CHOOSING POOR COUNSELORS

“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." (2 Chron. 10:8 NKJV).

When Rehoboam became king, the people asked him to ease up on the oppressive conditions which his father Solomon had imposed on the people in the latter years of his reign. Rehoboam sought counsel to know how to respond to the people. Our verse tells of the poor choice in counselors made by Rehoboam. This eventually resulted in the splitting of the kingdom. Thus, from our verse we want to note the forsaken counsel and the favored counsel of Rehoboam.

Forsaken counsel – “He rejected the advice which the elders had given.” These older counselors who had served Solomon had the wisdom of experience (2 Chron. 10:6). They gave Rehoboam good counsel, for it was compassionate and courageous. It was compassionate because it advised Rehoboam to not be as oppressive as his father. A ruler’s power is not to hurt the people but to help the people. It was courageous counsel because it would not appeal to the pride of the king. These older and wiser men were more interested in doing right than in keeping their jobs in the palace.

Favored counsel - “Consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.” In rejecting good counsel, Rehoboam turned to bad counsel. He turned to counselors who were going to tell him what he wanted to hear. These counselors were cruel and cowardly. They were cruel in that they recommended oppressing the people even more than Solomon did (2 Chron. 10:10). They were cowardly in that they told Rehoboam what he wanted to hear so they could keep in favor with him. The phrase “who had grown up with him, who stood before him” denotes friendship and position in the palace of the king. Today, there are many counselors and even preachers who will tell people what they want to hear to be in favor with them. It takes courage to tell the truth.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Leadership depends on the ability to make people want to follow voluntarily!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dishonor

In Rom 1:24 we read, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (NKJV).

Dishonor is the Greek word atimazo (ἀτιμάζω = at-im-ad'-zo). It is made up of two words: “a” the alpha negative which means not, and “time” which means honor. The word therefore means to be treated with indignity or to cause to be disgraced or degraded. It is to treat shamefully, to suffer shame or to dishonor, to insult whether in word, in deed. Further, atimazo means to cause to have a low status involving dishonor and disrespect; it is to stain the character of, to lessen the reputation. The word also carries the idea is using the body for immoral purposes and thus degrading or abusing it.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That He would be seated at God's right hand (Psalm 110:1)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 22:44; Heb. 10:12-13

Bible Facts

Origin of the different "races" explained (Genesis 11). As Noah’s descendants migrated around the world after Babel, each language group developed distinct features based on environment and genetic variation. Those with a genetic makeup suitable to their new environment survived to reproduce. Over time, certain traits (such as dark skin color for those closer to the equator) dominated. Genesis alone offers a reasonable answer to the origin of the races and languages.

Bible Quiz

“The man left half dead by robbers on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was aided by a Samaritan only after he had been ignored by how many passers-by?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: In 2 Timothy, Paul urges Timothy to come to him before what season arrives? Winter (2 Tim. 4:21.

That’s in the Bible

"Beard the lion”

“But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it” (1 Sam. 17:35 NKJV).

This relates to confronting a dangerous situation. True, David was only a shepherd, but he had experienced the power of God in his own life and he knew that the Lord could turn weakness into power. While caring for the sheep, David had killed a lion and a bear, and he knew that the Lord could deliver him out of the hand of Goliath. It’s as though he saw Goliath as just another animal attacking God’s flock!

Did You Know – Christian History

Charlotte Elliott spent the first 32 years of her life in Clapham. As a young woman, she was gifted as a portrait artist and a writer of humorous verse. Then, in her early thirties, she suffered a serious illness that left her weak and depressed. During her illness, well-known Swiss evangelist and hymn writer, Cesar Malan came to visit her. He asked her if she had peace with God. Charlotte got angry. She would rather not discuss that question, she said. Malan apologized if he had given offense.

For Charlotte, however, Malan’s witness was a turning point. She could not get his question out of her head. Three weeks later, she met Malan again and told him that ever since he had spoken to her, she had been trying to find Jesus her Savior. How could she come to Him, she wondered? “You have nothing of merit to bring to God. You must come just as you are,” replied the minister. Rejoicing, Charlotte did.

Despite her illness, Charlotte tried to make herself useful. She edited the Religious Remembrancer magazine, and in 1835, decided to write a song for others who were in her situation. The words she wrote - Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me; And that Thou biddest me come to Thee, O, Lamb of God, I come, I come - became one of the greatest soul-winning songs in the history of hymns.

Charlotte Elliott wrote about 150 hymns and many poems, some of which were printed anonymously, with ‘Just As I Am’ probably the best-known. Dr. Billy Graham wrote that the Graham team used this hymn in almost every one of their crusades. He said it presented “the strongest possible Biblical basis for the call of Christ.” What is more, in her own lifetime Charlotte learned that copies of the poem were being sold and the money donated to St. Mary’s Hall, the very project she had wanted to help! Charlotte died September 22, 1871. After her death, more than a thousand letters were found among her papers, written by people telling her how her hymn had touched their lives

A Little Humor

A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man. The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk. “So what are your plans?” the father asked the young man. “I am a Biblical scholar,” he replied. “A Biblical scholar. Hmmm,” the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?” “I will study,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.” “And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father. “I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied, “God will provide for us.” “And children?” asked the father. “How will you support children?” “Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” replied the fiancé. The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insisted that God would provide. Later, the mother asked, “How did it go, Honey?” The father answered, “He has no job and no plans, and he thinks I’m God.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“If you keep rejecting the “come” of salvation, you will have to accept the “depart” of damnation!”