Dear Church,

The histories of the Hebrew nations during the period of the kings of Israel and Judah are recorded within both I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles. Both sets of books often relay the same information with slightly different perspectives. The reign of Josiah is recorded in both 2nd Chronicles chapters 34 & 35 and 2nd Kings chapters 22 & 23. The passage in 2nd Kings recounts the start of Josiah’s reign in a slightly different and interesting way than what is found in 2nd Chronicles:

II Kings 22: 1 (ESV)
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2  And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (emphasis mine).

Here in 2nd Kings chapter 22 Josiah’s mother’s name is mentioned whereas she is not mentioned in 2nd Chronicles chapter 34. Overall, between Kings and Chronicles, the name of the ruler’s mother or grandmother is recorded 18 times for the 20 rulers of Judah.

There doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason regarding the character of a king of Judah having influence over the character of his successor: of the 8 good kings of Judah listed in Scripture, 4 of them were succeeded on the throne by evil kings. Conversely, 4 of the good kings of Judah had predecessors who were evil (three evil kings and one Queen mother, Athaliah, who was very evil). It is worth noting that all the kings of Israel were evil and there is no record of any of them having godly parents.

Therefore, it seems as though the character of the mother (or perhaps the future king’s wife/wives), had greater influence over a future ruler’s character than the father. Perhaps this was the result of the father’s inattention to raising the children in deference to running a kingdom, but the answer is not provided in Scripture. What does appear to be apparent is that the Queen mother could assume the role of a counselor to the king or an influencer in royal affairs (see 2 Chronicles 22:3, and 1 Kings 2: 13-21).

What does this mean for us today? It means that godly parents, i.e. fathers, mothers, and grandparents, can influence the character of the children and grandchildren. Although actualizing good character in our children and grandchildren through our godly influence is not a guarantee (the culture of the world is a powerful influence, too), it is a worthy endeavor that honors God.

Keep praying for our children and grandchildren and lead by godly example.

P.S. Since someone asked… I get a lot of benefit out of Thru the Bible podcasts with J Vernon McGee. Our Daily Bread offers a daily devotional as well. There are other worthy devotionals and study resources available that may work for you to assist you with your Bible study. The point being, a daily Bible study is important for spiritual growth and it is okay take advantage of centuries of biblical scholarship instead of trying to rely upon our own understanding.

Be Encouraged,
Brother Rick