Daybreak: 2 Kings 8:16-29

2 Kings 8, 16-29

Devotional Focus Verse

And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab

and did evil in the sight of the Lord as did the house of Ahab

for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab

2 Kings 8, 27

Have you noticed that small children are great imitators?

Their first words are echoes of what they hear

If we say, bye bye, they repeat it

Even that offspoken, no, comes from them hearing an adult say it first

Older children also imitate adults

Due to some British roots in my family, I tend to say words containing WH

using more air than most Americans

When I was teaching sixth grade, my students loved my pronunciation

and then started changing the way they spoke to sound like me

Imitation goes much deeper than sounds and words though

Children imitate behavior, manners, and even attitudes

Twice a year I met with the parents of my sixth graders for a conference

I heard the same excuses from a parent as the child when I commented upon the student's failure to turn in work

Correspondingly, I often saw self-discipline in the parent of a responsible child

What influence do we have over our children when it comes to spiritual matters?

We cannot make them become Christians by teaching them to live good lives or taking them to church

But the examples we set before them could make the difference in whether or not they see the gospel as truth

and choose to embrace it themselves

Certainly many children raised in ungodly homes later learned the truth and chose it

I am the first generation in my family to be raised in a Christian home

As a cycle of sin was broken by my parents when they came to faith in Christ

Nevertheless, many children follow the steps of their parents

Daily habits learned in childhood form attitudes and behaviors that are kept for the rest of their lives

Based on our examples, will our children think it is important to attend church?

Will they see the value of self-sacrifice for others?

Will they consider prayer vital?

In today's text, Ehazaya was an evil king largely because of his mother's influence

He still had a choice, of course, but he was undoubtedly influenced to do evil by exposure to her sinful behavior

How would things have been different if Ehazaya's father had not married into the wicked house of Ehab?

Whatever might have happened, there are lessons to learn from this account

The person we marry will have a significant impact on our spiritual future

and the way we raise our children will influence their futures for good or evil

Let us pray for wisdom and guidance to walk carefully and conduct ourselves in a way that leads those we influence to live godly lives

Our examples will make a difference to those who watch

Background information

The reigns of Jehorm and Ehazaya, kings of Judah, demonstrate the far-reaching adverse results of a marriage arranged by Jehoshaphat, a good king of Judah

and Ahab, a wicked king of Israel

For political advantage between Israel and Judah, Jehoshaphat had his son, Jehorm, marry Ahab and Jezebel's daughter, Atholaya

Atholaya brought bail worship to Judah and helped influence Jehorm in his choice to follow the evil ways of Ahab, rather than his father, Jehoshaphat, scarcely ways

Jehorm killed his brothers and encouraged the people of Judah in idolatry

The itemites were the descendants of Isah and their land was to Judah's southeast

Judah had controlled Eden, but in today's text the people of Eden revolted and Jehorm was unsuccessful in regaining dominion over them

Libna, to Judah's west, was a fortress on the border between Judah and Philistia, and it revolted at the same time

Losing control of these areas weakened Judah

In time, the Philistines and Arabians invaded Judah, taking Jehorm's possessions, his sons and his wives, so that only his youngest son, Ehazaya was left

The nation of Judah was spared only because God was faithful to his covenant with David, promising to give him allway a light and to his children, thus preserving the Messianic line

Atholaya influenced her son Ehazaya toward wickedness, just as she had her husband

She was referenced as the daughter of Amri, in this case meaning granddaughter, to show that she was a member of Amri's evil dynasty

Remoth Gilead was on the northeast border of Israel, the northern kingdom, and was controlled by Syria

Ehazaya joined with Jehorm, king of Israel, to regain this territory, and Jehorm was wounded in the battle

The wicked reign of Ehazaya lasted only one year before he died violently at the hand of Jehu's army

See 2 Kings 927

Conclusion

As we make God the head of our lives, our children and the people around us will see the truth of the gospel in action

Let's provide them a good pattern to imitate