See Proverbs 3:5-6
It is easier said than done to “lean not on our own understanding.” We seem to want to believe we have a self-appointed board of directors bouncing around in our heads, always permitting us to do whatever we might want to do.
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and upon Solomon’s death, he succeeded his father to the throne of Israel. But immediately after becoming king, the people of Israel asked the King for relief from the heavy burden of taxes imposed by Solomon.
Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had advised his father and then he turned to the young men who he surrounded himself with and listened to them; he “leaned on his own understanding” and made a foolish decision to reject the wisdom of the elders. What followed was civil war and the eventual division of the nation. Unlike Solomon, Rehoboam was not discerning and he and his nation would soon enough pay a great price.
-Eric Kampmann, Signposts