NEVER TOO YOUNG

KING JOSIAH

Read 2 Chronicles 34

     Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did–with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. 2 Kings 23:25 NIV

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     Josiah was only eight years old when his wicked father, Amon was assassinated and he became king. Josiah had never seen a copy of God's Word and yet, at the age of sixteen, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. He destroyed many of the idols his father and grandfather had set up, and when he was twenty‑six years old, he began to restore the temple.

     One of the priests found a copy of the law given to Moses. When Josiah heard it read he said, "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book." (34:21)

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     Josiah's story illustrates that a young person who wants to know God will find Him, in spite of his background. Lord, make our home a place where young people will feel welcome and hear the truth of Your Word. Let it be a lighthouse in a dark world.

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     "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."   1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

AND HIS MOTHER WAS....

KING HEZEKIAH

Read 2 Chronicles Chapters 29–30

     Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king… His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD… 2 Chronicles 29:1–2a NIV

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     Reading through the stories of the Kings of Judah and Israel can be very discouraging as there were so many bad kings and so few good ones. But whether they were evil or good, the narrative often includes this phrase: "His mother's name was…"

     The kings of Israel were greatly influenced by the women in their lives, both wives and mothers. From wicked queen Jezebel to faithful queen Esther, we see that women played a significant role in history. Though they were not usually making the decisions, they were definitely influencing the character of those who did.

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     Lord, thank you that Your Word honors godly women and their role in shaping the characters of the Bible. May I never accept the voices that would demean the importance of my job as wife and mother. Help me to teach my children and grandchildren the truths of Your Word, and faithfully discipline them to be respectful of their parents and their God.

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     "The older women… can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:3a-5 NIV

INFLUENCE AND PERSONAL CHOICE

THE RESCUE OF JOASH

Read 2 Chronicles 22:1–12

      Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah… He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong. 2 Chronicles 22:2-3 NIV

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      Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah was perhaps the most evil woman who ever lived, with the exception of her mother Jezebel. She murdered her own grandsons so that she herself could assume the throne. But Athaliah's sister, wife of the priest, rescued baby Joash and hid him in the temple for six years. At the age of seven, Joash was made king and he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest. (24:2)

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      After Jehoiada died, the ungodly officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. “Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. (2 Chronicles 24:18 NKJV)

     King Ahaziah was influenced by his wicked mother, Athaliah, and King Joash was influenced by godly Jehoiada the priest–but in the end both of them rebelled against God.

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      Lord, I pray for the personal salvation of each one of our children and grandchildren. Help us to influence them toward God, but also to teach them that ultimately, the choice must be theirs to follow Him.

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       … to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13 NIV