And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him,
Rehoboam has three days to decide how he will rule. His two sets of advisers give him opposite answers. This verse records his choice: a harsh reply that threw away the older men's counsel and cost him most of his kingdom.
Why He Chose the Young Men
The choice was not simply old versus young. One commentator points out that the young men had grown up with Rehoboam and stood before him. Their advice was only his own mind handed back to him.
H. L. RossierRehoboam turns away from the counsel of wisdom to follow the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him (v. 8). So they could be nothing but the mirror and reflection of their master's thoughts. If he had stood before his father himself and heard the wise proverbs he spoke, he could have passed some of that wisdom on to others. He would have known what suits a king. He would have known that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1); that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18)... But no, those who flatter his pride are the ones who win his approval. In the end, the counsel of the young men is only the counsel of his own heart.
The Counsel He Forsook
The older men had told him to serve the people and speak good words to them. Another writer draws out how much spiritual weight sat in that plain advice.
Hamilton SmithRehoboam is counselled by the old men, who are rich in experience, that all will be well if he will "be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them" (2 Chron. 10:7). Does not this carry our thoughts to Romans 15:1-4? In the first verse of this passage we have the "kindness" that bears "the infirmities of the weak" rather than putting grievous yokes upon them; in verses 2 and 3 we have the pleasing one another for "good to edification," rather than pleasing ourselves; and in verse 4 we have the "good words" of Scripture for our comfort and hope.
Commentators weigh that advice differently. One judges it sound as far as it went, but no higher than shrewdness.
William KellyIt was not the noblest ground, it is true. It was not the ground that would have left him in both liberty and responsibility... But they spoke according to the measure they had: "If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever." It was prudence, it was good policy. I could not say there was faith in it, but there was good policy in it, as far as that went.
An Unguarded Mouth
Commenting on Proverbs, one writer ties Rehoboam's reply to the warning about guarding your lips.
L M GrantClosely connected with this is the virtue of guarding your mouth (v. 3), which does much to preserve life. Sadly, Rehoboam did not guard his mouth when the Israelites asked him to lighten the load of taxes Solomon had imposed. He answered them, "My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:13-14). This was "opening his lips wide," and ended in the destruction of the kingdom.
What Harshness Produced
To nature, the hard line looked like strength. Here is where it led.
Hamilton SmithThey advise Rehoboam to take a course that looks very commendable to nature. It takes a strong line. It keeps up authority and the majesty of the kingdom. Sadly, Rehoboam follows the advice of nature. He takes an overbearing and unreasonable attitude, and he threatens the protesters with violent and extreme discipline (1 Kings 12:12-15). The people answer the King's violence with violence of their own. They stone the King's officer, and the division is complete (1 Kings 12:16-19).
The Hand Behind the King's Hand
Rehoboam's folly is not the whole story of the division.
Hamilton SmithIt was true that Rehoboam's folly was the immediate cause of the division. But the word of God in judgment had gone out long before the violent words of the King. The mighty hand of God in discipline was behind the feeble hand of the King. The holy government of God was tearing the kingdom apart, and behind the discipline of God was the low condition of the people.
That does not excuse anyone. Another writer draws out the principle.
William Kelly"And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him..." Did that excuse Jeroboam? This is a very important principle that you will find constantly in the word of God. A prophecy is in no way a sanction of what is predicted. Prophecy takes in the most abominable acts that the proud, corrupt, or murderous will of man has ever done.
Summary
- Counsel offered — Serve the people and speak good words, and they will serve you forever. Experienced men gave Rehoboam the right advice.
- Counsel forsaken — He chose advisers who mirrored his own thoughts. Those who flattered his pride won his approval.
- Words spoken — He did not guard his mouth, and "opening his lips wide" ended in the destruction of the kingdom.
- Kingdom torn — The hard line looked like strength. The people answered the king's violence with their own, and the division was complete.
- God governing — Rehoboam's folly was the immediate cause, but God's hand was behind the king's hand. A prophecy that foretells an act never excuses it.