It Matters Who Your Mama Is

The Lord has allowed me to be a mother for almost 50 years. Knowing how so many struggle with infertility, I am truly grateful. And my heart’s desire from the first day was that I would be a godly mother, passing along a love for the Lord and His Word to my children. That would be my legacy that they would remember when I go to be with Jesus. I know from experience that it matters who your mama is.

The Legacy of a Godly Mama

My mama loved Jesus and His people. She jumped in to serve in her local church wherever she was needed — nursery coordinator, Sunday School director, youth chaperone and counselor. Her example to me strongly influenced my eagerness to jump into ministry at whatever church Ron and I were attending.

Mama cared for people around her. She helped to found and run a ministry to help the needy in her hometown. As I was growing up, neighbors were welcome at our house at any time. She showed me it was more important to be hospitable than to be cautious about someone messing up our things or our privacy. As a woman, wife, and mother, I am so grateful for her legacy of godliness, and I thank the Lord Jesus for gifting me with such a wonderful mom. It matters who your mama is!

Sadly, there are women who only leave a legacy of wickedness. There are several examples in the Bible of such women, including what I read as I was recently teaching 2 Chronicles chapter 21.

The Legacy of Wicked Mamas

Wicked son

In 2 Chronicles chapter 21, I read this:

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 21:20)

He passed away, to no one’s regret. What a sad epitaph!

King Jehoram was the son of the godly king of Judah named Jehoshaphat. I wrote about Jehoshaphat in the blog, “Old Testament Disciplemaking.” Jehoram’s dad loved God and taught people about God. Yet his son Jehoram was a bad dude, a really bad dude. “He passed away, to no one’s regret.”

Why was there no regret?

When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. (2 Chronicles 21:4)

Not long after Jehoram became king, he killed all his brothers along with some other princes of Judah (likely David’s descendants). He got rid of the rivals and any other claimant to the throne of David. What happened in the rearing of this boy who became king? Why was he so wicked when his father had been so good?

Wicked wives

One clue is in verse 6,

He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 21:6)

Jehoram married a woman named Athaliah. Her father was Ahab—the wicked king of the northern kingdom. Her mother was Jezebel—the even more wicked wife of Ahab. Athaliah grew up in a household of wickedness and chose to follow the same path. It matters who your mama is! And for a man, it matters whom he chooses to be his wife and the mama of his children. Sadly, good king Jehoshaphat arranged this marriage for his son—perhaps to make peace between the two kingdoms of Israel. Bad idea!

Athaliah’s influence over Jehoram was bad. He had co-ruled with his father Jehoshaphat for five years. But as soon as that godly influence was gone, Jehoram made quick work of evil. In less than six years, he rebuilt the high places of idol worship, leading the people of Jerusalem astray.

Mother-in-law Jezebel and wife Athaliah were both strong worshippers of the wicked idol Baal. Both women manipulated their husbands and children for Satan’s purposes rather than for God’s purposes.

But sin has consequences. The prophet Elijah, by this time an aged man, spoke God’s words to Jehoram by a letter in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 basically saying, “You made a bad choice with your life and destroyed men better than you. The consequences of your sin will be severe. The Lord will strike your sons, your wives and everything that is yours with a heavy blow.”

Jehoram was hated by his people. He wasn’t even buried with the other kings. “He passed away, to no one’s regret (verse 20).” It matters who your mama is!

Wicked mamas

But God protected David’s throne by allowing one of Jehoram’s sons to survive His judgment. That is all God needs! God chose Ahaziah (age 22)—the one who had been influenced for the least amount of time by his father. All Azahiah’s older brothers were killed by raiders.

Poor Ahaziah had also been manipulated by his wicked mother.

He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they (the house of Ahab) became his advisers, to his undoing. (2 Chronicles 22:3-4)

It matters who your mama is! And how much you listen to her family!

Jezebel and her daughter were horrible influences on their husbands and their sons. Bad wife. Bad mama. Ahaziah’s life was cut short. He ruled as king for only one year. He was executed according to God’s plan. But the manipulation of wicked women does not end here…

Wicked Grandmama

Athaliah—daughter of wicked mama Jezebel, wicked influential wife of Jehoram and wicked influential mother of Ahaziah—takes over the throne as queen as soon as she hears her son Ahaziah is dead. The first thing she did was to kill all her grandchildren!

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. (22:10)

Oh my! Being a grandmother myself, I cannot even imagine killing all my grandchildren. This grandmama had no heart at all! It matters who your mama is!

God Used a Godly Mama to Protect David’s Throne

But God used a godly mama to protect David’s throne.

But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land. (2 Chronicles 22:11-12)

Thankfully a godly priest and his wife (Ahaziah’s sister from another mother) stole the youngest boy away and kept him hidden for six years, preserving the Davidic dynasty. They must have claimed that he was their own child.

This boy was likely the only descendant of David left who could be eligible for the throne. Through Athaliah, Satan tried to wipe out David’s line to end the promise of the Messiah. But no one can thwart God’s plans, even an evil grandmother. God always preserves a remnant for Himself. God is more powerful! Praise you, Lord!

Read more from 2 Chronicles in my Chronicles blog series. To read more about this time period in Judah’s history, start with this one, “2 Chronicles 17-21 • Recover the Truth of Your Heritage.”

Be a Godly Mama

Because of the influence of 3 women, very bad things happened to Israel and Judah. You probably know a woman today who is wrecking her family. Blowing it up.

Women have tremendous influence over men. In Mark 6:19-25, King Herod did not want to kill John the Baptist. Who manipulated the execution? A woman and her daughter.

Dear women, make sure you are not allowing evil influences to control you in how you influence the men in your life or the children in your life. Be the godly mama, not the bad mama. It matters!

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More Resources:

• Reboot Renew Rejoice Bible Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles)
• Chronicles Blog Series covering 1 and 2 Chronicles
• Strong Support of Friends (1 Chronicles 11-12)
• The Joy of God’s Presence (2 Chronicles 5-7)
• Political Pressures Sharpen Your Focus (2 Chronicles 10-12)
• Old Testament Disciplemaking (2 Chronicles 17-20)
• Fear of Consequences Motivates Obedience (2 Chronicles 29-31)
• God’s Steadfast Love (2 Chronicles 34-36)