Day 94 or April the 4th. Great leaders are great
followers. Our thoughts today are from 1 Kings
chapter 12 verse 8. Rehoboam rejected the advice
the elders gave him and consulted the young men
who had grown up with him and were serving him.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Halfway
through the book of 1 Kings, the kingdom is split
into north and south on the death of Solomon.
These two separate kingdoms, Israel and Judah,
will coexist for a long time before one is scattered
and the other is taken away into exile, leaving
the land bereft of the tribes of Israel for 70
years. The new king of Israel is now Rehoboam,
son of Solomon. He takes advice from his peers
and decides not to reduce the taxation pressures
on the tribes, and all ten of the northern tribes
declare independence under their new leader,
Jeroboam. He reintroduces the worship of golden
calves, so that his people have no need now to
travel south to the temple in Jerusalem. Poor
leadership and persistent battles between these
two kingdoms are the reason for this period being
called the Divided Kingdom period. After only
120 years of United Kingdom under Saul, David
and Solomon, the land slips into chaos and never
quite recovers. Our action step for today. When
Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon, he obviously
decided it was time to show his power and enforce
his rule. Rehoboam's mistake was being far too
heavy -handed in his leadership. I remember a
minister friend of mine telling me that he had
just experienced a difficult church meeting,
which he resolved by telling the whole church
that he was the minister, and whatever they said,
he would decide what the next step was. A modern
day Rehoboam. Leaders should remember that they
are followers of Jesus, who said that he came
to serve. Check your priorities to make sure
that as a leader, you are leading as Christ would,
whether in church or at home.