Read: 2 Kings 11-12
Verses chosen for meditation
2 Kings 12:1 "In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places."
Reflect
As we read Kings, there are time we are saddened by the large number of human kings who did evil. There are times we are also surprised by the age which human kings are required to reign. In these two chapters of 2 Kings, we are given the account of how King Jehoash came to power. We are told that he started to lead the kingdom of Judah at the age of seven. This was almost the same time as Josiah when he reigned in Judah at the age of eight.
Even if Jehoash was considered to be a very clever child, it would still be very challenging for him, at that age, to reign a kingdom. His maturity as a human being was still at such an early stage of development and then to be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility! A responsibility where even many adults (the kings before him) had failed to do it well.
Yet, Jehoash was considered to be one of Judah's righteous kings and he reigned for a period of 40 years. This was attributed not to how much Jehoash was a prodigy for kingship; but rather that Priest Jehoiada had instructed him well.
The Hebrew word "yarah" used for "instructed" in 2 Kings 12:2 is an interesting one. It can also be translated to be "shoot" as to shoot an arrow or "cast" as in to cast something into stone. In some ways, discipleship of someone can indeed be liken to shooting an arrow or casting something into stone. It is like pointing someone in the right direction or moulding a person to righteousness through slow and hard work.
Relate
My wife and I were just discussing about the state of churches in Singapore today. Many Christian parents have told us that these days, they are very much "relief" if their children are attending church. Given the statistics of the younger generation falling out of church; such "comfort" or "relief" is well understood. For ourselves, we also pray to the Lord that our children will stay in the faith when we are no longer physically present in this world.
However, just "attending church" does not seem to be in the mind of Priest Jehoiada for the very young King Jehoash. Jehoiada knew the stakes. He must instruct Jehoash well or the kingdom of Judah would suffer another round of calamity.
Sure, most of us are just ordinary folks. We do not have a child slated to be the next Prime Minister or President. Yet, every child is precious in the sight of God. They are given to us as parents to instruct them in the ways of the Lord (Ephesians 6). And I believe what God has in mind for our children is not just to be "attending church".
To instruct them in the ways of the Lord cannot just be done in a way to satisfy the "minimum" of their faith; if there is even such a thing. We need to put in the prayers and hard work to facilitate their spiritual growth to be men and women who are so full of adoration for God and also for the people around them.
To do that, we ourselves must grow in our spirituality like Jehoiada, who did much to destroy evil and uphold what is right. As much as we are called to bring the Gospel to where ever we are called; so are our children. We should not prioritise other things in their lives so much so that Gospel instruction is neglected. Yes, parenting in the 21st century is increasingly challenging as there are now many instant distractions to lead them away from God. Yet, our Lord had also given us very powerful resources, such as the Word, Prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to win this spiritual war.
Let us therefore be encouraged, straighten our backs and rely on God to instruct our children in the ways of Light. Let us not be satisfied that they are just "attending church". Who knows, some might be called to be leaders of tomorrow's church or even a country. Then, those instructions will bear fruit as they will be use to alleviate the suffering of many and cause righteousness to prevail.
Of course, there are instances where no matter what was done by the parents, the children did not stay in the faith or just being lukewarm. At the end of the day, they make their own choices and sometimes, these are not the best ones. Yet, I believe that God is sovereign and full of compassion. We continue to pray for their return to the Lord and await for the King of kings to do His mighty work.
Rest
Lord my God. Give me the wisdom, strength and love to instruct my children in Your ways. Teach me to disciple them well so that like Jehoash during his good reign on earth, they can be of blessing and of good use in Your kingdom. Nevertheless, if they choose to be otherwise, God may You help them and be merciful to them. Bring them back to Your embrace and guide them. This I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Jason
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