Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” … But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. (2 Chronicles 10:6, 8, ESV)
If you play golf, you’ve had lessons. You and Bubba may not have had a series of formal lessons, but you’ve read tips in magazines or watched videos or “listened in” on the driving range when someone else was getting a lesson.
One thing almost all of us have done is ask our playing partners for advice. But only when we’re desperate.
That’s what King Rehoboam did in the verses above, but not because he was desperate for wisdom. He started by asking the “old men” for their advice. Then he asked his pals for their advice, young men of his own age who had grown up with him. What he wanted was agreement, not wise counsel.
One telling phrase in this account is that the old men “had stood before Solomon.” You may remember that the Queen of Sheba came to see Solomon (2 Chronicles 9) because she had heard rumors and stories of his wisdom, and she couldn’t believe them. She thought they were too good to be true.
Her conclusion? She told Solomon, “Half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.” She also said, “Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom.”
The old men had stood before Solomon, but Rehoboam was done with his father’s wisdom. When his friends told him what he wanted to hear, he jumped on it. The result was the division of the kingdom of Israel.
I want my advice on the golf course to be from people who know the game and have learned from those who know the game. Likewise, I want spiritual advice and guidance from men and women of wisdom.
When a teaching pro told me, “I learned this from Paul Runyan,” I paid attention. When one of my advisers said, “I once had an hour with Henri Nouwen, and this is what he told me about knowing God’s will,” I listened very carefully.
Do you really want to know which way that putt breaks? Then ask the caddie who has worked at that course for 10 years instead of your fellow guest who is playing there for the first time. Do you really want to know how to grow spiritually? Then ask the man or woman of experience and depth and maturity.
Always seek wisdom, never just agreement.
—
Lewis Greer
March 13, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.