Cutting Room Floor - Rehoboam's Folly
***These are simply notes and thought processes that didn't make it into the final form of the sermon, not a fully formed essay / sermon.
Another way we can sin like Rehoboam is through presumption.
“Presumption is acting as though you know something or have a right to something when you do not.”
Proverbs 12:15
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."
Rehoboam is presumptuous.
He thinks he knows more than he does and assumes things are going to work out without having a good reason to think so.
Because of this presumption, he does not think he needs counsel.
At first glance, it seems like the problem is simply that he took advice from young people, not older people. And there is of course a lot of truth in that.
There is an arrogance towards the older generation that is certainly spreading in our culture today, and as Christians we need to take God's word seriously when He instructs us to respect authorities and elders and parents.
But I think Rehoboam's problem is deeper than choosing the wrong counsel. I think he didn’t really want counsel at all.
He never really wanted the counsel of the older men.
It’s pointed out in verse 8 that he abandons the counsel of the old men before he ever even goes to the young men.
He does not prayerfully consider the different counsel, He pridefully presumes that he knows best.
He has an overconfident assumption that things will go his way.
I wonder, do you ever experience that type of presumption?
“I don’t need anybody’s advice before I take this job or move to this place or date this person or make this big decision.”
“That will never happen to me.”
“I’ll never struggle with that like they do.”
“My marriage will never get as bad as theirs.”
“My kids won’t ever turn out like theirs.”
A heart of presumption precedes a life of destruction.
When you go through life wrongly assuming you’ve got what it takes, you won’t go to God for what you need.
God’s provision and man’s presumption are like oil and water.
Presumption pushes God to the periphery.
Maybe you don’t think you are proud or presumptuous.
But listen to just how dependant we truly are on God for everything.
James 4:13–17 (ESV)
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Assuming you will come home safely from work tomorrow apart from God’s enabling and sustaining grace is an arrogant, evil boast.
And if just assuming you’ll get back home from work apart from the Lord’s sovereign gracious will is an evil presumption, then I submit that the problem of presumption is pervasive.
At our sending church, there was a man I greatly admired, who is now a pastor, who would always respond to anything related to future plans with: “If the Lord wills.”
So, I would say: see you Sunday.
He would respond: if the Lord wills.
I’m not saying we always have to say those words, but I am saying that we always need to believe them.
Why is this such a big deal?
Wouldn’t this view of life make us just needy, dependent, weak people who can’t go out and attempt or accomplish anything?
Quite the opposite.
The opposite of presumption is not assuming nothing will work out.
The opposite of presumption is assuming God will work all things out according to the counsel of His perfect will.
The opposite of presumption is not me-centered pessimism.
The opposite of presumption is a God-centered optimism.
When you live with no confidence in yourself, but all confidence in God, you begin to cultivate an ongoing relational dependence on the Lord that leads to a God centered optimism.
Take that famous line from the Lord’s prayer - "Give us this day our daily bread."
You ever wonder why we aren’t taught to pray for a lifetime supply of bread?
Because Daily dependence on God cultivates a relational intimacy with God.
Consider the prayer lives of these two people:
One who presumes they need nothing from God.
And who assumes they need God’s provision for everything.
I talked to my mama a whole lot more my first few weeks at college than I did my last few weeks at college. My first two weeks, I had constant questions. My last few weeks, I had it all figured out. (Or so I thought).
Daily dependence on God cultivates a relational intimacy with God.
Ultimately, this Rehoboam story points us forward to God’s chosen king, Jesus Christ.
One repeated lesson of the book of Kings is that the people are in desperate need of God’s chosen king, the promised son of Genesis 3.
David was not that King.
Solomon was not that King.
And Rehoboam is most certainly not that king.
But in Jesus Christ, we are given that King.
Sinful foolishness was not only part of God’s wise plan to put Jesus on the cross, it was also part of the plan to put Jesus back on the throne.
Philippians 2:8–11 (ESV)
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is the eternal solution to the problem raised in the book of Kings.
He is everything those human kings could not be and would not be.
In human arrogance, King Rehoboam refused to serve the people. In His divine condescension, King Jesus left His throne, and took on human flesh to meet our greatest need.
In his selfishness, King Rehoboam refused to lighten the people’s burdens. In His grace, King Jesus says that all those who labor and are heavy laden can come to Him for rest.
In His lust for power, King Rehoboam enforced harsh punishments on the people that they did not deserve. In His love for people, King Jesus takes the punishment on Himself that His people actually do deserve.
