After several weeks of travel, I am happy to be back in the grove—almost. Today’s blog is an adaptation of this past Sunday’s sermon.
It is not uncommon for us to hear the word accountability. We recognize the importance of people around us who help us remain accountable. That might be accountability in our work, our finances, or our marriage. While it is true that we need people to hold us to a higher standard, ultimately, we are accountable to God first and then to others.
King David was a man after God’s own heart because he remained accountable to God. Yes, a human often called him to deal with his sin. Following those conversations, David immediately made things right with God.
In Gen 6, we find the account of Noah building the ark. We do not often stop and think of the human cost God asked of Noah. He was ridiculed; it took 40-50 years to build and was built by faith, as it had never rained. Though people around him mocked and decried him as a silly old fool, Noah knew what was necessary. Despite these challenges, Noah remained faithful to the Lord his God. Gen 6:22 states, “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.”
As we follow the lives of the kings of Israel, we come to a place where Kings Saul, David, and Solomon are all dead. The throne is now in the hands of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. He stands at a choice that will determine the future destiny of Israel. In this moment, his willingness to be accountable comes to the forefront. You can find this account in 1 Kings 12:1-13.
In his book Simple Accountability, my friend Dana Coverstone lays out these four steps of accountability. First, Search your heart. Second, Find the right person to be your accountability partner. Third, Establish patterns. Fourth, Grow as a person.
Some of these may seem obvious, but our text shows that Rehoboam took none of these steps. There was a lack of accountability. He did not approach this question with the correct attitude…his heart was not in the right place. He did not take advice from the wise men of Israel; instead, he went to his friends. We do not see a pattern of seeking the Lord’s advice or wisdom.
Author Warren Wiersbe writes, “There’s no evidence that the king sought the Lord in prayer or that he consulted the high priest or with a prophet.” I have always imagined this scene as a bunch of college frat boys trying to direct a nation politically and spiritually.
Finally, he showed no signs of trying to do the right thing. His intention was not to cement the love of his people but to cement his power. His selfish thoughts and actions cost him more than half of his kingdom. We must all be accountable to someone.
Lack of accountability leads to arrogance, self-righteous behavior, and separation from those we love. Sacred Accountability encourages us to listen to the wisdom of a mentor or accountability partner. God wants us to be accountable to Him first. That demands that we respond to the voice and conviction of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit says we are out of line, we immediately repent. Subsequently, we are honest and open with those who keep us accountable, not only so that we admit our mistakes but also so that our relationship with that person helps prevent the action or attitude from occurring again.
In The Weight of Glory, C S Lewis writes, “To please God… to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness… to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son—it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.” (pg 10, 1966 edition)
The commentary where I ran across this quote explains, “This quote beautifully captures the idea that our accountability to God is not a mere obligation but a glorious privilege—a weight of responsibility that leads to eternal joy and fulfillment.”
Scripture teaches us that four years after becoming King of Judah, Rehoboam led Israel into idol worship. Accountability and wisdom go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. Accountability to God first and man second.
King Rehoboam’s dad wrote these words in Prov 15:1 “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Rehoboam’s mistake was so egregious that all the following evil kings of Judah are compared to him. In addition, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the nations’ coming destruction, harkening back to this pivotal moment.
Isaiah 7:17 says, “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”
Ironically, Rehoboam means “he enlarges the people.” Instead, he loses 9 of the 12 tribes. As Alexander Maclaren writes, this is “a miserable story of imbecility and arrogance.”
Accountability requires honesty, humility, vulnerability, and teachability. Rehoboam possessed none of these traits. He did not, but we must. As followers of Jesus, these four must be evident in our lives as we approach our God. Sacred Accountability speaks to the spiritual nature of our accountability. Therefore, all four must also be evident as we interact with those who hold us accountable.
We must strive to be accountable to God first and then to a trusted person God has placed in our lives. Sacred Accountability is a serious matter, one many take too lightly.
Through Time 