I Kings 12:7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
The wisdom of Solomon came to an end the day that he died. Once Solomon was no longer around to govern the people of Israel, things began to fall apart.
You see, Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and heir, took Solomon’s kingdom, but did not have Solomon’s wisdom. He had observed the wisdom of his father, King Solomon, from afar, but all the wisdom in the world to lead others is not enough if you do not have the wisdom to govern yourself.
When Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, came to the throne, he was a foolish ruler. The Bible tells us that when Rehoboam was made king, he had a choice. There was another man, Jeroboam, who would be king. He had fled from Solomon years before and now Jeroboam and the congregation of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, “If you will lighten the load imposed upon us by Solomon, we will serve you.”
Rehoboam had a choice. He had a choice as to how he would respond to these people. So he called for counselors. He consulted the old men who had stood before Solomon. These would have been wise men indeed for they had advised the wisest king who has ever lived. They told him, “If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.” They said, “You serve them today, and they will serve you forever.” Interesting!
Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men. Instead he listened to the young men with whom he had grown up. These men said, “You ought to double down on these lazy people and get more from them than we have already taken.”
The results were inevitable and almost completely predictable. Verse 16 says, “So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David?” In other words, “We don’t have any inheritance in David. Everyone to your own houses. We are done with this line of kings.” But verse 17 continues, “But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.” But there was a civil war looming.
There are a lot of things we can learn from this, but one thing we learn is that it is not wise to follow a leader who is serving himself. Better yet, if you are a leader, one who is self-serving is not leading others. If I am serving myself, then I am not leading others. If I am a father and I am serving myself, I am not leading my home.
Sometimes we get the idea that to lead people is to enrich ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth.To lead others is to serve them, and that is exactly what the wise men had told Rehoboam. I don’t know what position of leadership you steward today, but remember that to be in leadership is to be in service. A person who is serving self is not leading others.