Bad Company, Worse Corruption

OT: 2 Chronicles 21-23
NT: 1 Corinthians 15:33

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2 Chronicles 21:4; 22:2-4 — Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless, because of the covenant the LORD had made with David, the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever... [Jehoram's son] Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri. He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing.

For a hundred years or more the house of David and the northern kingdom were separate entities. A king sat on David's throne in Jerusalem while other kings, not of the royal line, sat ont he throne of the northern kingdom. But things changed when Jehoram, son of David, married the daughter of king Ahab, one of the north's wickedest kings. A son was born of the union named Ahaziah, a weak king who was led astray by his mother Athaliah. That same mother would later kill almost all the other royal sons in order to make herself queen of Judah. Evil and wickedness ruled Ahab's line. There was no respect for life and certainly no respect for God.

Jehoram led his family and his nation astray by associating with a family of bad character. His marriage of Ahab's daughter -- whether for love or for alliance -- was a mistake that led to a lot of bloodshed and evil. Paul quoted an old adage in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that says, "bad company corrupts good morals," and that adage was proven true in the kings of Judah. As we'll see in the next few chapters of 2 Chronicles, Joash, the young son of Ahaziah, listened to the wise counsel of Jehoida, the godly priest, and the kingdom of Judah was rescued from the wickedness of Ahab's influence. When we hang around people who not only do not follow the Lord but are antagonistic against Him, we can easily be corrupted and led astray. I'm reminded of the thousands of college students who go off to school for the first time and are immediately hit by negative influences they never experienced at home. Who are you listening to every day at work, on TV and in the marketplace? Are they individuals or programs that display godly behavior and good morals? Or are they bad influences? What can you do to reduce your risk of being led astray by them?

Be God's.