TOPIC: MODELLING THE RIGHT BEHAVIOUR

TEXT: 2 Kings 15:27-38
27. In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.

28. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

29. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.

30. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31. And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

32. In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.

33. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

34. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35. Howbeit the high places were not removed; the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.

36. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

37. In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.

38. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

KEY VERSE:
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.” – (2 Kings 15:34).

MESSAGE

The process of teaching by example is called modelling. It is the best form of child training as it moulds children’s behaviour more than issuing commands and far more than corporal punishment. When parents fail to model biblical and godly behaviour before their children, they will be confused and misled; and as a result, they will become unprofitable to God, their parents and the society.

The passage today reveals the lives of two kings of Judah and Israel. Pekah, the son of Remaliah who reigned in Israel, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He continued in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin by worshipping idols. Pekah modelled his reign after Jeroboam. Reigning almost simultaneously with Pekah was Jotham, the son of Uzziah.

His mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok, the priest. He “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done”. Jotham modelled his life and reign after his father and godly mother.

Modelling Christian virtues such as honesty, respect, meekness, goodness, love, forgiveness, patience, giving, compassion, etc., is crucial to effective parenting. Just as Jesus Christ is the perfect Model for all Christians to emulate, every Christian parent ought to be a model or pacesetter, who influences their children in positive ways according to biblical standards.

You can never model biblical behaviour until you realise that godly parenting is a ministry full of different experiences. Therefore, allow God to teach you how to impact your children’s lives through a practical Christian lifestyle.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Be a biblical model children can imitate.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 1 – 2

DCLM Daily Manna 9th September 2022 | Modelling The Right Behaviour