Another way we can sin like Rehoboam is through presumption.
“Presumption is acting as though you know something or have a right to something when you do not.”
Proverbs 12:15
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."
Rehoboam is presumptuous.
He thinks he knows more than he does and assumes things are going to work out without having a good reason to think so.
Because of this presumption, he does not think he needs counsel.
At first glance, it seems like the problem is simply that he took advice from young people, not older people. And there is of course a lot of truth in that.
There is an arrogance towards the older generation that is certainly spreading in our culture today, and as Christians we need to take God's word seriously when He instructs us to respect authorities and elders and parents.
But I think Rehoboam's problem is deeper than choosing the wrong counsel. I think he didn’t really want counsel at all.
He never really wanted the counsel of the older men.
It’s pointed out in verse 8 that he abandons the counsel of the old men before he ever even goes to the young men.
He does not prayerfully consider the different counsel, He pridefully presumes that he knows best.
He has an overconfident assumption that things will go his way.
I wonder, do you ever experience that type of presumption?
“I don’t need anybody’s advice before I take this job or move to this place or date this person or make this big decision.”
“That will never happen to me.”
“I’ll never struggle with that like they do.”
“My marriage will never get as bad as theirs.”
“My kids won’t ever turn out like theirs.”
A heart of presumption precedes a life of destruction.
When you go through life wrongly assuming you’ve got what it takes, you won’t go to God for what you need.
God’s provision and man’s presumption are like oil and water.
Presumption pushes God to the periphery.
Maybe you don’t think you are proud or presumptuous.
But listen to just how dependant we truly are on God for everything.
James 4:13–17 (ESV)
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Assuming you will come home safely from work tomorrow apart from God’s enabling and sustaining grace is an arrogant, evil boast.
And if just assuming you’ll get back home from work apart from the Lord’s sovereign gracious will is an evil presumption, then I submit that the problem of presumption is pervasive.
At our sending church, there was a man I greatly admired, who is now a pastor, who would always respond to anything related to future plans with: “If the Lord wills.”
So, I would say: see you Sunday.
He would respond: if the Lord wills.
I’m not saying we always have to say those words, but I am saying that we always need to believe them.
Why is this such a big deal?
Wouldn’t this view of life make us just needy, dependent, weak people who can’t go out and attempt or accomplish anything?
Quite the opposite.
The opposite of presumption is not assuming nothing will work out.
The opposite of presumption is assuming God will work all things out according to the counsel of His perfect will.
The opposite of presumption is not me-centered pessimism.
The opposite of presumption is a God-centered optimism.
When you live with no confidence in yourself, but all confidence in God, you begin to cultivate an ongoing relational dependence on the Lord that leads to a God centered optimism.
Take that famous line from the Lord’s prayer - "Give us this day our daily bread."
You ever wonder why we aren’t taught to pray for a lifetime supply of bread?
Because Daily dependence on God cultivates a relational intimacy with God.
Consider the prayer lives of these two people:
One who presumes they need nothing from God.
And who assumes they need God’s provision for everything.
I talked to my mama a whole lot more my first few weeks at college than I did my last few weeks at college. My first two weeks, I had constant questions. My last few weeks, I had it all figured out. (Or so I thought).
Daily dependence on God cultivates a relational intimacy with God.
Ultimately, this Rehoboam story points us forward to God’s chosen king, Jesus Christ.
One repeated lesson of the book of Kings is that the people are in desperate need of God’s chosen king, the promised son of Genesis 3.
David was not that King.
Solomon was not that King.
And Rehoboam is most certainly not that king.
But in Jesus Christ, we are given that King.
Sinful foolishness was not only part of God’s wise plan to put Jesus on the cross, it was also part of the plan to put Jesus back on the throne.
Philippians 2:8–11 (ESV)
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is the eternal solution to the problem raised in the book of Kings.
He is everything those human kings could not be and would not be.
In human arrogance, King Rehoboam refused to serve the people. In His divine condescension, King Jesus left His throne, and took on human flesh to meet our greatest need.
In his selfishness, King Rehoboam refused to lighten the people’s burdens. In His grace, King Jesus says that all those who labor and are heavy laden can come to Him for rest.
In His lust for power, King Rehoboam enforced harsh punishments on the people that they did not deserve. In His love for people, King Jesus takes the punishment on Himself that His people actually do deserve.
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