Sunday, October 14th, 2012
2 Chronicles 10
Heartless Leadership
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22
Background Information:
- v1: Shechem was a city about 30-40 miles north of Jerusalem. When the northern tribes split off, it became their capital (1 Kings 12:25). Rehoboam was originally crowned in Judah, but went to Shechem to be confirmed by the 10 northern tribes.
- v2: God anointed Jeroboam to be king of the 10 northern tribes as a judgment for Solomon’s sins (1 Kings 11:26-40). When crowned, his fear that worshipping in Jerusalem would lead to reunification of the kingdom under a descendent of David led him to setup a counterfeit of Mosaic worship in the north.
- v7: The advice of the older men reveals a belief that rulers of God’s people are to be guardians of their welfare. 1 Kings 12:7 says it even more clearly: a ruler of God’s people is to “be a servant to these people and serve them.” Servanthood is basic to all spiritual leadership, whatever one’s position.
- From this point on there are complications in the use of the name Israel in the rest of Chronicles. At its broadest, it is used in a good sense to mean the people of God, north as well as south. In a political sense it is the northern kingdom. Where that means the people, it is not necessarily bad, for true Israelites continue to be found there (11:13-17; 28:9-25; 30:11; 1 Ki. 19:18), and even Jeroboam, first king of the north, is doing God’s will in rebelling against Rehoboam (10:15; 11:4). But it is bad when it means, as it normally does, that the system and its rulers are determined to remain independent of David’s throne and Solomon’s temple even when they are no longer justified in doing so (13:8-12), and still more when kings like Ahab and his family not only desert the David/Solomon ideal but introduce foreign gods (23:17; 1 Ki. 16:30-33). (New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 406)
The question to be answered is… What is the Chronicler attempting to communicate in the account of Rehoboam’s stupidity and Israel’s subsequent rebellion?
Answer: That heartless leadership leads to no leadership at all. Rehoboam was looking out for his own glory, not the well-being of his people. As a result, the Israelites rebelled and Rehoboam lost his ability to lead them. He had the opportunity, but blew it. Godly leadership is about servitude, not personal glory. (Deut. 17:14-20) Rehoboam’s stupidity in taking peer-advice over the elders, and arrogance in thinking he could impose that kind of idiotic leadership over the people, should be a testimony to us in what godly leadership ISN’T. Finally, this account should serve as a stark reminder to us that at times God uses ungodly leadership as a form of judgment against those who turn away from Him.
The word for the Day is… Servitude
What can we draw from this account of Rehoboam’s leadership blunder?
I. Fools trample where the wise tread softly. (v. 13) (See also 1 Sam. 13; Prov. 1:7, 12:15, 13:16, 13:20, 14:3, 14:8; Mat. 25:1-13)
Rehoboam’s friends encouraged a harsh response. They arrogantly advised Rehoboam to do more than simply reject the offer. They suggested that he say, “my little finger is thicker than my father’s waist” (10:10). Beyond this, Rehoboam was to add that Solomon may have scourged … with whips, but he would scourge … with scorpions (10:11). In effect, the young men counseled the king to threaten even greater hardships. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 271)
– Rehoboam disregarded the advice of the elders in looking for the advice he wanted to hear all along. (v. 9)
Unfortunately, the king did not heed the advice of the older men, but turned to young men (10:8). These advisers were his peers who had grown up with him (10:8). By this time, Rehoboam was 41 years old (see 12:13). It is likely therefore, that the term young men had pejorative connotations, suggesting sarcastically that Rehoboam’s peers thought and acted with youthful folly. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 271)
II. Arrogance and naiveté are a deadly combination for any leader. (Deut. 1:43; 1 Sam. 15; Prov. 8:13; Is. 13:11; Mark 7:22-23)
– Fueled by a naive arrogance, Rehoboam assumed he could impose authority on the Israelites without serving to earn their following. All-in-all, he was more concerned for his own glory than the well-being of his people.
