Talk about your major mistake . . . your strategic error . . . your “Oh, if I only had that to do again.” That’s kind of what hits me as a read the story of King Rehoboam’s reign in 2Chronicles 10 thru 12. Some important lessons in leadership here . . . no, not just leadership, . . . some important lessons in wise living here.

So here’s the deal . . . King Solomon has died and his son, Rehoboam, has assumed the throne. Soon after, the people of Israel come to the new king and ask for relief. For decades they have broken their backs and bank accounts under Solomon working on the great building projects he orchestrated. “Your father was a hard master,” they said. “Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.” (2Chron. 10:4 NLT) Sounds like a reasonable request. What’s a young king to do?

And so, he gets some advice. He consults the elders who served with his dad and they say, “Listen to the people. Give a little now. Be kind. Work with them. And, then they’ll be your servants forever.” But that’s not what Rehoboam wanted to hear. It wasn’t aligned with his power-trippin’ view of being the “big kahuna.” And it says, “He rejected the advice which the elders had given him.” (2Chron. 4:8a)

He then talks to his young buddies who are kind of liking their new jobs working in the king’s palace. Inexperience talking with inexperience. Bias seeking out what it wants to hear. Not really interested in sound advice, but wants to appear wise and talks to men who will tell him what he wants to hear. Their advice? “This is what you should tell those complainers who want a lighter burden: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’” (1Chron. 10:10-11 NLT)

And so Rehoboam doesn’t listen to the people (lesson 1) and rejects the advice of wise men who’ve been around the block once or twice (lesson 2) and the rest is history. He delivers the harsh message . . . the people rebel . . . the 10 northern tribes of Israel from their own government . . . the nation is divided. Why? Because Rehoboam didn’t listen. (Well, also because it was ordained of God (see. vv. 15 and 11:4) . . . but that’s a different set of lessons).

And I’m thinking about how important it is to listen . . . to what others say . . . to what others need. How important it is to seek out — and be prepared to receive — good and wise counsel . . . and yes, many times it means listening to the “grey-haired” . . . those who have walked with the Lord for awhile . . . those who have the sort of perspective that only comes from experience. And I wonder if ours isn’t a “non-listening” age. Focused on self, not really paying attention to what others think. Too arrogant to think anybody else has anything to tell us . . . or if we do “listen” we make sure we plug into the voices that already align to our thinking. Too “smart” to look to the “out of date” and “old fashioned” Word of God for direction.

If you read further in 2Chronicles, you find indicators in chapter 12 that the root of Rehoboam’s problem wasn’t his plugged up ears . . . it was his pride-filled heart. Three times in 2Chron. 12:6-7 it says that Rehoboam and the leaders “humbled themselves” under God’s corrective hand. They needed to be humbled. Pride has a funny effect on the senses, it seems. A proud heart seems to result in poor hearing.

The heart of hearing is a humble heart. When I no longer think that I know it all . . . when I relinquish my agenda for God’s . . . when I am humble in spirit . . . then the ears work really well. I’ll listen to what others say . . . I’ll seek the counsel of wise, older people . . . I’ll still myself so as to be in a position to hear the Spirit’s voice, too.

Father, continue to form within me a heart of hearing . . . for Your glory, Amen!!