If there’s one thing I remember doing in my earliest memories, it would be having our family worship time. Although the times of day when we do it has changed over the years, it’s an every day occurrence aside from Sundays. I only remember one time when we’ve actually missed having it, and that was not on purpose, believe me! This is a long-standing tradition, one that I’m sure will never stop, even after all of us children eventually leave home.
I really respect my dad for keeping it up all these years. It can’t be easy for him; often he’s had long days at work and he’s physically drained, but he always makes sure that we have our Bible time.Over the years, we’ve done at least two almost cover-to-cover read-throughs of the Bible (we’ve skipped some of the genealogies—the younger children have a hard time reading, let alone understanding, all the names!). I can’t remember exactly when we started the last read-through, but it was probably a year or two ago. We got up to 1 Kings 7 by October last year, then Dad decided to switch to Blue Letter Bible’s Chronological reading plan. Reading the Bible this way adds a whole new dimension to the stories and context, which makes it quite interesting! Currently, we’re reading in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah.
As we’ve been reading through Kings and Chronicles, I’ve noticed some interesting “threads” of history. I’m keeping track of those findings on slips of paper, and eventually I’ll transfer them into my journal for safe keeping. I thought I’d share them here today, since I find the similarities so interesting.
The Flow of History #1:
Taken from: II Kings 15, especially verses 9, 18, 24, and 28.
Zachariah, son of Jeroboam, king of Israel (not related to the first king of Israel; he was Jehu’s great-great grandson, according to the word of the Lord—see II Kings 10:30)
- Departed not from Jeroboam’s sins (Jeroboam the son of Nebat was the first king of Israel, and this is who it is referring to)
- Was conspired against and killed by Shallum (vs. 10; who was in turn killed a month later by Menahem)
Menahem, son of Gadi, king of Israel
- Killed Shallum (who had killed Zachariah)
- Died a natural death
- Departed not from Jeroboam’s sins
Pekahiah, son of Menahem, king of Israel
- Departed not from Jeroboam’s sins
- Conspired against and killed (vs. 25)
Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel
- Killed Pekahiah
- Departed not from Jeroboam’s sins
- Conspired against and killed by Hoshea the son of Elah (vs. 30)
IN CONCLUSION:
Jeroboam the son of Nebat set a precedent that was never overturned. He went down in history as the “man who made Israel to sin.” What precedent are YOU setting?
I found it fascinating that of the five kings in this chapter, all followed the sins of Jeroboam and four out of the five were conspired against and killed. Isn’t that interesting? Reminds me of Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Flow of History #2
Taken from: II Chronicles 21-29
Chapter 21: Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, who was the son of Asa, king of Judah (the latter two followed the Lord)
- His mother’s name is not mentioned
- Married Ahab’s daughter (21:6)
- Compelled Judah to sin (21:11)
Chapter 22: Ahaziah, youngest son of Jehoram, king of Judah
- Mother’s name was Athaliah (22:2; we find out later in the chapter that she killed all her grandsons so she could reign over Judah)
- Walked in the ways of Ahab (an evil king of Israel; 22:3)
Chapter 24: Joash, son of Ahaziah, king of Judah
- Mother’s name was Zibiah (24:1)
- Did that which was right all the years that Jehoiada the priest was alive (24:2)
Chapter 25: Amaziah, son of Joash, king of Judah
- Mother’s name was Jehoaddan (25:1)
- Did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not perfectly (25:2)
Chapter 26: Uzziah, son of Amaziah, king of Judah
- Mother’s name was Jecoliah (26:3)
- Did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not perfectly (26:4-5)
Chapter 27: Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah
- Mother was Jerushah (27:1)
- Did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not perfectly (27:2)
Chapter 28: Ahaz, son of Jotham, king of Judah
- No mother named
- Provoked the Lord God to anger (28:25)
Chapter 29: Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah (one of the most righteous kings in Judaean king history; he prayed for deliverance from the Assyrians and the Lord defeated the army)
- Mother’s name was Abijah (29:1)
- Did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that king David had done (29:2)
IN CONCLUSION:
The Godly mothers are named for the kings that followed the Lord. Only one evil king out of the three mentioned had his mother named, and that was because everyone knew how evil she was. We are all examples to someone, just as these mothers were to their sons. What kind of example are you setting before your coworkers, your siblings, your children, or others that you come in contact with on a frequent basis? What kind of Godly influence are YOU?
Indeed, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12
Be blessed, friend. Live for Jesus today.
-Esther
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