We will be going through lots of kings and it can be confusing following all the names, especially since many of them are bad and don’t reign very long. Not to mention, we have kings both of Judah and Israel.

Any good king we’ll ever read about is in Judah. Israel is made up of the ten tribes that will be “lost.” Israel will be the first to fall. The people will be scattered and absorbed into the peoples they live among when removed from their land. If you ever forget which is which between Israel and Judah, you can tell by their names. Israel, means something like fights with God, and Judah, something like God be praised.

Judah is where Jerusalem is and the kings who are descendants of David. We have Rehoboam’s wife Maacah listed as the mother of both Abijam and his son Asa.

I don’t think it necessarily means she mothered them both, but she was set up as the queen mother for both. This is speculation, but if Asa’s mother had died, then Maacah, the grandmother, could have stepped in and filled the position of queen mother.

Queen mother was a position. Solomon seems to have initiated it. In 1 Kings 2 it says he bows before Bathsheba and makes her a throne beside him at his right hand. That’s a position of power and influence, and one that was not ordained by God. It’s something the pagan nations around Israel did.

Asa removes Maacah from her position after she sets up an idol. She overstepped her boundaries.

I think there is definitely a tendency for mothers to set themselves up as queen mother, next to the king.

Of course, the problem is that the king is Jesus. And, we mothers, have nothing good we can add of ourselves to the equation.

We need to let God be God in our children’s lives. He’s their protector, provider, and life planner. Not us.

Put your children in God’s hands and step down from the throne.