the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
1 Kings 12:1-15
Rehoboam succeeds his father. The latter had once posed the question, "The man that shall be after me . . . who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?" (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19). Three days are enough for poor Rehoboam to provide the answer. The son of the wisest of men is lacking in wisdom. We do not see him asking the LORD for a wise heart, like his father did. In his youth, at the age when one should normally be learning, he derived no profit from the wise teaching contained in the book of Proverbs, written by Solomon. Yet this is how that book begins, "My son, hear the instruction of thy father . . ." (Proverbs 1:8). The result is that, at the age of forty years, at the time to assume responsibility, he entirely lacked experience, good sense, and above all, humility. He despises the counsel of the old men, preferring to follow the imprudent advice of the young men. Many young people are more ready to listen to those of their own age than to their parents, or to older persons. A very dangerous tendency! We see the consequences here. But God makes use of Rehoboam’s lack of wisdom, and also of the people’s failure, to accomplish what He had determined against David’s house.
