On the whole, American culture displays a tragic lack of wisdom. One could likely identify a number of reasons why such is the case but perhaps the greatest reason is actually quite simple–people refuse to listen and learn.
Wisdom desires to be heard. She “calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open square” (Pro. 1:20). She stands at the city gates and cries aloud for fools to listen to her pleading (Pro. 8:1-5). Wisdom is available to everyone in abundance and, more than 15 times, Proverbs urges us to open our ears and listen. “Incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding” (Pro. 2:2; 4:20; 22:17). “My son, pay attention to my wisdom, lend your ear to my understanding” (Pro. 5:1). “Hear, my son, and be wise” (Pro. 23:19). Proverbs 8:32-35 says,
Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord.
Over and over again wisdom says “Listen to me!” “Pay attention to me!” (Pro. 7:24). But will we?
One way to learn wisdom is to listen to those who have it. It would be foolhardy indeed to be surrounded by years of experience and godliness and yet choose to ignore it. Imagine taking control of a company but refusing to listen to the counsel of the one who built it from the ground up and learning from his years of experience! Solomon knew this to be true as well. He described the foolishness of one who thinks his own understanding is sufficient when he said, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise” (Pro. 12:15). He wrote, “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge” (Pro. 22:17). If only his son had listened.
Rehoboam took the throne following the death of his father. He began his reign by senselessly ignoring wisdom and embracing folly. First Kings 12 describes Jeroboam and the people coming before Rehoboam with the request to “lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you” (1 Kings 12:4). Wisely, Rehoboam sought advice but stupidly he listened to the wrong advisors. The elders counseled him to “be a servant to the people” and “speak good words to them,” but the young men–his peers–counseled him to be more stern than his father and to tell the people “I will add to your yoke” (1 Kings 12:10-11). He listened to the young men and the people rebelled.
We can learn much from Rehoboam, but consider what he teaches us about the need to listen and learn from those who are wise. Wisdom is all around us in the form of older and more experienced brothers and sisters in Christ. All we must do is humble ourselves enough to ask them for advice and apply what they say. Are you struggling as a parent? Seek out a parent who has raised faithful children. Are you just beginning your work as a gospel preacher, and are unsure exactly what you need to do? Ask an old preacher to guide you. It is “the Lord [who] gives wisdom, from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Pro. 2:6), and when you find a Christian man or woman who has dedicated years of their life to seeking out and applying God’s wisdom, you find a spring through which God’s wisdom flows.
Rehoboam listening to the advice of his peers would be about the equivalent of looking for answers on Tik Tok or Twitter. It will lead you to the same place it led him. Do not be like Rehoboam. Avail yourself to the wisdom of those who know better. Listen and learn.
Cody Westbrook