Young Rehoboam had lived a privileged life. His father, Solomon, was the richest king in the world at that time. Rehoboam grew up with fun and wealth. Then, upon his father’s death, he was handed the coveted throne. Quickly consulting with wise elders for advice about ruling, he preferred to hear younger, more modern counselors. He chose the wrong advice, and a once-blessed kingdom began to unravel. Rehoboam’s real problem was distraction, causing him to have a hard time hearing wise elders, and even God.
The whole country had a similar problem. Years later, when Jeremiah was sent by God, they couldn’t listen. They were distracted by pleasure, pride, crime, and violence. Jeremiah cried out, “Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did evil more than their fathers.” (Jer.7:24)
Canadians have become a distracted people, unable to concentrate for long on any one thing. Facebook dings away at us, news feeds on our devices demand our attention, messages draw us in, and radio ads scream information all day long. Even our cars present us with attention-demanding gadgets offering all sorts of data. It’s hard to take it all in, and we skim over everything and move on to the next thing that jumps out at us. Got some time? What can I fill it with?
Don’t you think God wants our concentration sometimes? He wants us to focus on prayer, some reasonable study time, and to do the work of giving people our attention on Sundays and Wednesdays. All good preachers know they are often boring, but they appreciate people who give them concentrated attention when they stand and speak God’s word.
Distraction eventually killed Rehoboam. It caused Israel to become a disappointment to God. It frustrated the prophets. Even though all sorts of modern things demand our time, we can do better. God deserves it, and so do His people. Are you listening?
– Tim Johnson