Ahaziah (Judah) and Risk Assessment

And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them. 2 Chronicles 22:7-8

Where you find yourself has a lot to do with the things through which you go. Our lives are full of choices we make, and they are subject to risk assessment. We do this with such frequency it becomes almost second nature. For instance, when we go shopping, we take into consideration where we go and when we go. We are aware that some locations are not as safe as others; we know that some times are not as safe as others. When we look at Ahaziah of Judah, we certainly see how Ahaziah's lack of risk assessment led to his demise.

Ahaziah's risk was not determined by just associating with King Joram of Israel on this very occasion. Ahaziah was a wicked king who did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and he did so because his counselors were from the house of Ahab (cf. 2 Chronicles 22:3-4). He made his decisions and trusted the faulty counsel with which he surrounded himself, including his wicked mother Athaliah. With these actions and behaviors, it was only a matter of time before he would face tragedy.

The Scripture says that his destruction was of God by coming to Joram. Have we considered that where we go, with whom we associate, and what we do can lead to the same? Paul gave the proverb, Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. (1 Cor 15:33; ASV). He gave this warning to the brethren at Corinth to stay away from those who were teaching against the resurrection. This, along with the entirety of Scripture, teaches us risk assessment. What places are dangerous for your soul? Temptation is a reality in this world, and our chief defense is avoiding it the best we can and resisting it when it cannot be avoided. Do not be like Ahaziah for the risk is far too great.

Grace and Peace,

Ryan

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