1 Kings 1:5-6: Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he
prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (And his father had
not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking.
His mother had borne him after Absalom.)
The sheriff’s office in a Texas city once distributed a list of rules entitled “How to Raise a Juvenile
Delinquent in Your Own Family.” If that is your goal, it suggests, “Begin from infancy to give the
child everything he wants. This will insure his believing that the world owes him a living. Pick up
everything he leaves lying around. This will teach him he can always pass his responsibility on to
others.
Take his part against neighbors, teachers, policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.
He is a ‘free spirit’ and never wrong. Finally, prepare yourself for a life of grief. You’re going to
have it.”
David apparently raised his son Adonijah by similar rules. Brought up in the pomp and ceremony
of a royal court, surrounded by servants to do his bidding, funded by a nearly unlimited supply of
wealth, Adonijah was a prime candidate to become a spoiled child. But what put the final seal on
Adonijah’s fate was his father. It is said of David that he “had not rebuked him at any time.”
Fathers play a vital role in the disciplining of children, especially sons. Even though the dad often
does not spend as much time in direct contact with a child as the mom does, his influence should
never be underestimated. David’s son Solomon wrote, “My son, keep your father’s command, and
do not forsake the law of your mother” (Prov. 6:20). The word command literally means “to teach
with discipline.” Apparently Solomon learned something from his father’s failures.
If you are a father, don’t shirk your responsibility to teach with discipline. Let your children know
you love them by the guidelines you set for them. Don’t be a father failure.
IF YOU THINK IT’S HARD TO LIVE WITH YOUR FATHER, TRY LIVING WITHOUT ONE.