How Did That Happen?

​Steven’s Scribbles
“How Did That Happen?”
1 Kings 12
    I have a fear of failure. That’s no secret to those who know me well. When starting something new, I often reflect on my weaknesses and try to learn from others. That’s led me to study what might be called “parenting failures” in the Bible—like Eli with Hophni and Phinehas, or even Noah, whose son Ham led to the Canaanite lineage. Lately, I’ve been thinking about Solomon. The wisest man on earth raised two sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, who split Israel in two. How did that happen?
    Solomon’s downfall was women. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and Scripture says he loved many foreign women, the very ones God warned would turn his heart away (1 Kings 11:1-4). But he “held fast” to them anyway. And who was Solomon’s father? David—who also loved many women, though not nearly as many. Sin patterns can pass down generations.
    That’s why God said He “visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children…” (Exodus 34:7). But there’s hope in the opposite, too. Paul told Timothy, “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you… which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (2 Tim. 1:5). A spiritual inheritance can be passed down, for good or bad.
    So I ask myself—when I fail, do I own it? Am I honest with my kids? I want to start a spiritual legacy that leads toward Christ. If your faith were the only faith your children would inherit, would they be rich… or poor?
I love you all!
In His Service,
Steven Hugley