A Guarantee Would Be Nice

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This week’s Sunday school lesson made me wish kids came with a spiritual guarantee. Of all the legacies I could leave, I would wish to leave them a strong spiritual one. We’ve been studying the book of Jeremiah, and this week’s lesson came from chapters 22-25. Young Josiah was in his thirteenth year reigning as king when God called Jeremiah to be his mouthpiece. Jeremiah saw that Josiah, much like David, became a man after God’s own heart. Josiah worked to purge the land of idol worship and reinstitute the laws of Moses and the worship of God, which had been sorely neglected by the evil kings before him. II Kings 23:25 describes the extent of Josiah’s dedication to the Lord: “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all of his heart and with all of his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him” (NASB). That is a tremendous praise when you think about the comparison with David. Matthew 1:11 lists Josiah as part of the lineage of Jesus as well.
Unfortunately, Jeremiah relates that the righteousness of Josiah did not take with his sons, who turned out to be some of the worst (and last) kings of Judah. This is just a reminder to me of the importance of God’s call and our responsibility as parents to not only walk out that call but also pray fervently for our children’s salvation. God’s grace extended to Josiah even though he had not seen holiness lived out before him—instead, he saw idol worship and no devotion to God and His Word. This is a reminder that ultimately, salvation rests in the hands of the Lord, and He is sovereign and powerful to redeem as He desires, but that doesn’t excuse us as parents. We are responsible for our actions before our children and for praying for our children’s salvation and spiritual development. The only spiritual guarantee we have is in the blood of Jesus Christ, and I know I want my children to hold tight.

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