2Ki 11:1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

 

Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, the notorious couple who brought Baal worship into northern kingdom Israel. She married Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram, king of Judah. She bore a hideous likeness to Jezebel her mother – bloodthirstiness, lust for power, and would kill anyone who stood in the way of her ambition. Athaliah was a bad influence on both her husband (King Jehoram of Judah) and her son (King Ahaziah of Judah). By her influence Jehoram was led to walk in the way of the kings of Israel (2Chronicles 21:6). She introduced Baal worship into Judah; just as her mother introduced it to Israel. Under God’s instruction, Jehu killed both the king of Judah and Israel in one day. Athaliah used the occasion of her son’s death to seize power for herself and reign over the land for six years. That power hungry woman wanted the throne for herself and would do anything to have it, even killing her grandchildren (v.1). What can we learn from Athaliah’s life? 1. Parenting. Athaliah was the product of her parents, Ahab and Jezebel. She was a murderer like her mother. She saw how her father was weak while her mother was strong and decisive. She saw the same weakness in her husband and son and decided no male was fit to rule the kingdom except her. Hence, she killed all of them. She grew up seeing her parents worshipping Baal; she worshipped Baal too and even brought Baal into Judah. Parents and even grandparents, our children are going to grow up doing or not doing things just as their parents and grandparents before them. Consider the following: (i) If a child grows up in a home lacking in family prayer and Bible study, how do you suppose that child, when he grows up, will act as a mom or dad with his family? Will he pray and read the Bible? (ii) If a child grows up in a home lacking spiritual commitment. He never sees his parents serving God and attending church faithfully. When he grows up, how much faith in God do you suppose that child will have?  Will he even remain in the faith? Athaliah stands as a sobering reminder for us today regarding parental influence: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Are we bringing our children closer to God? 2. Choosing a Spouse Athaliah’s husband (Jehoram) was raised in a godly home. His father Jehoshaphat and grandfather Asa were godly kings. What happened to their son, Jehoram? Why didn’t he too follow in the ways of his father and grandfather? I think the answer is simple—he married the wrong woman! When looking for a spouse, what do most people put on their “checklist”? They look for these: - Physical attributes (handsome or pretty) - Employment position (Professional or others) - Education level - Compatibility (what do we have in common) Where is God in the checklist? Do you remember Abraham’s criteria when searching a wife for his son Isaac? Was it beauty? Was it wealth? He said: “Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell” (Genesis 24:3). He looked for a godly woman. Parents, what kind of sons and daughters do you want your children to be when they grow up? A child grows up in a home when God is honoured will honour God while a child grows up in a home where money is god will worship the same god. Proverbs 22:6 states: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Which way are we bringing our children? How can we train our children to grow up being committed to God? BY OUR ACTIONS! By the way we live everyday of our lives! May we be the kind of parents that God wants us to be.