The Ways of His Father David Before Him
Examples speak volumes. From example, we learn to talk as kids from hearing adults talk. Coaches on little league teams often must show their players exactly how to hit a baseball or shoot a basketball. I greatly improved my swimming stroke by watching others at the gym. I’m not at all mechanically inclined, so if there is job to be done around the house, I’ll watch YouTube videos to learn how to accomplish my chore.
Jehoshaphat learned to be a godly and righteous king by example. “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel” (2 Chr 17:3-4). David had been in his grave for generations, yet his life still held sway over the lives of the kings of Judah. Jehoshaphat had surely heard stories about David’s life and chose to follow the devotion of the man after God’s own heart.
David, though, wasn’t the only example King Jehoshaphat followed; he also followed the example of his father Asa. “In everything he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (1 Ki 22:43). Asa had been a righteous king, especially in his younger years. His devotion to the God of his ancestors shaped his son’s devotion to the God of his ancestors.
We have so many opportunities throughout the day to leave an example of faithfulness. Our children watch how we live. Our spouses watch when we spend time with God’s Word. Our coworkers watch how we handle frustration and disappointment. Our neighbors watch what we do on Sunday mornings.
Examples are powerful. Research has shown that children form their ideas about who God is based on watching their fathers. Wives can win their husbands to Christ without saying a word when husbands notice “the purity and reverence” of the way godly women live (1 Pet 3:1-2). As people watch our lives, we can win them to Christ, and, like David, we can influence generations yet unborn.
Go be a positive example in this dark world! God bless!
This article was originally written by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., for the weekly newsletter at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.