Recently I began studying the kings of the Old Testament with some friends. I noticed on the chart that we were using that a few of the leaders of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are labelled good, but most of them are labelled bad, mostly bad, extra bad and the worst.

King David is described as a good king who “followed [God] with all his heart” (1 Kings 14:8) and is an example to follow (3:14; 11:38). The bad kings are noted for their wilful rejection of God and for leading their people to follow false gods. King Jeroboam, the first king to rule Israel after the kingdom was divided, has the legacy of being remembered as one of the worst kings—“who sinned and who made Israel sin” (14:16). Because of his bad example, many kings who came after him are compared to him and are described as being as evil as he was (16:2,19,26,31; 22:52).

Each of us have people we can influence, and that influence can be used for evil or for good. Faithfulness to God is a light that will shine brightly and influence others for good.

It’s our honour to bring glory to the Lord. May others see His light shining through us and be drawn to His goodness.

Let others see His light shining through us.

Author

Cindy Hess Kasper

Topics

Our Daily Bread