June 19

King Joash of Judah had been a good king for much of his life. He became King at the young age of 7 and the priest, Jehoiada, had given Joash a copy of the Law of God to guide him as he ruled God’s people (II Kings 11:12; II Chronicles 23:11). The Bible further reveals, “all his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (II Kings 12:2). But, when the godly Jehoiada died, King Joash started listening to advisers who did not follow God (II Chron.24:17-19). And the life of Joash deteriorated quickly after that. When King Hazael of Aram decided to attack Jerusalem, King Joash worked out a deal to send all the sacred objects in the Temple and all the gold in the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace to King Hazael (II Kings 12:17&18). Hazael called off his attack, at least for awhile. Why didn’t King Joash first consult the Lord? Why didn’t Joash ask God what he should do instead of taking matters into his own hands? The fact is, the farther we fall from God, the less we care about what God thinks, and the less we seek His advice.
What was true of Joash can also be true for us. We become what we think. We behave like those we associate with. And if those with whom we associate, and if that which we feed our mind is not of God, then why should we wonder when we stray from God? The Hebrew writer reminds us, “we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it....What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself?” (Hebrews 2:1,3). Anyone who has been on a boat, knows that drifting is not usually something that happens suddenly. That would be called flooding. Drifting often occurs so slowly and so subtly that we don’t even realize it’s occurring. So, how is your walk with the Lord? Are you firmly anchored in the truth? Or, are you slowly drifting from the truth? What are you going to do about it?