Advice

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him...Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men...(1 Kings 12:8, 13-14)

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." (1 Kings 22:8)

I noticed a trend in the books of 1st & 2nd Kings about the habit of kings to listen only to what they wanted to hear. Instead of following good advice, they continously sought the advice and counsel of their friends and those willing to tell them what they wanted to hear. I could not help but notice the same trend within my own life. How often do I make decisions based upon my own thoughts and the support of those I know will not argue against me. If I know going into a decision a particular person will not agree with me, I tend to avoid asking them their opinion on the subject. Like Rehoboam, I tend to seek the advice of the "young guys" (my friends) over the "elders" - whomever they might be in a given situation. In reality this is all based upon a selfish desire to make my own decisions and not have to listen to anyone. The result for the kings was their own deaths, destruction of their kingdoms, and eventual overthrow by Assyria & Babylon. In other words, a complete train wreck. Knowing that - why would I or anyone else want to continue along the same pattern? I guess the key is to recognize the problem and know that going into any situation I must seek out wise advice - even if that advice is "bad" to me and contrary to my own standing. Easier said then done...