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1 Kings 12:10
And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. (1 Kings 12:10)
Thus shalt thou speak.
The counsel given by Rehoboam’s young companions was not that of wisdom but of rashness and arrogance. It showed no tender solicitude for the welfare of those the king had been appointed to serve, but a determination to rule regardless of the expressed will of the people. The counsel given was couched in needlessly offensive language, and was such as would not allay trouble but aggravate it. The young men mistook obstinacy for vigor, and conceit for wisdom. They failed to read the signs of the times, and their counsel made rebellion inevitable.