The narrative of King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab in 2 Chronicles 18 provides insight into the dynamics of peer pressure. When you or your children yield to peer pressure you are, in effect, dividing your loyalties between God and man. This double-mindedness simply does not work. It results in decision making that is not sound. Many sins that young people become entangled with begin when they yield to peer pressure. The story of King Jehoshaphat demonstrates that young people are not the only ones susceptible to this problem. As we noted in the last post, Jehoshaphat should have realized that forming an alliance with Ahab was extremely unwise, but in the face of the feast given to honor him, Jehoshaphat […]
Yearly Archives: 2009
157 posts
One of the more remarkable examples of peer pressure or fear of man found in the Bible is the story of Jehoshaphat and King Ahab in 2 Chronicles 18. The Spirit is God was gracious to provide such a clear and vivid account of the dynamics of peer pressure. There is much you can use in the chapter to teach your children about this all too common tendency of making the opinion of others more important than the opinion of God.
Proverbs 16 provides wise instruction for parents who want to train their children to obey. It offers key, comprehensive insights about establishing authority on the basis of righteousness; this kind of authority is essential for biblical parenting. Let’s take a look at what the Holy Spirit has prepared for those whom God has placed in authority. I will pay particular attention to how these truths apply to the family, but the principles are valuable for anyone who has authority over others.
There is a certain joy in obedience. This joy does not flow from obedience that seeks to earn acceptance, favor or status. Such “obedience” is self-serving and will not result in true joy. Neither can this joy flow from obedience that seeks to appease. Appeasement is always an elusive goal and can never bring satisfaction. One will always wonder if one has done enough to make things right.
Proverbs 16:12 offers a challenge to anyone in a position of authority over others, especially parents. This verse teaches that righteousness is what establishes authority. While a multitude of theories and books offer differing takes on how to be an effective leader, the Bible offers this one basic concept. Implicit in the biblical concept is the idea that all authority is derived from God; it is not earned. So, the focus on righteousness is also a focus on the One who granted the authority in the first place. The appeal to God’s authority, accomplished by yielding to him in righteousness, establishes a person’s individual authority. This leads to two practical applications.
One of the benefits of intimately knowing and trusting the word of God is the ability to avoid coercion and manipulation in dealing with others, especially your children. It is an easy thing to slip into manipulation rather than to trust God’s methods and direction. Manipulation provides an all too accessible short-cut for trusting in God to work in the lives of your children. Manipulation is trying to get someone else to do what you want them to do simply because you want them to. This kind of behavior is quite different from what Proverbs 16:12 teaches:. Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness. Notice how authority is secured – through righteousness. Manipulation, no matter how noble […]
Psalm 73 is the story of a troubled soul who wonders about the goodness of God in the face of the apparent prosperity of people who openly mock God and delight in wickedness. As we have seen, the psalmist needed to redefine his concept of good, and he needed to stop seeing the actions of the wicked in light of a momentary perspective. Among other reasons, this psalm is recorded by the Holy Spirit because faithful servants of God throughout history face similar situations. All of us can identify with the theme of this psalm. It is painful to see the wicked prosper. We sometimes question whether it is worth it to keep trying–is it in vain that we have […]
This post is a last minute addition to the series on Psalm 73. The absolute necessity of being able trust God to define what is good for you has been painfully illustrated by the sad announcement of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s infidelity. Sanford decided that his “good” was a relationship with a woman who was not his wife. In his news conference, the governor appeared to struggle with giving up the “goodness” of his extra-marital relationship. Even though this relationship brought nothing but pain to his wife and children and dishonor to God, his struggle seemed to focus on how hard it was to end his adultery. Mark Sanford had defined good on his terms, not God’s. The nearness […]
Psalm 73 is about someone who struggles with the question of what is good. The psalmist looks at others–at people who don’t care for God–and determines that they have what is good and he doesn’t. This realization brings him to the brink of despair. We end up in the same place when our lives are not centered on worship to God. The psalmist is particularly discouraged by the prosperity of the wicked (vs. 3). Psalm 1:3-4 says it is the righteous who should prosper and wicked are the ones that should suffer. So the psalmist trusts his own understanding and begins to doubt. That doubt turns into envy and bitterness (verses 3, 13, 14). You can almost hear his cry […]
What is good for you? How would those who know you well answer this question? What do you live for? How would your children answer? What brings you the most delight? How would your spouse answer this? The answers to these questions reveal much about you. Yet, as is often the case, we are often oblivious to what others see in us. Our focus tends to be on what we want others to think of us. In other words, we have a problem being objectively self-aware. Because of this inward focus, we cannot always be confident that our perception of what is good for us is also good for those around us. This lack of accurate self-perception is not a […]