DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SERVANT LEADERSHIP

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – SERVANT LEADERSHIP

"Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and said, 'How so you advise me to answer these people?' And they spoke to him, saying, 'If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.' But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him." (I Kings 12:6-7)

Solomon had died, and his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne. But there was another man in the picture, Jeroboam. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon (I Kings 11:26), the son of Nebat of the tribe of Ephraim. He had rebelled against King Solomon. When Solomon learned of this, he sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled for his life to Egypt. When Jeroboam heard that Solomon had died, he returned to Israel, and led a revolt of the people against Rehoboam.

Rehoboam had not acted wisely to get the Israelites to submit to his kingship. He sought the advice of the older men who had served under King Solomon, and they advised him to serve the nation, to speak good to them, and lighten the burden that Solomon had imposed. This was good advice. But then Rehoboam talked to the younger men he had grown up with, and they advised him to be a tough ruler who would make life harder for his subjects. Unfortunately, he listened to the younger men, and 10 tribes of the nation rejected him as king and followed Jeroboam. It really came to a head when Rehoboam sent his IRS agent, Adoram, to collect taxes from the northern tribes. They stoned him, and Rehoboam retreated to Jerusalem. The northern tribes of Israel proclaimed Jeroboam as their king. That left Rehoboam with only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, under his dominion, and there was war between Jeroboam and Rehoboam all of their days (I Kings 14:30).

Leaders could take a lesson from this. If they want people to follow them, they need to be servants instead of despots. They need to speak good and lighten their burdens instead of lording it over them. Too often, leaders let their position go to their heads. Power does corrupt, and even those who start out with humility end up being tyrants.

Jesus is our king. He took the role of a servant, and He speaks good things to us and lightens our load. Satan is a tyrant and demands submission. It doesn't take a genius to figure which would be easiest to follow.

Love, Dad