We read of the next king of Israel, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Upon taking the throne he is immediately faced with a decision. Without ever seeking God, he chooses to answer the question by consulting two different groups: the elders who served his father, and his friends that he grew up with. We read the conclusion of the matter in 1 Kings 12:13-15, “Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men... So the king did not listen to the people...”. The result of this advice was the kingdom was split in two, into 10 northern tribes of Israel and the 2 southern tribes of Judah. The new king of Israel (10 northern tribes), Jeroboam, fearing that if the people of his new nation go back to offer sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem which is in Judah, that their hearts will turn to Rehoboam. So, we read in 12:28, “Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” So the bad advice to Jeroboam led to the false gods, and the bad advice of the king turned the hearts of the people away from the One True God.

We have one more example which is important to consider involving two prophets of God, “He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ “(He was lying to him).” The man of God who was lied to had clearly been given his message by the Lord to deliver a message to Jeroboam and to not stop in any house while there to eat or drink. If we have heard something directly from God or have been given a Biblically sound revelation from God, even a godly man or woman might give us poor advice.

Every day we will face a multitude of decisions. We can choose to face these decisions in our own strength and wisdom which is flawed due to our own inherent weaknesses. We can choose a multitude of sources for advice: our family, friends, teachers, therapists, co-workers, etc. for advice, but what is their source? Sincerity of the source does not equate with how solid the advice is. Many choose news sources and the entertainment industry as their sources. We as children of God must be so careful as to our sources. Even a well-meaning Christian can be led astray. Our source should always be the Bible, direct revelation from God, or from those who revere and uphold His Word. Jesus answered the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:17, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God...”. Only God is good, and only advice centered on Him is good. May we never let our guards down. May we seek Him fervently for everything. May we always consider our sources before taking advice.