Taxes, Yokes, and Lessons from Rehoboam

Hey Friends, this is David Evans your host and teacher. I hope that today finds you filled with joy and sunshine, and that this day will be the best day of your life.

As Tax Day approaches I thought that it would be appropriate for Todays Minute in the Word to be “Taxes, Yokes and Lessons from King Rehoboam”

In the year 931 BC, in the land of Israel, a young man named Rehoboam became king over all the land of Israel. He inherited the throne from his father, King Solomon, when he died.

The people of Israel approached their new king with a sincere request, they wanted Rehoboam to lower the taxes that his father had put in place. King Solomon’s taxes had forced the people into hard labor, and made it difficult for them to even survive.

Rehoboam was not sure what to do, concerning their request, so he consulted with his advisers.

In 1 Kings 12:6-8, the elder advisers, who had been around during Solomon’s reign, advised Rehoboam to show goodwill to the people. They assured him that this would strengthen his kingdom. They said, “If you will be a servant to these people today and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

On the other hand, Rehoboam’s closest friends and allies, the young advisers, told him that if he gave in to the request of the people it would make him look weak and powerless. Their advice was to enact even harsher taxes.

King Rehoboam was in a dilemma. Should he lower the tax rates and decrease the weight being carried by the people, or increase the taxes and show the people that he is completely in control.

Eventually, Rehoboam chose to follow the advice of the young men. He rejected the advice of the elder advisers, which proved to be a disastrous decision.

In 1 Kings 12:10-11, it is recorded that Rehoboam said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” This choice ultimately split the kingdom, the tribes of Benjamin and Judah in the South, and the Northern Kingdom with the other 10 tribes of Israel.

Out of rebellion the northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king, while Rehoboam remained king over the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

In looking at Rehoboam’s leadership a few things become very clear.

Wise leadership, whether for a king or at your work, at home, or in a classroom, must be grounded in love.

Which means being sensitive to those we are privileged to lead.

We must remember to lead with empathy, compassion, and wisdom.

The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything in love.” Constantly looking to the teachings of Jesus for guidance on how to lead, as he did, with love and compassion.

Jesus shows us that true leadership is not about controlling others for your personal gain, but about serving and loving them and in doing so showing them the Love of God.

Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, whether in our personal or professional lives, we must remember that our responsibility is to care for those we lead. We must act with love, compassion, and empathy towards them, seeking their best interests, even if it means sacrificing our own personal desires and wishes.

Let us remember the example of King Rehoboam and seek to lead with love, compassion, and wisdom, following the teachings of Scripture.

The post 23 – Taxes, Yokes, and Lessons from King Rehoboam appeared first on Being a Disciple.

The Evil One, cursed be he, has one central way of attack. First, it is to tempt a person to sin, and then once he or she sins, is to push that individual deep into depression and sadness. If the Evil One gets us to commit sin, he then wants us to feel so terrible about sinning that in our minds we think it is impossible for us to ever repair the break of relationship that we had with God.

The whole goal of the Evil One is to create distance between us and God. Or if he can, make us think that God has pushed us a way.
However, this is far from the truth. God will ALWAYS be next to us, even when we sin.

In Leviticus chapter 16 we read, “In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”

In this verse, we know that God himself dwells in the Most Holy place, even when the children of Israel were actively rebelling against God and living in a state of uncleanness. No matter how far the people tried to run away from God, God was still dwelling in the Holy Place, waiting for them to cry out to him and repent.

It is hard for us to imagine how deep the love of God is toward us even when we turn our faces away from him. It is so easy to fall into a spiritual depression thinking that God is angry at us and that our relationship with him is beyond repair. Many times in these cases we walk further away from God and not towards him. While we are responsible for our sins, and we will be held accountable, God always loves us and is always close to us. He is dwelling among us as the verse states in the “midst of their uncleanness.”

If we find ourselves away from God today, remember that the Evil One is wanting us to walk further and further away from God, but don’t ever think that God has walked away from us because we have sinned. God will always be there, loving us, and ready to cleanse us from all sinfulness. It is up to us to turn around and walk towards God again. He will always be there ready and willing to forgive.

The post 22 – But I Sinned! appeared first on Being a Disciple.

In Proverbs chapter 3, we read this powerful truth: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” King Solomon is writing about the extreme importance of kindness, too. This simple command to bind truth and kindness to our necks and write the […]

The post 21 – More than me! appeared first on Being a Disciple.