It’s always amazing to me to read of Old Testament people who themselves were pretty good people, like Eli the Priest and Josiah the King or David, but their children go off the tracks and do what is evil.

Of Josiah’s son, it says, “31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.” 2 Kgs 23.

By the testimony of Scripture and from experience I know that good parenting is an elusive thing. Why this is the case is debatable. But it is a rare thing to see parents bring their children up, all of them, to walk with the Lord. Both of Josiah’s sons did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. David’s son practiced idolatry. Eli’s sons practiced abominable things.  These and many more failed in the department of parenting.

I have seen plenty of good parents who consistently live their faith and they consistently discipline their children to follow the Lord. And these have been very successful. These give me more hope than Josiah, a great man of faith, does. Some parents might gain some consolation to see that even a Josiah failed to raise boys who loved the Lord. I do not. I have seen plenty of Christians, who I believe are genuinely saved, who are not consistent in the raising of their children. We all just need to try harder to bring our children to the Lord.

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