Sometimes unrelated things fit so perfectly together, you can’t help thinking there’s a purpose to it.
This week’s elections were a thorough shellacking of the Democrats and an emphatic rejection of their whole Far Left Crazy program–ruptured borders, high energy prices, inflation, fomenting racial fear and hatred, insane government spending, and “mandate” after mandate: by and large, America hates what they’re selling.
But how did they respond? Well, they doubled down on it, didn’t they? “We’ll show you deplorables!” They’re going to go right ahead, as far and as fast as they can.
At the same time, my daily Bible reading brought me to 1 Kings, Chapter 12–the story of Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
King Solomon’s famous building program wore out the people of Israel; and when he died and Rehoboam took his place, the people pleaded with the new king to ease up on them.
Rehoboam’s older advisers counseled him to listen to the people, cut their taxes, give them some breathing space–and then the people would be happy to serve him as their king. But the young men in his court advised him to threaten and coerce the people–“My father scourged you with whips, but I will scourge you with scorpions” (v. 15). And that was the end of the kingdom founded by David and Solomon. Ten of the twelve tribes revolted from Rehoboam and never came back. Indeed, when Rehoboam sent out his tax collecter, the people stoned the man to death (v. 18).
To anyone in government the message should be clear: you can only exasperate the people for so long before they turn against you–and only brute force will keep them down. You can govern without the consent of the governed, but it’ll be ugly.
And to those of us who follow history, there is another lesson that’s quite clear–the big shots almost never listen to the people. They always have to be pulled off their thrones before they even notice that their people are angry with them.
Rehoboam will not listen. He will not change his policy. Don’t waste time pleading with him. Just take away his power.
