Sons and fathers

Proverbs 1: 1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. (NIV)

This is written by one of the wisest men to ever walk the face of the earth. Look at the final verse I included: “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction…” I now ask you to look at the life of another man, Rehoboam.

1Kings 12: 1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
5 Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked.
7 They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.' "

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, the son that Solomon refers to in Proverbs. Yet he did not heed his father's words. The decision Rehoboam made this day separated the nation of Israel and it was never the same again. This story must be pretty important because the Holy Spirit inspired it to be written, not once, but twice. It is also included in 2 Chronicles 10. What are we supposed to learn from this?

Solomon uses the phrase “my son” 23 times in the book of Proverbs (in the NIV translation). He says things like “listen my son”, “pay attention my son”, or “do not forget my son.” I want to know what happened to Rehoboam. Where was the information lost? Why have I been like Rehoboam in my own life and neglected what my natural father, spiritual fathers in the church, and even God, haven spoken? How do I prevent my sons, natural and spiritual, from becoming like Rehoboam?

But it is not just Rehoboam to whom this happened. Let’s take a little walk through the list of kings after him, after God had blessed Solomon with almost limitless knowledge, after he had written things down. Things he had learned and God had shown him so others could learn from him. What happened in the line of kings?