2 Chronicles 10

“But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.” (2 Chronicles 10:8, NKJV)

There is great pressure on young people to conform to their peers. We see it happening today, but it also happened in the days of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. To a young person, the older people are not with the times. There is a youthful arrogance that rejects the establishment to explore new frontiers. Now this can have a good side. Young entrepreneurs have had bold new ideas and formed multi-billion dollar companies that have disrupted the status quo. But probably more often than not, this youthful bravado has caused them to get into much trouble because they won’t listen to the voice of experience.

This is what Rehoboam did, and it cost him ten tribes of Israel. Of course, we could argue that it was inevitable because God had already determined to do this because of Solomon’s disobedience in his later years. Nevertheless, Rehoboam was responsible for his actions. We come face to face with the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility coexisting. The fact is that Rehoboam sinned by rejecting the good advice of the elders and choosing to follow the stupid advice of his friends.

There are lessons to apply here. The older generation needs to value younger people. The new generation understands the times, knows how to work the technology, and is not afraid to try bold new ideas. But the older generation has been around the block…several times. They have learned from the failures of the past, and they can give stability and wisdom to younger people. After all, there are no shortcuts to experience. If younger and older people can come together and respect each other’s strengths, then amazing things can happen. I believe we must pursue such cooperation between generations if we would see spiritual revival.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5–6, NKJV)

If the world continues on its present course, then judgment is inevitable. To some degree we are already experiencing it, although the dreadful day of the LORD has yet to occur. But when God wants to prepare hearts for a fresh work of His Spirit, then He turns elders toward the youth and vice versa. Both generations need Jesus and need each other. Older people can learn from the youth, and the youth can learn from their elders. May God help us all to come together in Christ to change the world!