“In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done.” 2 Kings 14:1-3 (NKJV)
Again we are told the name of the mother of this king – Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. Sometimes in the Bible the name of where the person lived is added because some names were very common. The writer of 2 Kings wanted to be sure we knew which Jehoaddan was Amaziah’s mother.
Jehoaddan must have had a positive influence in the upbringing of Amaziah because he made some good choices during his life. He didn’t do some things that the writer of 2 Kings felt he should have done, i.e., destroying the high places where the people sacrificed to idols. Also, while he executed those who had murdered his father, Joash, he did not execute the children of the murderers. Failing to do this left a seed of rebellion in the land, but he was following the law of Moses which said that children should not be put to death for the sins of their parents.
As a parent, I am responsible for teaching my children from birth about God and how much He loves each of us. It hurts Him when we make choices that ultimately bring us pain and separation from our Creator. We each need to make the eternal choice of whom will we serve! There are only two choices – God or the enemy.
Listen to Three Legged Music as they sing “Choose Then This Day.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/23/25, 5:00 pm