1 Kings Chapter 12
A Servant’s Heart Captures The Heart Of Others.
The Assembly of Israel met with Rehoboam, who would be the new king of Israel and Judah. The assembly said if you lighten the load on us, versus driving us hard like your father King Solomon did, then we will serve you. So Rehoboam got counsel from two groups:
1. He got council from Solomon’s Elders who said, have a servants heart as a king along with speaking kind words, and they will serve you forever.
2. But Rehoboam listened to the council of his younger friends who said force them to serve you harder than your father did.
When Israel heard this they declared they would not follow him as king but would make their own King, Jeroboam.
This fulfilled God’s word when he said the kingdom would be divided because of Solomon’s sin. Rehoboam was King over Judah while Jeroboam was King over Israel.
Let us learn from this.
Having a servant’s heart is attractive to people. Jesus said the greatest amongst us is the one who serves. Jesus was the prime example of one who had a servant’s heart while maintaining boundaries of right and wrong. We can lead others by our example. Do you like to be a servant or an arrogant ruler? Treat others with respect and you’ll get respect. However there will always be those who will combat the system. That’s when discipline is needed.
But generally speaking, being a servant to others with compliments, followed by rules and boundaries, captures their heart. Who and How can you serve today?
