1 Kings 12:8
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him: But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
At Shechem Rehoboam made an irreparable mistake, and his decision there set the rending of the kingdom in motion. The old men were experienced elders, while the young men were the companions who had grown up with him and stood before him in service as his chosen counselors. The elders advised him to treat the people kindly and answer them with good words, promising that such kindness would secure their lasting service, while the young men urged him instead to threaten even harsher burdens.
Forsaking the elders, he refused the people's request for decided reforms in the administration of government and announced his intention to perpetuate and add to the oppressive evils introduced in Solomon's reign. That oppression had grown out of extravagant selfish indulgence, which had necessitated a grinding taxation of the poor of the nation. The choice was unwise and unfeeling in the exercise of power, revealing pride of position and authority and failure to understand God's purpose concerning Israel.
Because he did not make God his guide and counselor, his once noble, independent mind was swayed by evil counselors of his own choosing, his fine sensibilities were blunted, and the conscientious, considerate spirit of his early reign was changed. Self-indulgence became his god, and severe judgment and cruel tyranny marked his course, changing him from the wisest king that ever swayed a scepter to a despot. His influence spread widely because he was the idol of the nation, so that what he did and said was copied. The Lord did not allow him to carry out the policy he proposed, and the aroused tribes rebelled against the house of David in fulfillment of the prophet's prediction of the rending of the kingdom, leaving Judah and Benjamin under Rehoboam and the ten northern tribes under Jeroboam.