“When all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded, ‘Down with the dynasty of  David!’”
1 KINGS 12:16

Protest and Advocacy 1 Kgs 12:1-24

Solomon built more than the Temple. He built houses, towns, supply facilities, and more—whatever he desired, he built it. He did so by compelling non-Israelite workers into forced labor. The Israelites were assigned positions of supervisory authority. Even so, many would remember Solomon as a hard taskmaster, imposing hard labor and heavy taxes on the people.

Years later, the Israelites appealed to Solomon’s son, King Rehoboam, to ease their burdens in return for their continued loyalty. The king’s older advisers supported a change to lessen the oppression of the people. His younger advisers, whom Rehoboam had appointed personally, recommended even greater oppression as a way of setting his “stamp” on the new regime. So he levied heavier burdens on the people, intensifying rather than alleviating their pain and suffering. The people protested in response.

Peaceful protest in the face of injustice and oppression is a legitimate act of faith. Without protest, those in power can become increasingly self-righteous, arrogant, and cruel. Speak out as an advocate against the abuse of power, bad laws, and unfair regulations that are like yokes of bondage around the necks of the weak. As you do, you join a noble list of reformers such as Edouard Seguin, who founded the first school in Paris in 1840 for people with intellectual disabilities; Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen (1878–1946), who attacked the Nazi practice of euthanasia and “mercy killings” in World War II; and US President John F. Kennedy, whose sister Rosemary had an intellectual disability that inspired him to create the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation in 1961.

Apathy shouts, “I am not responsible!” This has been history’s cry regarding people with disabilities. But Jesus Christ proved by example that there is no place in the Christian life for indifference toward those who are vulnerable.