even deeper? Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had previously counseled his father, and they advised him to be a servant to the people instead of demanding to always be served. That way the people would love him and in turn serve him forever. Then Rehoboam asked his buddies what he should do. They told him to ditch the advice of the elders and bring the hammer down all he wanted on the people. After all, he was king and he could do what he wanted.

As a result of Rehoboam rejecting the wise counsel of the elders, the people turned on him and the kingdom of Israel was divided in two. The advice we receive from those who are older than us won't necessarily always be the best, but we should always listen to it. Those who have come before us have seen more, heard more, and experienced more than we have. Even if they are not updated with today's technology or knowledge of culture, they still understand people. You can be yourself and reflect your own distinct style while still heeding the good counsel of men and women who have "been there, done that" and learned from their mistakes so that you don't have to make the same ones.