If Jehosheba Doesn’t Get Him, Athaliah Will

A Mother’s Sacred Responsibility

Most people love the sight of a little child. Jesus certainly did. When little children were brought to Him, His disciples tried to send them away, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). There is something tender, innocent, and hopeful about a child.

Many mothers have held a little baby in their arms and wondered, “What will this child become?” Perhaps she has whispered a prayer over that child, asking God to help him grow strong, faithful, and useful in His kingdom. That is a beautiful thought, but it is also a serious one. How our children turn out is no laughing matter.

Every faithful mother wants her children and grandchildren to be happy, responsible, and, most of all, faithful to the Lord. Yet we must be honest. That doesn’t happen by accident. There is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of our children. The home is under attack. The world often calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). It teaches children to follow feelings instead of truth, pleasure instead of purity, and self instead of God.

So what can godly mothers, fathers, grandparents, and Christians do? We must learn a lesson from one courageous woman in the Old Testament.

In 2 Kings 11, we read about Athaliah, a wicked woman who wanted power at any cost. After her son died, she tried to destroy all the royal heirs so she could rule the land herself. What kind of grandmother kills her own grandchildren for a throne? That is the darkness of sin when it is fully grown.

However, amid that terrible scene, one woman acted with courage. Her name was Jehosheba. The Bible says she “took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered” and hid him from Athaliah (2 Kings 11:2). For six years, Joash was hidden in the house of the Lord. Since Jehosheba got to him first, Athaliah didn’t destroy him.

What a powerful picture. Athaliah represents the destructive forces of evil. Jehosheba represents the courage of faith. Athaliah wanted to destroy the child. Jehosheba wanted to save him. Is that not still the battle today?

If godly mothers do not reach their children, the world will. If parents do not teach them the truth, someone else will teach them error. If the home doesn’t shape their hearts for God, the culture will shape their hearts for sin.

God has given parents a sacred stewardship. Children don’t belong to the school, the government, the internet, or the entertainment world first. They are entrusted to parents by God. Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

That means raising children is not merely about providing food, clothes, shelter, sports, hobbies, and education. Those things have their place, but they are not enough. A child may learn music, make good grades, play ball, and still grow up without God. What has been gained if a child wins trophies but loses his soul?

Moses taught Israel, “You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Paul wrote, “Bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Timothy became the man he was because the faith first lived in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). What a great reminder that a mother’s influence can reach far beyond her lifetime.

Mothers, your work matters. Every prayer, every Bible story, every correction, every loving warning, every trip to worship, every example of faithfulness is planting a seed. It may not always show at once, but a seed planted in young hearts can bear fruit for eternity.

This responsibility also belongs to the church. Jehosheba risked herself for a child who wasn’t her own. What about us? Are we willing to help teach, encourage, and guide children who are not ours by blood, but who are precious to God? The church must care about its young people. Jesus said to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), and that includes the young.

The lesson is simple, but urgent: if Jehosheba doesn’t get him, Athaliah will. If the people of God don’t reach the hearts of children, the world will gladly take them.

This Mother’s Day, we thank God for faithful mothers who take this responsibility seriously. We thank God for women who pray, teach, correct, encourage, and lead by example. Their work may not always receive applause, but heaven sees it.

A godly mother may never sit on a throne, but she may help save a soul, and what greater work could there be?