2 Kings 24:19-20: “19 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
WHY WON’T WE LEARN
Zedekiah just wouldn’t learn from the past. His brother Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and then his nephew Jehoiachin (the son of Jehoiakim) was taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar. So what does he do? He rebels too. He couldn’t see that this was God’s judgment on Judah (for his grandfather Manasseh’s sin). His heart was turned against God, and he just wanted his way.
How often do we NOT see the mistakes of the past? Instead of breaking that cycle of abuse or addiction, we repeat them. The sense of hopelessness is strong. No matter how stupid it sounds, we just do the same things our parents or grandparents did and stay in that bondage of sin.
TEACHING MOMENT
Does your family have a secret family sin? Are you struggling with a generational curse that no one in the past has confessed and repented of? Stop it now! You must break this chain. Your children need to be free of this. Don’t pass on the scourge of past mistakes and sins to your children.
It’s hard to say to your parents or grandparents, “We will NOT continue in your ways.” They probably do not see what they are doing. They may even see it as their birthright. Satan can confuse and entice us to evil. Who do you think led these three kings I mentioned above to do evil? It certainly wasn’t the Lord.
Will you agree today to examine your family tree? Look closely and make sure you aren’t passing down some family “heritage” that goes against the things of the Lord. They can be so subtle. Everything we pass down to our children should be centered on the Word of God and the Will of God.
A Moment In Time 