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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