The Lord speaks to us directly through his Word, and we are called to listen to it and obey it. But he also tests us through his works, and, like Rehoboam, we are often tempted to respond in the wrong way to our circumstances. We can learn from his example, but our ultimate hope is that the long-awaited descendant of Rehoboam always responded in the right way to both the works and Word of his Father, and his grace and power will enable us to do so as well.