King Rehoboam’s decision in 1 Kings 12:1-17 is an excellent case study in the need to have advisors more experienced than yourself. Rehoboam’s foolish decision caused Israel to rebel against the house of David. Furthermore, this resulted in the formation of the northern kingdom known as Israel, with Jeroboam as King of Israel, and Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigning in the southern kingdom known as Judah. Despite the fact that this was the fulfillment of a prophecy. However, we can learn that Rehoboam made a major diplomatic and political blunder by following the advice of young men who were his colleagues and rejecting the advice of sages who lived with his father.
Experience is the best teacher. However, learning from one’s own experiences is costly. You should instead cultivate relationships with people who have more experience than you. Make use of their intellect. Use their experiences as a stepping stone to advance faster. In rejecting the advice of seasoned counsellors, Rehoboam may have been a victim of negative peer influence. This happens quite frequently. Young people would rather listen to their peers than to sound advice from seasoned mentors who God has provided for them. This is always a bad idea. You must recognize the need to draw upon the wisdom of the old.
There is a place for learning from people in your age group. But you should be thinking about your long-term goals through the lens of people who have accomplished the things you can only dream about right now. The Apostle Paul advised young people to learn from the elders. Consider Titus 2:3-5 (NLT), “Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” Do not be obsessed with “peer to peer” mentoring. Seek out those who through faith and patience have already obtained the promise.
