Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Psalm 127:3-4
Yesterday we peeked into the lives of Miriam, Moses, Samuel and David from the Old Testament. Let’s continue to celebrate and ponder how the Bible’s children might still enlighten us today…
Solomon (1st and 2nd Samuel, c. 1019 – 979 BC) was just 15-20 years old when he became King of Israel, according to scholars. He ascended the throne saying “I am only a little child; I do not know how to carry out my duties.” (1Kings 3:7). Solomon’s greatest decision was to ask the Lord for wisdom. God granted his request and gave him great wealth as well. Though his achievements were monumental, including building the first temple in Jerusalem, amassing great wealth through trade, and organizing a prosperous government, Solomon didn’t end well! God had commanded that Israelites not marry outside their own nation, but Solomon married many foreign wives. Turning, his heart away from the Lord and worshiping their false gods, Solomon’s spiritual downfall resulted in the eventual split of Israel into two separate nations, Israel and Judah.
The Little Maid of Israel (2 Kings 5, c. 9th century BC) we’ll call her, as the Bible hasn’t given this little slave girl a name. Naaman was a captain in the army of the king of Aram; he unfortunately had leprosy. The young Israelite girl was a slave to Naaman’s wife. The Little Maid, expressing her faith in the God of her fathers, told her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” The story continues with the prophet Elisha not only healing the foreigner, but resulted in this pagan’s testimony through all the generations: “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”
Josiah (2 Kings 22, c. 640 – 609 BC) “was eight years old when he became king of Judah. He reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years, and…He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” As the child grew and matured, he instituted major religious reforms when the Book of the Law was rediscovered in the Temple. With that he eradicated idolatry, and then centralized worship in Israel. Though he’s listed in the book of Deuteronomy as the best king of Judah to have ever lived, he decided to engage in battle against the Egyptians in a war not sanctioned by God, and this led to his death.
Daniel (2 Kings 22, c. 640 – 609 BC) was carted off to Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. He was chosen from Israel’s nobility to enter the king’s service after three years of training because he met the qualifications: “young, no physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” What they didn’t know about was young Daniel’s faith and devotion to God. He refused royal food and wine, preferring a simple diet of vegetables. God gave Daniel a special gift: he could understand dreams and visions of all kinds. Upon interpreting the king’s unsettling dreams and giving him guidance for the future, Daniel was rewarded a high position as ruler over the entire province of Babylon. And to God’s glory, King Nebuchadnezzar testified, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13
To be continued…