Wisdom in our elders

Scripture

1 Kings 12: 8 “But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisors”.

 

Observation

 The new King makes a really bad mistake and the kingdom of Israel is torn in half forever all because he arrogantly dismissed the wisdom of the elders. These elders had experience born from the pain of previous errors. Consequences of past mistakes had been their teacher. Wisdom had been developed within their lives through the trials and journeys of days gone by. Yet the new King rejects their advice and sides with his peers. “What do those old fuddy duddy’s know anyway – they’re past it – their era is over” appears to be his attitude. He didn’t just reject the old men’s advice, he rejected the wisdom of the ages past that they were handing to him. And everyone suffered.

 

Application

God has set me in a family. That family includes grandparents, older relatives, peers of my own age, and children. The lesson I see from the mistakes of this King is that he didn’t allow the older generation to sit at the table with the next generation to mentor and guide them in their decision making processes. He ignored the elders and elevated the young too quickly. Wisdom that had been gained was lost. I need to ensure I allow the elders to have a voice in my life and to ensure they are assisting my generation with the wisdom they have gained to help shape the decisions and directions made today.

 

Prayer

Father, thank you for this stark reminder of a failed king and his arrogance at rejecting the wisdom of his elders. May I be one that sees the value in our fathers and mothers, grandparents and older relatives. May I find ways to encourage them to pass on to me and my generation the wisdom they have gleaned through their lifetimes to ensure that the generation I represent doesn’t lose those hard won lessons.

 

Jim Jung