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♡♥♡ Choice / 1 Kings 12:1-15
*** Introduction
Every time I read the words of this text, my heart is pounding and I feel the pain of ‘Why did I make such a foolish choice? It is just as Psalm 49:20 says, “Those who are in honour, but do not understand, are like beasts that perish.” Listen to the Word and think about whether we ever make such a foolish choice.
Did you know that charcoal and diamond are the same element as carbon? The fact is that one of those same elements becomes a diamond, a symbol of beauty, and the other stays in an insignificant mass of black charcoal.
God has given everyone in the world 24 hours a day equally. This element of time is given to everyone, but it is up to each person to make it into diamonds or charcoal. People create works of life by making time through their long or short lifetimes.
A person's life is not only given the path of peace, happiness, and prosperity, nor is it given only hardships, misfortunes, and hardships. For everyone, these courses take turns. God explains why in Ecclesiastes 7:14, “Rejoice in days of prosperity, and think on days of trouble. God put these two things side by side, so that man could not fathom the future, so that he did not know it.”
Therefore, we must think carefully about the time we have in life and make wise choices and decisions. Because if you make a wrong choice once, you may regret it for the rest of your life. ‘Rehoboam’ in the text is the son of Solomon and the first king of southern Judah, a divided kingdom. As Rehoboam succeeded to the throne, he was faced with an important choice.
During the reign of Solomon, the third ruler of the united kingdom of Israel, the people of Israel had a difficult time with heavy taxes and servitude. Although the country grew large and wealthy, the people were not that happy. Solomon took 20 years to build the temple and the royal palace. And for the thousands of wives and wives, he also devoted a lot of time, money, and labor to the construction of the royal palace. This was the result of alliances with the numerous city-states around it. As a result, the people's shoulders continued to be heavy.
When Solomon died, the people had an opportunity to lift their burdens. Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded to the throne because it was an opportunity for the people to compromise with him. The people gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king. This is because in order to become king of Israel, he must have the approval of all twelve tribes. The people offered Rehoboam a compromise. This is verse 4 of the text. “Your father made our yoke heavy, but now lighten the toil and the heavy yoke that your father put us on. Then we will serve you.”
Rehoboam asked the people to give them three days to think. Rehoboam called the elder servants who had assisted his father Solomon and asked for advice. They advised, “If you become the servants of this people today and serve them, if you answer them with a good word and say, ‘They will be your servants forever.’
Rehoboam also asked for advice from young officials his age whom he had nominated. The young servants said, "These people said to the king, "Your father made our yoke heavy, but you said to light it for us." The king answered, "My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. I put a heavy yoke on you, but now I will make your yoke heavier. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” He advised, “Answer me that I will rule more heavily and harshly.”
Rehoboam chose the advice of his young servants. Three days later, to the people who had gathered again, Rehoboam replied, "I will rule over you more heavily and harshly," as the young servants advised. When the people heard the answer ignoring their will, they said, “What have we to do with David? There is no work in the son of Jesse. Return to your tents, Israel. Now, David, take a look at your house.” They shouted and scattered.
After that, Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the overseer of the work force, to start a work force. But the people stoned the bishop to death. When Rehoboam realized the seriousness of the situation, he had to get into a chariot and flee to Jerusalem. In the end, due to Rehoboam's wrong choice, he was reduced to a weak king who ruled only two of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was the result of not humbly accepting what was given, and not being satisfied and grateful.
There is a story that is said to be a true story that took place in the Western Age, the pioneering period of America.
A farmer always grumbled when he saw a puddle on his farm that smelled badly. Farmers' complaints increased because they could not properly water the farm animals. In the end, the farmer sold the farm with the puddle at a low price, almost beating someone else. On the day the farm was sold, the farmer rejoiced with a party.
But that choice turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life for the farmer. Because the man who bought the farm found a huge oil field in the pool.
I think human life is like this. This is because, if you cannot overcome the hardships and difficulties that have come your way, hasty choices and decisions can lead to spiritual death. When God gives people a chance, if they do not make the right choice, He will move the candlestick. In other words, you are going to break the promise you have chosen. The Lord wrote to the church in Ephesus, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember where you have fallen, repent and do the first deeds. If you do not do this and do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
“Repent and do the first deeds” means ‘turn away from the wrong way of choosing now and choose the first zealous and pure love again.’ As our old saying goes, “The time when you think it is too late is the earliest.” This means don't give up thinking it's already too late to turn around. When you realize you have done something wrong, you become an opportunity for re-choice. If you think it's too late and procrastinate, you may never get a chance.
In this time, we will conclude by considering a practical problem. Please listen carefully to the questions posed here and choose an answer after thinking deeply.
First question. “A woman is pregnant and is currently raising eight children. Three of them are deaf, two are blind, and one is mentally handicapped. Also, she has a sexually transmitted disease. Should this woman have an abortion? Or should I have children?”
Second question. We need to choose a leader who will lead the world. Here are the data for the three candidates.
Candidate #1 - He's colluded with corrupt politicians, uses astrology to make decisions, has two wives, smokes chains, and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.
Candidate 2 - I've been kicked out of work twice, slept until noon, used drugs in college, and drink a quarter of a bottle of whiskey every day.
Candidate No. 3 - A war hero. He was a vegetarian, never smoked, and occasionally drinks beer. Also, I've never had an affair.
Which candidate did you choose?
The previous woman and the three candidates are all real people in history. See the consequences of your choices.
Candidate No. 1 is Franklin D. Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, who even won the Nobel Peace Prize, No. 2 candidate is Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, No. 3 candidate is German dictator Adolph. Hitler (Adolf Hitler).
And if you chose to have an abortion in the first question, you killed Beethoven.
Choices should not be determined by a person's outward appearance or environment. All choices are with God. That's why the Lord said, 'Do not count people.' This is Matthew 7:2. “You will be judged with the criticism you criticize. With the measure that you measure, it will be measured to you.”
Therefore, all our choices should ask us to do God's will through prayer. Then, if you choose, decide, and act, you will not have any regrets. Because if we depend on God, God will guide our steps. If Rehoboam had only trusted in God, he would never have made a foolish choice. I pray that you can enjoy happiness through choices and decisions that depend on God in all things.