So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?” (1 Kings 22:4)
“THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO. When Rebekah is about to sit down, kick her lunch tray so her food spills everywhere. It will be so funny.” Jackson had a funny feeling in his stomach. Rebekah was a girl in his second grade class who didn’t have a lot of friends. Her clothes often looked as if they were a size too small and her hair as if it missed getting combed in the morning. Jackson felt a little sorry for her, but didn’t want his friends to make fun of him.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get in trouble either,” Jackson replied. “My dad won’t let me watch TV for a week if I get into trouble at school.” Jackson knew it wasn’t right to bully a girl in his class. He knew the girl didn’t deserve to be pushed around, but Jackson didn’t want to be next in line to be teased.
“Jackson, just go! Don’t be such a wimp.” His friend pushed him towards Rebekah who was quickly approaching. Jackson hung his head as he took a step.
Jehoshaphat’s father had been a good man who ran with a bad crowd on occasion. Now, with Jehoshaphat as king of Judah in his own right, he would repeat the same mistake by befriending one of the Old Testament’s most wicked kings.
Limit time spent with others that lead you into uncomfortable situations.
Amy Knepp is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and a stay-at-home mother of four children.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
