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Introduction: Every day we are
faced with choices. Will we get up, what we will wear, what we
will eat and so on. We are also faced with bigger choices. What
will I do for a living? Who will I marry? Sometimes we choose a
pattern of behavior, which then defines a great number of our
smaller choices from day to day. Regrettably, few people consider
their choices in the greater context of life and consequences.
Most go through each day making choices without thinking where
they will lead. Then when the consequences stare them in the face,
they feel they don’t deserve what is happening to them. They
want somebody to cover up for them and take the consequences away.
Or perhaps they want to blame someone else, when in reality it was
their own unwise choices which brought them where they are. If you
are ever in this situation, remember Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Discussion: I.
Jehoshaphat
was a good man who made some bad choices. A.
Jehoshaphat
was the best king Judah had had since the reign of David (II
Chronicles 17:3-6). But he had one area of weakness in
which he stumbled several times. B.
Jehoshaphat
kept making sinful alliances. Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah
coincided with the reigns of Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram in Israel.
Ahab was the worst king Israel ever had (I
Kings 16:30-33). His sons were also wicked idolaters.
Several times Jehoshaphat made alliances with these wicked kings. C.
II
Chronicles 18:1
describes a marriage alliance Jehoshaphat made. His son, Jehoram,
married Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah (cf.
II
Chronicles 21:5-6, 22:2). In II
Chronicles 18:3, Jehoshaphat allied with Ahab in war. In II
Chronicles 20:35, Jehoshaphat allied with Ahaziah in
business. D.
Jehoshaphat
was a good man. He was a good king. He was a faithful servant. But
for some reason, when it came to this issue of alliances, he kept
making bad choices. In the end, he learned (I
Kings 22:49). Yet, despite all this. His bad choices came
back to haunt him. II.
Our choices
will affect our lives. A.
Despite
Jehoshaphat’s good life, he still had to face consequences in
his own life. For instance, the war alliance he made with Ahab to
go up against Ramoth-Gilead ended in defeat (II
Chronicles 18:28-34) and Jehoshaphat was rebuked by Jehu
the son of Hanani the seer. B.
In his
business alliance with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, Jehoshaphat faced
consequences. II
Chronicles 20:35-37 shows that Jehoshaphat lost his
investment. Of course, this was the case that finally taught him
to refrain from these alliances. I
Kings 22:49 is an attempt from Ahaziah to reinstate the
business alliance but Jehoshaphat finally refused. C.
You and I
are no different. Our choices have consequences. Making a bad
choice is like picking up a snake by the tail. You picked up the
harmless end, but with it comes the dangerous end. There is no use
blaming God for the consequences we face. He is not obligated to
remove consequences because we are good in other areas or because
we have learned our lesson. Perhaps by grace we will at times
escape some consequences, but God is not obligated to free us from
them. When faced with consequences of your actions, do not look
around for someone to blame, look at your own choices. III.
Our choices
will affect our family. A.
Typically,
our choices are not made in a vacuum and the consequences are not
given in a vacuum either. Most of the time, our unwise choices
will also affect our families, our spouses and our children. We
may complain that God allowed our family’s lives to be ruined.
But in the end, it comes to our choices and their consequences.
Again consider the consequences of Jehoshaphat’s choices. B.
By marrying
Jehoram to Athaliah, Jehoshaphat affected the spiritual state of
not only his son, but even his grandson. II
Chronicles 21:5-6 declares the wickedness of Jehoram was
because of his connection with Ahab’s family. II
Chronicles 22:2-4 says the same thing about Ahaziah. C.
Additionally,
Jehoshaphat’s choice brought the deaths of the rest of his sons.
In Jehoram’s wickedness he killed all his brothers (II
Chronicles 21:4). Even beyond that, Jehoshaphat’s
choice, brought death to all but one of his great-grandchildren
through Ahaziah (II
Chronicles 22:10-12). Talk about far reaching
consequences. It all began with Jehoshaphat’s bad choice. D.
We are no
different. Our choices will affect our family for years and even
generations. IV.
Our choices
will affect others. A.
Jehoshaphat’s
choices affected numerous people. Consider the lives of the
soldiers who died at Ramoth-Gilead (II
Chronicles 18:28-34). Imagine how their families were
affected and how they felt when they heard about Jehu’s rebuke,
knowing their loved ones would still be alive had Jehoshaphat
chosen wisely. B.
Jehoshaphat’s
choice to ally himself in marriage with Ahab affected the entire
nation for 14 years during the reigns of Jehoram, Ahaziah and
Athaliah. All three were idolatrous, wicked rulers. By the end of
this period a house had been built in order to worship Baal (II
Kings 11:18). Additionally, the house of God had been
defaced, disgraced and damaged (II
Chronicles 24:4, 7). While the people made their own
choices, we recognize they were greatly influenced by the example
of their ruler. Though Jehoshaphat himself led the people to do
right (II
Chronicles 17:6; 19:4), his bad choices led the people
into idolatry. C.
We cry that
it is not fair that all these people suffer consequences because
of one man’s bad choices. But that is life. Our choices have
consequences. We can defend ourselves saying that each person made
his own choices. But, no doubt, we will be held accountable for
the ill affects of our bad choices. V.
Consider
where your choices will lead and choose wisely. A.
We are not
kings as Jehoshaphat was. Perhaps our choices will not have as far
a reach as his did. But nevertheless, our choices also have
consequences. Our choices will bring consequences on us, on our
families and on others. Those consequences may come quickly or
they may come years down the road, but they will come. Whenever
you pick up the snake’s tail, you also pick up his head. B.
We can
readily see Jehoshaphat’s error. At times, Jehoshaphat put
political concerns for his nation above the spiritual concerns for
his family. The alliance with Ahab by allowing his son to marry
Ahab’s daughter was beyond doubt the worst decision of
Jehoshaphat’s life. It is evident that the political concerns to
possibly reunite a divided kingdom outweighed the spiritual
concerns of having his son marry the daughter of the most wicked
king to reign in Israel. This choice had tremendous and terrible
consequences. Our choices may not affect nations, but they will
affect the spiritual status of our family. C.
Instead of
complaining about the consequences of our own choices, we need to
spend time thinking about the consequences of our choices before
we make them. There are many mistakes made that common sense would
overcome if people would just consider the consequences. When
making a choice, don’t think about the moment, think about the
long term effects of that choice. Think about the consequences
first and then you won’t have to face them. Conclusion: Every choice has a consequence. If you are not a Christian, you have a choice right now and what you choose will have consequences. You must choose whether you will obey God in baptism or whether you will spurn and reject God’s offered salvation. Of course, the ultimate consequences of this choice regard eternal destiny. However, you may not realize that choosing not to obey has immediate consequences. No matter how much you claim you will obey some day, choosing not to today makes sin that much more of a habit for you. It makes rejection easier and easier and makes the devil’s hold on you tighter and tighter. If you want good consequences, choose to submit to God right now and be baptized tonight for the forgiveness of your sins.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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