[Rehoboam] chose selfishly to pursue the course of a tyrant rather than to follow the path of a servant, which Israel’s king was to be. To be selfish or to be a servant is a decision which many besides Rehoboam have had to make. (Beacon Bible Commentary VII, p. 400)
Force can never produce loyalty. It is foolish to try to coerce allegiance; we must win it. Rehoboam made one mistake in answering the northern tribes harshly. He was wise to listen to God’s word, and not make another mistake. We too are wise if we resist the temptation to “fight against [y]our brothers,” and instead serve them. (Lawrence O. Richards, Bible Readers Companion, p 287)
III. God-ordained rebellion is tricky business. (Ex. 23:20-33, 34:7; Num. 14, 17:10; Joshua 2; Esther 3; Prov. 28:2; Acts 4:19; Rom. 13:2)
– Although the rebellion of the Israelites seems to have been ordained by God (11:4; 1 Ki. 11), Jeroboam turned out to be one of the most wicked kings of Israel. (12:25-33; 13; 14) All in all, the Israelites got what was coming to them. (1 Kings 12:25-33; 13; 14; 15:30; 15:34; 2 Chron. 13:8)
Rehoboam’s actions precipitated the succession of the northern tribes to fulfill the word of the Lord through Ahijah the Shilonite (10:15). The Chronicler had previously omitted this prophecy because it reflected negatively on Solomon (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Nevertheless, his maintenance of the reference indicates that he expected his readers to know the prophecy. Rehoboam had foolishly driven the Northerners to rebellion, but this event was still under the sovereign control of the God of Israel. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 272)
Human life exists under a moral order which is consequent on God’s invariable, righteous will. As surely as the sun rises and sets, goodness produces good, evil produces evil. What excuse is there if we also do not see that the cumulative outcome of individual and national pride, ferocity, greed, and stupidity is calamity? “Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) (The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. III, p 471
IV. Ungodly leadership can also be a form of judgment from God on a people who have turned their backs on Him. (1 Ki. 11:33; Prov. 13:15; Is. 3; Jer. 22; Ez. 21:24)
– Even though we first discover Jeroboam to be “upstanding” in his work, it isn’t long into his reign that he leads the people in grievous sin against God. Both Rehoboam and Jeroboam’s leadership was an indictment against the Israelites as they sought after anything but the God of the universe.
Notice also, dear Friends, that God is in events which are produced by the sin and the stupidity of men. This breaking up of the kingdom of Solomon into two parts was the result of Solomon’s sin and Rehoboam’s folly, yet God was in
it—“This thing is from Me, says the Lord.” God had nothing to do with the sin or the folly—but in some way which we
can never explain—in a mysterious way in which we are to believe without hesitation, God was in it all! The most notable instance of this Truth of God is the death of our Lord Jesus Christ—that was the greatest of human crimes, yet it was foreordained and predetermined by the Most High—to whom there can be no such thing as crime, nor any sort of compact with sin. We know not how it is, but it is an undoubted fact that a thing may be from God and yet it may be worked, as we see in this case, by the folly and the wickedness of men. (Charles Spurgeon, “THIS THING IS FROM ME”, Sermon #2476)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What can we glean from Rehoboam’s leadership blunder and Israel’s subsequent rebellion as 21st century followers of Jesus?
A. Arrogance will kill your ability to lead effectively. Kill it before it kills you.
When Adoniram arrived to enforce Rehoboam’s plan, the northern Israelites stoned him to death (10:18b). The ease with which Adoniram was killed suggests that Rehoboam entirely misread the situation. Apparently, he thought his royal authority would be recognized in the end. Not surprisingly, however, Adoniram was treated as a criminal and executed. (see. Lev. 20:2, 27; 24:12, 16, 23; Num. 15:35; Deut. 13:10; 17:5). (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 273)
B. Revere the wisdom of elders. Listen to sound advice when given, and you will be better off for it.
“Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld
“No enemy is worse than bad advice.” – Sophocles
C. If it seems that the only leadership you have available has turned away from God, watch out, there’s likely a much bigger issue at hand.
D. If you are a leader, you are to serve those you lead. (Mat. 20:28, 23:11; Mark 10:45; Eph. 6:7)
Authority in the kingdom of God is for service, not for personal aggrandizement. (NIV Study Bible note on 1 Kings 12:7)
E. Jesus is everything a godly leader should be; everything Rehoboam wasn’t. Put your trust in Him to lead you.
“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
Worship Point:
The more you look to Jesus as your leader, the more you will see what a real leader is supposed to be. As you grow in your understanding of this reality, worship will happen as you will undoubtedly grow in awe of who Jesus is.
