2nd Chronicles chapter 10. Pride vs. Humility.
Now that King Solomon was dead, Israel told his son, now King Rehoboam, we will serve you if you won't be so hard on us like your dad was. But he said he would be even more harsh. So Israel rejected him as their King so that he ruled over only Judah.
It's amazing what people will do when given power. If the sin nature is not yielded to the Lord, people will do crazy things, and do crazy things to others.
A group of men were used in an experiment to re-enact a prison facility. They were told nothing on how they should or should not act. What they found was the mock guards were very harsh on the mock prisoners. During the experiment they were even brutal at times.
Why is that? What is it about power that people eliminate kindness and respect toward others?
If power goes to our head we do very unkind acts and lose compassion and kindness toward others. We end up thinking only of ourselves and how we can gain more power. King Rehoboam was unwilling to take advice from the elders so instead listened to evil advice.
Proverbs 11:2 says when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
People respect humility and will serve someone with a humble heart. A humble heart shows kindness and compassion and respect. A prideful person can easily become arrogant and corrupt and end up walking over others in order to gain more power and wealth.
Proverbs 16:19 says better to be lowly in spirit with the oppressed than to show plunder with the proud.
Proverbs 29:23 says the Humble gain honor.
So let us learn and strive through the Holy Spirit to be humble people versus prideful people. Show yourself humble even in the smallest areas.
For example: when talking with someone today, see if your conversation focuses more on you or on the other person. Be conscious to ask questions about the other person and say things that encourage them and make them feel good and compliment them versus making the conversation more about yourself. In fact, take a day and just evaluate your decisions. Is it for your good or for the good of others. See which area has the most emphasis: Self or others.
Israel wanted to be like the other nations and God was rejected as their king. The people were warned about having a man be their king back in 1 Samuel 8. While it was sad to read chapter 10 today, there shouldn’t be any surprise that this is what would happen. Rehoboam didn’t care about the people. They asked for kindness and he showed them the opposite. He didn’t listen to the advice from the old men, but listened to the young men instead. That was a terrible decision to make that gigantic mistake. The selfish use of power in a corrupt heart is a very ugly thing.
May we choose to be humble and let our decisions be guided by the Holy Spirit.
I was reminded today of what we read in Luke 11:10-13.
“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”