The Power of a Mentor
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Today we’re going to look at a story in 2 Chronicles 22-24 that I think vividly demonstrates the power of a mentor. It proves we don’t have to have fancy credentials or be high in some government pecking order to make a significant difference in the world.
The books of Chronicles are all about King David and the sons who reigned after him. David’s kingdom eventually split in two, becoming Israel in the north and Judah in the south. After that, the books of Chronicles dissolve into a series of good king/bad king stories.
Israel was notorious for producing nastier kings than Judah for the most part. One of the worst was the great King Ahab (husband of Jezebel). His bad influence drifted south with his sister Athaliah when she married a king in Judah named Jehoram.
The Power of a Mentor for Evil
The son of this marriage was Ahaziah who ruled in Judah briefly after his father died. He had apparently taken naughty lessons from his mother because he proved to be particularly bad. Mercifully for the kingdom of Judah, he was assassinated in short order. Not so mercifully, his momma, Athaliah, used the opportunity to make her own power grab. She swept through the family killing any remaining heirs to the throne she could find.
Things looked bad for Judah, but God had a couple aces up His sleeve. Dead King Ahaziah had a sister. She had no claim to the throne, but she and her husband (a priest by the name of Jehoiada) rescued one of Ahaziah’s babies from Grandma’s purge. They took little Joash into hiding and raised him in secret.
The Power of a Mentor for Good
When Joash turned seven, Uncle Jehoiada organized a conspiracy, set the boy on the throne, and got rid of his crazy grandma.
Jehoiada spent the rest of his life standing at King Joash’s side. The one great legacy of Joash’s reign was restoring Solomon’s temple (previously desecrated by earlier bad kings) and putting it back in service. The only reason he accomplished this was because of his faithful Uncle Jehoiada’s influence. As long as the priest lived – and he lived 130 years – King Joash did what was pleasing to the Lord and the whole nation reaped the benefits.
Sadly, as soon as his uncle died, King Joash went bad, but I think that proves my point. The real hero of the story in 2 Chronicles 22-24 wasn’t the king, but his mentor. The strongest power for good in the land for all those years wasn’t the king who got the credit, but the mentor who took him under his wing.
A Testimony for the Power of Mentorship
Jehoiada’s example should be an encouragement for each of us.
It’s probably more important than we realize to faithfully execute our duty as mentors–whether by counsel, advice, support, or example. Who knows what good our influence might do? As with the story of Jehoiada and Joash, there may be a whole world of people who will be grateful for the mentorship we provided.
Who do you influence? Is there a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor who looks to you for guidance and encouragement? How can you better administrate the gift of mentorship God has placed in your hand?
(This post originally appeared on TMurphyWrites.com on January 24, 2017.)
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Terry is a writer and speaker who loves gathering clues about God from His Word and creation. She wants to help God’s people grow in wonder, appreciation and understanding of Him. She loves finding fresh ways to approach Scripture so we all expand our ability to both apply and share what we’ve learned.