Rehoboam loses the kingdom for being a clown.

First Kings Chapter 12 is a masterclass on poor leadership skills. In the aftermath of King Solomon’s demise, Rehoboam ends up as the successor to the throne. As the story goes, Rehoboam goes down to Shechem to be made king. There, Jeroboam shows up. You’ll possibly recall Jeroboam from earlier. He was supposed to be killed for being a potential usurper to Solomon. However, he managed to escape to Egypt. When he heard that Solomon was dead, he decided to return to cause problems.

Jeroboam and the assembled Israelites said to Rehoboam, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

In response, Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.”

This was to buy him time to think about what he was going to do. In the interlude, he talked to two groups of people. The first group consisted of the elders who served King Solomon. The second group consisted of the young men who had grown up with him. The first group suggested that if Rehoboam was merciful to the Israelites, and if he lightened their load, they would serve him for life. The second group had markedly different advice.

They told him, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

Unsurprisingly to anyone who’s ever known a young man who grew up in a rich family, Rehoboam decided to listen to his friends instead of the elders. However, shockingly, he was actually stupid enough to tell the people exactly what his friends told him.

After the three days were up, he returned to the people and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”

This didn’t go well for him. Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. They probably would have stoned Rehoboam too but he fled back to Jerusalem.

This brings us to the lesson of this story. Proverbs 15: 1-2 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commands knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” Rehoboam is undoubtedly a fool. He would find good company in a troupe of clowns. There’s some irony in the fact that Solomon wrote Proverbs which his own son didn’t bother to read. The lesson to be learned is that when you’re stepping into a new role, it’s wise to do so gently. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul.” Don’t treat people harshly to prove a point.