"and Solomon the father of Rehoboam," - Matthew 1:7a
Life is full of choices; What clothes we will wear today? What we will have for lunch? Taco Casa or Taco Bell? Is it ok to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? ... you know... all the major things. Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor said this..."Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” He concluded that no matter what happened to a person, one thing could not be taken away. That one thing is the freedom to choose our response to the circumstances of life.
There is some truth to this statement. We do all have the power of choice. With a freedom to choose also comes the reality of consequences. Our choices have consequences, both good and/or bad that can affect us and others. With this in mind, we look at the account of the person of Rehoboam.
In the continuation of our genealogical study, we find that Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and the grandson of David. Rehoboam was left with a wealthy kingdom, built by his father, on the foundations of a kingdom built by David. This great kingdom, however, had major issues. The northern part of the kingdom was being mistreated with harsh labor conditions and excessive taxes. Upon the coronation of Rehoboam as king, the people of the 10 northern tribes made a request for relief in these areas. They didn’t ask for the labor groups or the taxes to be removed, but for some sort of relief to take place. Rehoboam made a wise choice in requesting three days to consider this request. He also requested great council from men of wisdom who gave good advice on listening to the people. His mistake though, was not heeding that advice and choosing to enforce, out of arrogance and selfish ambition, more harsh labor and heavier taxes. In 1 Kings 12:14, Rehoboam says, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” Rehoboam's choice was to oppress the people even further. His choice led to a divided kingdom. His sinful choices of pride, greediness, hatred, selfishness, and godless behavior had severe consequences.
These actions were no surprise to God. As a matter of fact, in 1 Kings 11, we see the prophet Ahijah give a warning that the kingdom would soon be divided. God, in his providence and sovereignty, knew what would take place. He knew the sinfulness of man and our heart's desire. He also knew there was a better way. Great sin leads to great consequences, and that is why we need a great savior. Even through the sinful line of David, Solomon, Rehoboam, and on and on, we see the redemptive power of the One True King... King Jesus.
A critical moment comes in every life, when each person must make a choice that will have eternal consequences. Every human being must choose between the narrow road that leads to heavenly bliss, and the broad road that leads to eternal destruction. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John14:6) This Advent season, will you make the choice to follow Christ, to worship and celebrate the one true King and Savior of the World?