Laid the Foundation at the cost of his sons

In I Kings 16:34 it states:

            “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho.  He laid the foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the Word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

 

In Joshua 6:26 he states:

            “Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”  

 

            It is possible that Hiel did not know of Joshua’s curse but this did not absolve him of the consequences.  If he didn’t know, he should have…it was written in the Word and would have been passed down orally from generation to generation.  It seems that all of the sins that are occurring in the book of Kings were the result of the father’s neglect of their knowledge of, and obedience to, the Word.  If only we would heed this curse…we must not raise the foundations of past sinful strongholds…they must remain destroyed.  Our children’s futures are influenced by our choices.