Rehoboam had just been crowned the new king. And he is met with a list of demands from an important constituency in his empire. Lift our burdens and we’ll serve you.
A newly called pastor is met by an important constituency within the church. Their list of demands is really them asking, “How are you going to lead us, pastor?” Will you lead from a place of power or a place of service?
Just as Rehoboam had a choice, so also does the new pastor. And just as Rehoboam did, a wise pastor will gather counsel to himself. But hopefully, he learns to listen a bit differently than the failed king.
Rehoboam talked with the elders of his kingdom. These would have been the guys who had served with King Solomon. Their words, not surprisingly, are dripping with wisdom. They’ve clearly read—or lived—the book of Proverbs. “A gentle answer will turn away wrath.” Lead gently and the hearts of these people will be yours.
Rehoboam also talked with his peer group. “What do we want to do with these demands?” Notice the difference in pronouns. His question to the elders was “you” and here he’s speaking from within the group—they are a “we”. Their answer is much different. And it’s vulgar. They encourage him to lead from a place of power.
Guess which one he picked?
He picked the harsh counsel of his younger peers and he pushed them into the rule of the waiting Jeroboam. It was foolishness for him to respond this way and to reject such wisdom.
This isn’t merely about age groups as much as it is a call to follow the marks of wisdom. Ryken is correct:
Older people are not always wiser, of course, but often they are, and the relative age of these men commands our respect, as it should have commanded the respect of Rehoboam. As Solomon said in one of his famous proverbs, “gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Prov. 16:31). Therefore, it is wise for us to listen to our elders. That was especially true in this case because these men had served under Solomon, who was the wisest of all earthly kings.
Wisdom isn’t insecure. That’s why wisdom is able to pick the humble, quiet, and long-plodding path. Those who are insecure always choose the path of force. And let’s face it, we younger pastors are prone to insecurity. If we aren’t intentional about slaying this beast we will gather to ourselves godless counsel to buttress our insecurities.
“Ok, boomer” isn’t the path of wisdom.
So if you’re a younger pastor it would do you well to find some older and wiser saints to help you lead from a place of service instead of a place of power.
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