Next Generation Faith

Is there anything tangible that has been handed down through your family? What is it?

Why do you think passing on things like this is an important part of family life?

What about faith? Do you think families typically pay enough attention to how their faith will be passed down from generation to generation?

Legacies are built one moment at a time, but they’re not built by accident. Instead, through careful and intentional actions, families can pass on the important parts of their family dynamic to the next generation. Though we might typically think of things like a set of dishes or some other antique being passed from generation to generation, nothing that we can pass down is more important than faith. Enduring families plan for the future when they take active steps to pass on their legacy of faith.

The book of 1 Kings opens as King David is in the last days of his life. The great warrior and leader has grown old and sick; everyone knew he was near death. One of his sons, Adonijah, decided to make a play to inherit the throne and the kingdom. That made sense since Adonijah was David’s oldest living son. But David had promised Bathsheba that their son, Solomon, would be king after he died.

1 Kings 1:5–10 (NLT)
About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome.
Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard refused to support Adonijah.
Adonijah went to the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring of En-rogel, where he sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves. He invited all his brothers—the other sons of King David—and all the royal officials of Judah. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king’s bodyguard or his brother Solomon.

Based on what you just read, what kind of man was Adonijah? Why do you say that?

What part did David play in his son becoming like this?

What does that tell you about the role a parent has in leaving a legacy of faith in their children?

If we judge him just by these verses, Adonijah seems to be opportunistic, greedy, and ego-centric. He assumed and demanded the throne of Israel, presuming upon his father with little respect. But David certainly played a role in the way his son developed. The Bible tells us that David never once exercised discipline and instead played a passive role in his son’s growth of ego. If we want to leave a legacy of enduring faith as parents, we cannot assume it will just happen on its own.

Judges 2:10 (NLT)
After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

What kinds of things contribute to a situation like the Bible describes here?

Do you see anything similar happening around us today? How so?

How should Christian parents think about the issue of their legacy differently than non-Christians?

Everyone leaves a legacy, but not every legacy is good. If we are apathetic or unintentional, then we won’t play any part in what the next generation receives from us.

Do you think your parents played an active role in passing on a legacy of faith to you? How did they do it?

How has that impacted the way you think about leaving a legacy in your own family?

If you haven’t been intentional in thinking through how you want things to be in your family when you’re gone, don’t lose hope. As we continue in 1 Kings 1, we see that it’s not too late; we can still embrace our responsibility to pass on the faith. Instead of just accepting the way things were going, Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan, and David took action to change their legacy. Through some skillful political maneuvers, they anointed Solomon while Adonijah was celebrating his own victory.

1 Kings 1:41–48 (NLT)
Adonijah and his guests heard the celebrating and shouting just as they were finishing their banquet. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he asked, “What’s going on? Why is the city in such an uproar?”
And while he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said to him, “for you are a good man. You must have good news.”
“Not at all!” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has just declared Solomon king! The king sent him down to Gihon Spring with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, protected by the king’s bodyguard. They had him ride on the king’s own mule, and Zadok and Nathan have anointed him at Gihon Spring as the new king. They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing. That’s what all the noise is about. What’s more, Solomon is now sitting on the royal throne as king. And all the royal officials have gone to King David and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed, and he said, ‘Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who today has chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to see it.’ ”

Why do you think it meant so much to David to see his son Solomon coronated as king?

Can you relate to that as a parent? What would it mean to you to see your children carry on in the faith?

David passed on the throne as an inheritance to his son. We can pass on the values and worldview that can lead our children to take up following Jesus for themselves. Although we can’t make our children become Christians, we can train them up in the way of the Lord. When we take an active role in doing so, we are doing everything we can to protect the legacy that matters so much to enduring families of the faith.

What are some ways we can build that legacy of faith in our children by helping them to think through the issues of culture in a biblical way?

What habits are you trying to instill in your children that will endure with them after you’re gone?

What role does prayer play in this? How can you make prayer for and with your children a more regular part of your daily routine?