God Works

Even through bad advice

Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 10:15

So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Preliminary Disclaimer: What I am about to write is not meant to be taken as an encouragement to listen to or follow bad advice any more than Paul’s exulting in grace was meant to be taken as an encouragement to “sin that grace may abound.” Like Paul amplifying the greatness of God’s grace, I am pointing this text out merely to magnify the Sovereignty of God in and over all things.

In this context, Rehoboam received both good and bad advice. The old men gave good counsel, advice with which the people agreed. The young men around Rehoboam gave him some really bad advice. He listened to the young men. The consequences of that were the division of the kingdom and great loss for the king.

Verse fifteen, though, points out that this was from the Lord. This doesn’t mean Rehoboam wasn’t responsible for his foolishness. He was. It means that God will work, even through foolish men, to accomplish his purposes. It means we don’t have to lose hope and think God’s will is going to be thwarted because someone did something stupid.

God reigns and sometimes he uses the foolishness of people to do His wise will.