The Road to Bethlehem: The Right Kind of Counsel

Matthew 1:7
And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
 
As we walk down the Road to Bethlehem we finally come to a group of people that we would think are worthy of being in the line of the Messiah: The Kings! But if you consider who these men were, you might be a little put off. True, there were some who sought to live for God and lead their people towards him, but unfortunately it would seem these men were in the minority. Many of them chose to live for themselves, maybe consumed with the pomp of the position and the country suffered for it.
 
The first one we will look it is King Roboam (Rehoboam), the son of Solomon (1 Kings 12). This man followed two great, though not perfect, Kings in Solomon and David and had the opportunity to do great things for the nation of Israel. However when he had the choice between the counsel of the wise men who had served his father and the young men that he had grown up with, he chose poorly. Because of this choice Israel split into two kingdoms, The Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
 
So that’s the history lesson. How does this fit in to our lives today? Can I be transparent with you? I know you have never done this…but there have been times when I have faced a difficult choice and sought counsel over it. In my heart of hearts I knew what I wanted to do so I would listen to those who agreed with me and reject those who did not. I really didn’t want counsel, I wanted to do what I wanted to do so I looked for someone to give me confirmation. Then when the consequences of those choices came, I found myself wishing I had listened more to those voices who actually wanted to help and listened less to those voice who wanted to please themselves or me. 
 
As we ReFocus our hearts and minds on Christ let us consider the counselors we have in our life. Maybe today you are faced with a hard decision. Let me encourage you to seek those who are looking out for your well-being even if what they have to say is not what you want to hear. Perhaps you are reaping the consequences of rejecting good Godly counsel. It’s not too late to turn to God and take what you have learned to help you grow in your dependence on Christ! Let’s learn to let Him make a message of Grace out of our mistakes!