WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 01, 2026
TOPIC: LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER!
BY T. O. BANSO
“Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’’ (Ezekiel 16:44 New King James Version).
The story of Jezebel and Athaliah in the Bible could be described as like mother, like daughter! Her daughter was just as wicked as she was. They both influenced their husbands to do evil. They both loved power and shed innocent blood.
1 Kings 16:31-33 says about Ahab, who married Jezebel: “And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (New King James Version).
Due to the evil influence of Jezebel on Ahab, Israel went deep into idolatry. Something that had never happened before in Israel took place. During his reign, Jericho, a city cursed by Joshua after its capture by Israel, was rebuilt at a price pronounced in the curse (1 Kings 16:34).
Jezebel promoted idolatry in Israel; she had 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom she supported, and Elijah eventually killed (1 Kings 18:19, 40; 19:1-2). She also killed the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:13). God said He would avenge the blood of His prophets and all His servants at the hand of Jezebel (2 Kings 9:7).
A bloodthirsty woman, she shed the innocent blood of Naboth, just because she wanted her husband to have Naboth’s vineyard, the family inheritance Naboth had refused to give him (1 Kings 21:1-16).
The Bible says this of Ahab and Jezebel: “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up” (1 Kings 21:25 New King James Version). What type of wife are you? Are you a positive influence on your husband or a negative influence?
How did Jezebel end her life? After Jehu had been anointed king, she was killed violently, as spoken by the prophet Elijah. She was thrown down from a window. Dogs ate her body, leaving only her skull, her feet, and her hands (2 Kings 9:32-37).
Jezebel died, but, unfortunately, her daughter, Athaliah, continued her evil work in Judah, as the wife of Jehoram (or Joram), the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. Jehoram reigned as king for only eight years. Although the Bible does not specifically refer to Athaliah as Jezebel’s daughter, it is believed that she was her mother since she was the main wife of Ahab, who is described as Athaliah’s father (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chronicles 21:6). Also, 2 Kings 8:26 refers to Athaliah as the “granddaughter of Omri,” who was Ahab’s father. Some translations render this as the “daughter of Omri.”
2 Kings 8:18 says that Jehoram followed the example of the Kings of Israel and was wicked as Ahab’s house had done, because Ahab’s daughter (Athaliah) was his wife. Jehoram did evil in the sight of God.
Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, succeeded him and reigned for only one year. Athaliah took after her mother, Jezebel. She probably influenced her son, King Ahaziah, to follow the evil example of her family in Israel, as the Bible says in 2 Kings 8:27: “And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab” (New King James Version). The evil of Ahab’s family in Israel was exported to Judah! That’s what a wrong marriage relationship can cause. It’s a lesson for us today. A wrong marriage relationship can corrupt you and your family. Be careful!
Athaliah loved power as much as her mother, Jezebel, did. Her love for power and her viciousness came to the fore upon the death of her son. She seized power and unleashed terror on the land. “When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs” (2 Kings 11:1 New King James Version).
Can you believe that! She killed everybody she knew could ascend the throne, and she began to rule. She was successful, but only for a season. She didn’t know that there was someone called Joash, one of her grandsons, who had been helped to escape by his aunt and was hidden for six years.
Athaliah must have been deceived into believing that she had successfully eliminated everyone in the royal family, and she could sit comfortably on the throne for as long as she wanted. But how foolish she was!
Wicked people don’t always get away with their evil deeds here on earth. God sometimes allows them to reap the harvest of what they have sown before they die. A severe judgment also awaits them after death.
In the seventh year (at the end of her sixth year on the throne, as Bible scholars note), a revolt brought her illegal, cruel reign to an end. Joash was enthroned as king. Athaliah couldn’t believe what she had heard. Nevertheless, it was too late for her. Not only was she dethroned, but she also died a violent death like her mother. The guards killed Athaliah at the palace’s Horse Gate (2 Kings 11:13-16).
Athaliah’s death was pleasing to the entire nation of Judah. No one mourned her death; she was as bad as her mother. The Bible says this about her death: “So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house” (2 Kings 11:20 New King James Version). 2 Chronicles 23:21 also corroborates this statement.
The entire land rejoiced over her death! What a commentary! That shows how wicked Athaliah was. She followed her mother’s wickedness. Like mother, like daughter! What character do you display before your children?
Wicked people influence others; they always have followers who have imbibed their wicked ways. 2 Chronicles 24:7 describes Athaliah’s wickedness in Judah thus: “For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals” (New King James Version).
But God’s Word assures us that the wicked will not live forever; God will cut them short. “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more” (Psalm 37:9-10 New King James Version). Proverbs 10:7 says, “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (New King James Version).
Be a godly influence on your daughters and your sons. What are you teaching your daughters and sons? What seed are you sowing in them? Don’t teach them bad things. If you do, they’re more likely to commit worse evil deeds than you. Nonetheless, each person will be accountable for his own sins.
The Bible says concerning Jerusalem, “Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’” (Ezekiel 16:44 New King James Version).
The LORD continues: “You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters. You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your way” (verses 45-47 New King James Version).
“Like mother, like daughter” also applies to men and their relationships with their sons. There are bad fathers in the Bible who raised bad sons. Like father, like son! How do you raise your children? An example is better than a precept. What example are you showing your children? They will grow up to be like you, whether good or bad. Don’t live to do evil and inculcate it in your children. They may surpass your record!
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I repent of all my evil deeds today; forgive me, Lord. I choose to be a slave of righteousness and live a holy life; help me, Holy Spirit. I shall not be a bad example to my children, but a good example. My children shall do what pleases the Lord, in Jesus’ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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