Pecunia non olet or Money doesn't stink! is a Latin saying. During the 1st century AD, Roman emperor Vaspasian placed a tax on urine. The buyer(s) of the urine paid the tax. The urine from public urinals was sold as an essential ingredient for several chemical processes e.g. it was used in tanning and also by launderers as a source of ammonia to clean and whiten woolen togas. I personally would not want that done to my toga. Therefore, those who obtained valuable urine from collectors were charged a tax.

Throughout history there have been many strange, unusual, and weird taxes (read about the history of taxes). Many of them were implemented to raise additional revenue, while the purpose of others was to promote social change.

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The federal tax code was 400 pages in 1913. In 2010 it was 70,000 pages. Who has time to read 70000 pages a year on taxes? The Bible has about 700,000 words. The number of words in the Federal Tax Code: 3,700,000. The federal tax code is over five times longer than the Bible.

In 2010,

After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king, but Rehoboam was a vain and foolish man.

Look at the Biblical account of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who inherited the throne over the united kingdom of Israel in the north and Judah in the south (1 Kings 12). When he came to power the northern 10 tribes of Israel were on the verge of seceding. He was the last king to lead a united kingdom.

To pay for decades of his high-cost building projects, Solomon had levied high taxes. The northern tribes, with Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim newly returned from exile as a principal leader among them, asked for an easier tax burden as Rehoboam's first royal decision. They wanted a

revived economy with personal finances restored.

Rehoboam had a good shot at becoming a great leader. He started off well by seeking the advice of the elders who served Solomon. They wisely counseled that the northerners were right and that lower taxes would be healthy for all. They said that the king would be loved for being so generous. He then asked for advice from his younger peers. They gave the opposite and ultimately fatal advice to increase taxes by leaps and bounds. It was far beyond what the people were willing to bear.

Peer pressure remains a problem today.

Jeroboam, a “mighty man of valor,” warned Rehoboam not to make the same mistake his father had made by taxing them heavily to finance a luxurious lifestyle (I Kings 12:3-4). Rehoboam defied the advice to lighten the yoke of oppression:

It takes wisdom to humbly accept criticism. None of us have a monopoly on truth, and all of us need accountability. Rehoboam lost most of his kingdom because of his foolish decisions and words. He had a chance to rule a united kingdom under the direction and wisdom of God, but he threw it all away.

The wise listen to others and seek understanding. We should listen to anyone who criticizes us, and then pray and think about the validity of the criticism. Listening to God and to other people does help us become humble.

Good leaders listen to everyone who speaks to them. We should listen to a garbage collector just like we would listen to a president. We never know where a good idea will come from next. Furthermore, God can speak to us through anyone or any circumstance.

Rehoboam unwisely took the advice of his peers, raised taxes, and lost over half his kingdom. The northern kingdom of Israel split away, taking its own path separate from the southern kingdom of Judah. When all was said and done, the king lost far more income than all his taxes could have ever gained him. He chose poorly, and everyone suffered because of it.

The story of Rehoboam's mistake provides an essential lesson. Without the background we wouldn't realize that he should have heeded the advice of his elder advisors rather than his foolish peers who offered him nothing but a greedy ego trip.

The people responded to Rehoboam’s harshness by rebelling against the new king and making Jeroboam king over Israel (1 Kings 12:16–20). Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin followed Rehoboam, son of Solomon. The other ten tribes sided with Jeroboam. King Rehoboam gathered 180,000 warriors to take back the ten tribes, but God prevented it, saying, “This is my doing” (1 Kings 12:24). So King Rehoboam returned to the capital of Jerusalem.

Rehoboam reigned in Jerusalem for seventeen years, but “he did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord” (2 Chronicles 12:14). After Rehoboam there were good kings and bad kings over Judah. Every other generation or so, a great king stepped forward and turned the people back to the true God.

Our minds are so easily lead astray and so prone to selfishness. God wants to help us make good decisions and lead godly lives.

I often hear that we have 1 mouth and two ears for a reason. It so easy for us to get lost in what we want to say and to not truly listen to wise counsel. It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in our lives, to not adequately listen to God. In our prayer life, how much time do we spend listening. When we read the Bible are we listening to how God wants to transform us? We have a God of grace and mercy who wants relationship. The loving father ran to the prodigal son. The shepherd lays down his life for His sheep. God is calling for us to listen and walk with Him. God freely offers us wisdom.

Even when we feel like we are alone or forgotten, the King of Kings and Lords walks beside us and loves us.

God loves us so much that He freely offers us wisdom. The Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are so full of God's insights into life that they are called wisdom literature. The New Testament authors applied the teachings of Christ to everyday life. There is a fountain of God’s knowledge available to us. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom. God's spirit abides/resides/lives in us.

Are we relying on God's wisdom in our everyday lives?

Are we willing to consider the advice or criticism of others?

God honors a broken and contrite heart.