According to popular Christian parenting, one would think Solomon “wrote the book” on Biblical discipline. Some Christian parents act like Proverbs (written mostly by Solomon) provides a God-ordained parenting method that will lead our young children to heart change. Surely when Solomon used the rod of discipline to drive out foolishness (Prov 22:15) from the heart of his own child, it worked. Right?
Nope.
Solomon’s son, the young King Rehoboam, made what some call “one of the most foolish decisions of all time.”1 He was described as “vain, unaccomplished, overbearing, and prone to follow bad advice.” Instead of heeding the counsel of senior advisors, he arrogantly chose violence and the exploitation of his own people (1 Kings 12:7-14). This despicable act led to the division of 10 out of the 12 tribes of Israel, resulting in the creation of two separate kingdoms fraught with years of injustice and oppression. Ultimately, both kingdoms were conquered by enemy nations, leading to the exile of God’s chosen people.2
It’s no exaggeration to say that King Rehoboam’s foolishness sparked the most catastrophic event in Israel’s history. This is the account from 1 Kings of the violence that led the people to reject his rule.
King Rehoboam said to his people, “My father [Solomon] made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with *scorpions.” (I Kings 12:14)
*Scorpions– special whips that were especially painful with pieces of metal or bone embedded into the straps.2
The tragic story of Solomon’s son might have been different had he responded to the people with grace instead of doubling down on power, control. and violence. “Rehoboam walked in his father’s footsteps rather walking in the way of Wisdom.”3
What is our lesson from all of this? I am not suggesting that this is proof that Solomon’s “rod of discipline” is an ineffective parenting method. I am saying we should not rely on any method to drive out “foolishness,” or to sanctify our children. We may want to rely on spanking to eliminate foolishness/misbehavior, but then we would be putting our faith in a formula instead of the Lord. We should discipline (lead, teach, model, correct) in light of the grace and freedom we have in Christ. I pray that God would help us all to become usable tools in the hands of the only One who is able to produce true, long-lasting heart change.
What do you think? Is this lesson on Solomon’s son as interesting to you as it is to me?? Do you think it adds value to the biblical discipline conversation? Please comment below!
Sources:
1: The Divided Kingdom; https://www.jewishhistory.org/the-divided-kingdom/
2: Harold S. Martin; Lessons from the Life of Rehoboam; https://biblehelpsinc.org/publication/lessons-from-the-life-of-rehoboam/
3: Flourishing Homes and Families; https://www.instagram.com/flourishinghomesandfamilies/
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Yes, super interesting! I love your point about faith in formulas instead of God. Lately, believers seem to lose sight of this concept in a lot of ways, not just disciplining children. And yet Jesus spent a lot of time speaking about that very issue to the Pharisees.
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Thank you! And I am so glad to hear I am not the only one who finds this super interesting. Those Pharisees sure did think text application was more of an external thing than an internal one. Jesus brought us a redemptive-spirit approach to applying the Bible in our lives by not solely focusing on it’s isolated words, but to mediate on the underling spirit of the Bible.
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