Ahaziah became king of Judah after Jehoram. He too listened to bad advice and left a legacy of evil. The interesting thing about Ahaziah is that he was a pawn in the hands of evil advisors. The text says, “He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead.”
Three times the idea of bad counsel shows up! Ahaziah might have excused himself from blame because he was nothing more than a pawn in the hands of bad advisors. However, one can never blame others for the choices they make. God held him responsible! He will also hold us accountable.
It’s true that heredity and environment were loaded against Ahaziah, and the same is true for many of us. But sooner or later one must stop looking for excuses for poor choices and accept responsibility for their decisions. It seems this passage rings with a loud sounding toll of the moral doctrine of personal responsibility. We are all responsible for the choices we make.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, ” One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. ” Harry Truman, who followed Eleanor’s husband as President of the united states had a sign on his desk that we all need to put on our hearts. It read: The Buck Stops Here!
Chuck
“In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for ‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’” 1 Peter 5:5(NLT)