THE WRONG VOICE
AUGUST 18, 2026
TEXT: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” — Proverbs 13:20
Today, we shall examine the importance of moving and mingling with those whose lives are laden with wisdom that will propel us towards the right path. There is a common saying that, “Show me your friends and I can easily tell who you are.” There is no gainsaying the fact that the camp we move with can either add, subtract, or multiply values in our lives.
The central character of this teaching shall be a young man called Rehoboam, who succeeded his father, Solomon, as the king of Israel. He went to Shechem, where the Israelites had assembled to make him king. They only made a simple request: “Reduce the yoke that your father placed on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam told them to come back in three days’ time, during which he consulted his father’s old chiefs/counsellors, who advised him to succumb to the people’s demand.
He, however, forsook their counsel and went ahead to consult and yield to the counsel of his age mates, who were mostly perverse and sons of Belial. They, of course, urged him to add more brutality to his father’s brutality during his lifetime. This did not go well with the people, and they immediately staged a successful rebellion that led to the division of the kingdom: Jeroboam over ten tribes of Israel and Rehoboam over two tribes of Israel.
We can see how Rehoboam yielded to the wrong voice, and it marked a negative turnaround in the kingdom rights of David’s lineage for life. Sometimes, we find ourselves listening to the wrong voice because it mostly appeals to our ego. We fail to evaluate the surrounding circumstances and analyse the pros and cons of yielding to such counsels.
The younger counsellors probably told him that yielding to the people’s needs would make him look simplistic and weak and that, as a king, he was meant to be imposing and commanding. The people we listen to matter a lot in our journey in life. Not everyone who concurs with us is actually helping us. There’s a difference between someone who tells you what you want to hear and someone who tells you what you actually need to hear. Don’t judge counsel based on how comfortable it makes you feel. Rather, judge it based on whether or not it agrees with God’s wisdom.
Rehoboam found the old men antiquated and felt they had little or no modern touch in them. By the time he realized his folly, it was too late. He tried to get back his kingdom, but God directed Shemaiah, the prophet, to instruct him to go back home.
Godly counsel might not look like it at the beginning, but sometimes, it is important to demonstrate discernment and know the kind of advice to follow.
SEARCHLIGHT: Be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Pride makes people choose destructive counsel. (1 Kings 12:6–8; Proverbs 12:15)
PRAYER: O LORD, help me to be discerning at all times, in Jesus’ mighty name.
BIBLE READING: Psalm 106–108, Matthew 8
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
