While King Solomon was known for his wisdom, he did not leave his kingdom better than he found it, for when he was old, his heart turned to other gods (1 Kings 11:4). In fact, the kingdom would now be divided because of his unfaithfulness to God. After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king and was confronted with a request from the people to lighten their labor. Rehoboam sought counsel from those who served with his father, and he also asked a group of his peers for advice.
King Rehoboam received wise counsel but then chose to ignore it. The elders who served with his father advised Rehoboam to be a servant to the people and speak kindly to them. Surely this approach would have established trust. Rehoboam, however, disregarded the elders’ input and chose to listen to a young group of friends instead. Their suggestion was to tell the people that Rehoboam was even more powerful than Solomon and would make their lives more difficult.
The people didn’t appreciate their new king’s aggressive posture toward them, and they rebelled against him. Rehoboam’s selfish pride resulted in all of Israel except for those living in the cities of Judah to seek Jeroboam as their king. The kingdom was divided, just as God said it would happen.
Rehoboam sought to be served instead of choosing to serve the people. True leadership, however, stems from service. Jesus willingly chose to serve us while we were still far from Him. As Romans 5:8 tells us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Have you ever completely disregarded sound wisdom or godly advice? Who we listen to matters. As you prepare to teach, pray for God to help you listen to the wise counsel of His Holy Spirit. Remind kids that we can choose to follow God’s ways through faith in Jesus. Pray for boys and girls to know the one true God and to look to Christ as the ultimate example of true, selfless leadership.
Listen to the Weekly Leader Training for Preschool & Kids
Every week, members of The Gospel Project for Kids team offer guidance to help you as you prepare to teach every session to preschoolers and kids.
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This training is available on Ministry Grid, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast platforms.
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