Following the death of King Solomon the nation divided. Jeroboam became the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the ten tribes rebelled against Rehoboam, the son and heir of Solomon.Jeroboam , did not trust in God’s protection and instead relied on his own strength and power to build his kingdom. He erected golden calves in two separate locations and told the people that they did not need to go to Jerusalem to worship. Jeroboam’s lack of faith and his willingness to lead people to worship false gods ultimately led to his downfall and the decline of the northern kingdom of Israel.On the other hand, Rehoboam was not a perfect king either. The people asked him to reduce their taxes and labor requirements. Before his ruling on the request, he sought counsel from two sets of advisers, and heeded the counsel of his young friends instead of the wise elders. This led to the revolt of the northern tribes.This story of Jeroboam and Rehoboam teaches us the importance of wisdom, and we can draw many applicable conclusions about our leadership.Of these two kings their leadership styles were very different. Jeroboam relied on his own strength and wisdom, while Rehoboam relied on the counsel of his young friends and rejected wise counsel of the elders.These two rulers followed their own pride and arrogance. Jeroboam’s faults can be attributed in part to his arrogance and his lack of faith in God’s protection. Rehoboam’s foolish decision to increase the burden of his people resulted in the split of the kingdom.But ultimately we can see their disobedience to God as the cause of their disasters. Overall, this story of Jeroboam and Rehoboam teaches us that wise leadership, humility, obedience, and faith in God are essential qualities for God’s leaders to possess.As we look to elect new leaders for our nation, we must keep in mind these essential qualities. We must insist that those who would desire to lead us, but be in line with God’s will. We must look to leaders who surround themselves with wise and godly counsel. We must demand leaders who are in tune with God’s will and rely on His guidance.We must stand up and require our leaders be people who listen to God’s leadership.
