Chapter 10

And they answered him, If you are kind to [these] people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever. (2 Chronicles 10:7)

1. If you are kind to [these] people 
2. please them 
3. speak good words to them

…..they will be your servants forever.

But the king forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him and stood before him. (2 Chronicles 10:8)

When we are confronted with a decision that will have significant repercussions on our lives, our natural inclination is to turn to others for guidance. It is tempting to only call those people we are confident will tell us what we want to hear, but the counsel we require isn't always what we want to hear. 

It was much more likely that the young men who had grown up with Rehoboam and stood before him would tell Rehoboam what he already thought because they shared his upbringing. It is clear that Rehoboam only sought guidance from those who were inclined to believe the same way as he did because of the appearances he was trying to maintain.

How do we know if are receiving godly advice?
If the counsel we are given does not align with what is written in the Bible, then we cannot consider it godly advice.

And the king answered them harshly (2 Chronicles 10:13)

Rehoboam did not speak properly to his people and ended up dividing the kingdom. A leader must learn to speak properly. In order to be an effective leader, you certainly need to work on developing excellent communication skills.

Ironically, Rehoboam's father Solomon worried about losing all he worked for under a foolish successor: 

Then I hated all my labour in which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labour in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)