1 Kings 12:7
7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
King Solomon has died and his Son Rehoboam has taken the throne. One of the first things that takes place in his reign is that the people gather together to make a request to their new King. This was their request "Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee." [Vs. 4]. Solomon's reign was one of industry and as I have read over these chapters it is easy to understand why these people were tired of such grievous service. For forty years Ssolomon didn't stop building, planning, organizing, advancing. Perhaps one of the downfalls of Solomon is that he continues way beyond his purpose. His purpose was no doubt to build the house of God, but he went way beyond building a house for the Lord, he built him houses, barns, roads, stables, and ships, and eventually, his industry turned into idolatry. That is not just something that is a problem for Solomon of Old but a warning to us in this present hour. We are busy people, sometimes grievously busy. So busy that we grieve the people we are around, and worst of all when our industry devolves to idolatry and we grieve the Lord. That's the position Rehoboam is in, the same carpenters Solomon had commanded to build the house of the Lord, by the end of his life he had also commanded to build houses for Molech, and other gods and they are rightfully grieved.
He dismisses his grieved servants and calls a council meeting, this board of counselors is comprised of the old men who stood before Solomon and the young men who grew up with Rehoboam. Our verse today Is the counsel of the old men that rehoboam should have taken, and in it, we find some manna for today. They instructed him in two areas of his life, his actions & his attitude. Notice what they said exactly. Firstly: "If thou wilt be a servant.....and wilt serve them." Secondly: "Answer them.....and speak good words to them." Service to these people alone would not be sufficient, but he also had to "Be a servant to them," that is, they had to see him as a public servant. Answering them would not suffice, but he had to speak good words." His attitude and actions toward the people had to be that of a servant. We need often reminders that "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
Jesus, as always, sets for us the supreme example of a Servant King. He was not just King but King of kings, not just a lord but The Lord of lords. All power under heaven and earth are his, no one has the power, authority, or might that he has and yet there has never been a greater servant. He doesn't lay grievous burdens on the backs of his people as did Solomon and Rehoboam, Jesus's words to weary subjects are "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Is this not how Jesus has won the hearts of his loyal subjects? He wins our hearts with the rest and peace that we have found in him. We become his servants because his actions and attitude toward us are that of a servant, so we gladly serve him. We love him because he first loved us and we serve him because he first serves us. He served us in his life on earth. Kneeling in the dust he wiped the dust from the feet of the men that he made, those same men, besides Judas, left that upper room and served Christ to the death. A million times he has washed the dirt of this world from my filthy feet and in doing so he has made me want to serve him all the more. He serves us now in heaven as well, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." He still serves us and his call is still to come and find rest. Jesus shows us the reality of the instructions of these wise old men, "Then they will be thy servants forever."
If you need rest today, come before your king and you won't find a gruff response as the men of Israel did on this day, you'll find the Servant King is still giving rest to the weary, he'll even get down in the Dust and wash your feet, He'll pray for you, he'll serve you and you'll go away ready to bare whatever burdens you must for such a King. Let this be a lesson to us, may we be like Christ, and may we serve the people around us, the people above us, and the people below us. In being a servant you'll find that people do not mind serving you. "Submitting yourselves one to another" is the command of the Spirit-filled life, the advice of these wise old men, and the example of Our Servant King Jesus.
"If thou wilt be a servant................... They will be thy servants forever"
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