July 3rd, 2007
Ancestral Shadow
“Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.”
2 Kings 23:25
This Saturday over 40 people will come to our home for a picnic dinner (hope it doesn’t rain!) and reminiscing. What’s the bond? They are all descendants of Tim’s great-grandparents. Now, I must admit, history and extreme extended family doesn’t tend to be “my thing”, but Tim loves history and especially family history, so planning and hosting this reunion means a lot to him. Thus, because of my love for my husband and desire to support him, I am TRYING to approach this weekend with a good, joyful attitude! Tim’s parents arrived early this week in order to help get things ready for the event (my mother-in-law and I spent all day today painting my porch), and last night we had a very interesting discussion about generational family values. We talked about how, unless the Lord “gets a hold” of someone the family unit tends wallow in immorality. However, God sometimes plucks people out of the family sin and sets them on a different path – a path of following God, admitting their need for a savior, and living outside of the scope of their own selfishness. We all have the “black sheep” in our families – hopefully we also have the “white sheep” – perhaps you are that person who stepped out of a dark family situation and is now trusting in Christ as your savior, peace and hope. That’s who Josiah was.
Josiah became the King of Judah when he was only 8 years old. His father and grandfather, the 2 previous kings, not only turned their backs on God, they spit in his face. King Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, went so far as to erect altars to other gods within the Temple walls and sacrifice his own son to a god! Amon, Josiah’s dad, wasn’t any better, but then Josiah became king. Talk about needing to turn your back on all that your family stands for!
Josiah immediately ordered the priests to start cleaning the temple. In this purge they found a copy of the Torah, the 1st five books of our Bible that Moses had written. As Josiah read them he became overwhelmed with his family’s and his nation’s sin. Then he went on to lead probably the greatest revival in Jewish history. He tore down altars, shrines, and the homes of the temple prostitutes. He destroyed idols and statues. Then he stood in front of all the people and dedicated himself to live for the Living God. He even led in the re-establishment of the Passover celebration. How in the world did he learn all that? Why did God choose him? Was there any person in his life who helped guide him so that he grew to be such a godly man?
Those are questions I can’t answer. We don’t know the causes, but we do see the results. Here was a man who stepped out from the family heritage he had been given, who did not just accept the morals his father and grandfather passed on to him. For some reason Josiah realized that to live as his family lived meant despair and hopelessness, and he decided to not only turn his back on them, but to destroy the very things they stood for. That takes guts.
How many of us feel sorry for ourselves because of our heritage? We just accept that we are not as smart, not as wise, not as moral as others because, well, do you see our background? As I read this story in the face of discussing Thurber history I realized again that no matter who your ancestors are – whether they were wealthy, wise, spiritual or atheists, it is not who they were that matters right now. We each have a choice to make – whether to live lives in the shadow of our ancestors or to realize that God may have plucked you out to begin a different legacy.