1 Kings 15:3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.
David’s grandson and great grandson did not do a very good job as kings. Rehoboam and his son, Abijam, did not have right hearts like their grandfather David did. Things started slipping with Solomon and his 300 heathen wives and 700 concubines. That effect went on for many more generations. Ultimately, it all started with a heart problem in Solomon. His flesh got sucked into worldliness and women, and it destroyed a godly heritage that David had started.
If there is anything we can pass on to our children, it would be a perfect heart. That is not an easy task. You cannot make your children have a right heart. Everyone has a free will, including children born in a Christian home (John 1:13). We can be a bad example to our children, however. Rehoboam showed Abijam how to walk in sin. Abijam followed right in his dad’s steps. Backsliding on God and getting out of church can have detrimental effects on your children.
So how do we pass on a perfect heart to our children? First of all, we need to live humbly before our children. David had a perfect heart according to this passage. The one thing he was good at when he sinned was getting right with God. He did not get all puffed up and make excuses when the prophet Nathan came to him and said, “thou art the man.” He humbled himself and got right.
Next, we need to have discipline in our home. That is likely where David fell short at times. There were times he needed to deal with things, like Absalom, and he just let them slip by. There is a balance, with judgment and mercy, that needs to be met. Last of all, there needs to be love. A home without charity is a home without a true Biblical center. Christ so loved the world that he gave. We need to give our lives to our children as we serve the Lord. Eventually, Asa, David’s great, great grandson got that perfect heart back, that was once the hallmark of the house of David. It truly is a choice for each individual. Let’s just try and do our best to influence some children for God.
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