Spiritual Challenge:
Jesus is the embodiment of perfect leadership. Look to Him alone to lead you. Realize that all earthly leadership will fail you so long as it is embodied by imperfect humans. Therefore, look to Jesus as your ultimate leader.
Quotes To Note:
With rebellion now in full swing, Rehoboam feared for his own safety and barely escaped with his life. He ran from Shechem for the safety of Jerusalem. The portrait of Rehoboam at this point is an ironic reversal of his earlier arrogant assertions. Before he felt invincible; here he ran for his life. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 273)
The Chronicler’s somber recollection of these events stands in sharp contrast with his repeated national celebrations during the reigns of David and Solomon. His history had now entered a new phase when Israel was far from ideal. Yet, in many ways Rehoboam’s reign resembled the realities Israel faced in the post-exilic period. Tribes were divided; the throne of David was stripped of its glory. The next section of Rehoboam’s reign illustrated the proper way to respond to this kind of situation. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 3 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 273)
Rehoboam’s reign is ill-started from the first. While David was declared king in his own capital of Hebron (1 Chronicles 11:1), and Solomon at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 1:13), Rehoboam journeys to Shechem, an old northern sacred site some forty-one miles north of Jerusalem. (se Josh. 24:1, 25; 1 Kings 12:25). Rather than the northern tribes coming to Rehoboam, Rehoboam goes to them. This suggests that his hold on the north was already tenuous, even before his reign had officially begun. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, 1 and 2 Chronicles, 157)
Leadership is the ability to put the plans into practice, and to accomplish the specified objectives through the skillful management of people, time, and tangible resources. A good leader is one who is able to motivate people; one who is capable of making good decisions, even under pressure or in conditions of uncertainty; one who can guide people through actions as well as words. (George Barna, How to Find Your Church, pp. 104-105.)
That all is not well in the kingdom is signaled already by the fact that Rehoboam had to go to Shechem because “all the Israelites had gone there to make him king” (verse 1). Shechem was an ancient city with roots that went deep into the covenant-history of God’s people. There Abraham first receive the promise, “to your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). There Joshua renewed with Israel the solemn covenant of Sinai, according to specific provisions laid down in Deuteronomy (Joshua 24; Deuteronomy 11:26-30). All Israel had been willing to go down to Hebron to make David king (1 Chronicles 11:1-3). But they wanted David’s grandson Rehoboam to come to them at Shechem, evidently as a reminder that they were willing to serve a king who ruled by covenant but not a tyrant who did as he pleased. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible: 2 Chronicles, 136)
It may be noted, however, that Rehoboam clearly had little appreciation of the depths of feeling of the people of Israel for, having delivered his ultimatum and provoked rebellion, he then sends almost certainly one of the best hated men in the kingdom, the man who was in charge of forced labour( v18), to try to deal with it. It was only after he had been lynched that the king recognized the seriousness of the situation. (F.F. Bruce, New International Bible Commentary, 466)
In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose. (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bits & Pieces, September 15, 1994, p. 4.)
“Servant” in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words denote a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master’s purchased property. Bought to serve his master’s needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave’s sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one’s Savior (1 Corinthians. 6:19-20).
What work does Christ set his servants to do? The way that they serve him, he tells them, is by becoming the slaves of their fellow-servants and being willing to do literally anything, however costly, irksome, or undignified, in order to help them. This is what love means, as he himself showed at the Last supper when he played the slave’s part and washed the disciples’ feet.
When the New Testament speaks of ministering to the saints, it means not primarily preaching to them but devoting time, trouble, and substance to giving them all the practical help possible. The essence of Christian service is loyalty to the king expressing itself in care for his servants (Matthew 25: 31-46).
Only the Holy Spirit can create in us the kind of love toward our Savior that will overflow in imaginative sympathy and practical helpfulness towards his people. Unless the spirit is training us in love, we are not fit persons to go to college or a training class to learn the know-how or particular branches of Christian work. Gifted leaders who are self-centered and loveless are a blight to the church rather than a blessing. (James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.)
“With a dozen rash words, Rehoboam, the bungling dictator, opened the door for four hundred years of strife, weakness, and, eventually, the destruction of the entire nation.” (Dilday)
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