Parental Responsibility – SS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Parental responsibility is the duty of parents to guide and correct their children. Parents are a child’s first teachers, and a child learns from their actions, attitudes and lifestyle. This note looks at Eli, who did not restrain his sons, the sons of Samuel, and the kings Asa and Jehoshaphat.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Narrate how the sons of Eli sinned and how God punished the house of Eli.
2. Explain why the people of Israel demanded a king in the time of Samuel.
3. List the achievements of King Asa.
4. Describe how King Jehoshaphat lived and ruled.
5. State the role of parents in the lives of their children.

What did the sons of Eli do wrong? (1 Sam. 2:12-25)

Eli was a priest in Israel. As he advanced in age, his two sons, Hophni and Phineas, took over the priesthood. However, they did not walk in the ways of their father. They were regarded as worthless men who had no regard for God. They treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Apart from this, they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They blasphemed against God.

Out of His love, God sent a man to Eli to warn his sons. God said He would slay Eli’s two sons and remove the priesthood from his lineage permanently. Eli could only do little because of his old age, and his sons did not listen to him.

God spoke to Samuel, the little boy serving the Lord in the house of Eli. God told Samuel that He would fulfil all that He had spoken against the house of Eli in one day, because Eli’s sons had sinned against God and their father did not restrain them.

How was the house of Eli punished?

God’s punishment on the house of Eli came when the Philistines fought the Israelites. Both Hophni and Phineas were killed and the Ark of the Covenant was captured. When Eli heard that the Ark had been captured, he fell off his seat, broke his neck and died.

Phineas’ wife was pregnant. When she heard about the death of her husband, she gave birth prematurely and died. Before she died, she named her baby “Ichabod”, meaning “The glory has departed from Israel”.

What did the sons of Samuel do wrong? (1 Sam. 8:1-9)

Samuel took over from Eli after the death of Eli. His two sons, Joel and Abijah, were appointed as judges in Israel. Unfortunately, like the sons of Eli, they did not follow in their father’s footsteps. They took bribes and perverted justice.

Their attitude made the people of Israel demand a king to rule them instead of judges, so that they would be like the other nations around them.

Who was King Asa? (1 Kings 15:9-15)

King Abijam, the father of Asa, was described as one of the worst kings of Judah. His son Asa took over from him and reigned for forty-one years in Judah. Asa did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

The following were some of Asa’s landmark achievements:

1. He drove male cult prostitutes out of the land.
2. He destroyed all the idols that his father had made.
3. He removed Maacah, his mother, from being queen because she had an abominable image made for Asherah.
4. He cut down Asherah’s image and burnt it.
5. His heart was true to God all his days.

Who was King Jehoshaphat? (1 Kings 22:41-44)

King Jehoshaphat succeeded his father, King Asa. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign. He walked in the ways of his father, doing the things that pleased God.

He always sought the ways of God on any issue that confronted him, and this brought him victory. He also made peace with the king of Israel.

What is the role of parents in the life of their children?

Parents play vital roles in the lives of their children. They are the first teachers a child will ever have in early life. The relationship and bond built over the years will mould the life of the child when he or she grows old (Proverbs 22:6).

A child usually learns through the actions, inactions, attitudes, conduct and lifestyle of his or her parents, and these often shape the child’s views and life.

Evaluation

1. State three sins of Hophni and Phineas.
2. What happened to Eli when he heard that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured?
3. Why did the people of Israel ask for a king in the time of Samuel?
4. List three achievements of King Asa.
5. Explain the role of parents in the lives of their children.

Assignment

1. The father of Jehoshaphat is _____. A. Job B. Asa C. Rehoboam D. Nimrod
2. The sons of Samuel were _____. A. Joshua and Caleb B. Joel and Abijah C. Jehu and Abishai D. Dan and Gad
3. The queen mother that was removed was _____. A. Maacah B. Abigail C. Mary D. Esther
4. Ichabod means _____. A. the glory of Israel B. the decay of the society C. the glory had departed from Israel D. God with us
5. Abijam was the father of _____. A. Nimrod B. Asa C. Cain D. James