2 Chronicles 20:35
“And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:”
One of the greater kings in Isreal’s history was Jehoshaphat. When God described the character of this man in verse 32 He said, “And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.” This is a very high recommendation from God. There were just a handful of men whom God gave such a glowing recommendation.
However, Jehoshaphat had one glaring character flaw and that was his associations. He seemed to be blinded by the obvious. Here was a man who did right in God’s eyes, but he allowed himself to be associated with men like Ahab and Ahaziah who were very wicked men. What seems to be so obvious to the reader who studies the life of Jehoshaphat seems to be oblivious to this man. How could he not see the obvious of how Ahab worked wickedness? How could he not see the life that Ahaziah lived? Yet, this one character flaw hurt him through his children because his son married the daughter of Ahab.
One thing that continually amazes me is how preachers and Christians are blinded by the obvious. People who seem to be very good people cannot see the obvious of a person’s association or direction, which seems to always come back and destroy them in the end. You can be a very good Christian or parent who is doing right, but if your associations are questionable at best or outright wrong, you will pay for these through your children. It is your responsibility to be sure your associations are right.
The position of a person is not as important as their direction. Don’t get me wrong, position is vitally important. Where a person stands on the King James Bible, separation, soul winning and holy living are important, but a person can be right on these things and still have a different direction. Direction is important! Direction will dictate a person’s position in the future. They may be positionally right at the moment, but if they are directionally wrong then they will eventually be positionally wrong. The direction a person is facing should be one of the parameters you use in determining your associations.
Friend, it is time you start looking at the direction of your associations. Stop looking at the surface and do a little homework to determine the direction of a person or an institution. Find out who they associate with and see if their associations are right. Don’t let your desire for influence or getting along blind you of the obvious directional flaws. A person’s direction is very important.
You will always pay for your associations through your children. If you would not want your children to marry the children of those people or institutions you associate with, then you would be wise to stop associating with them. Your children will marry the children of your associations, and this is why direction is vitally important. Save yourself from future heartache and be sure that you are not blinded by the obvious. Make sure all of your associations are not just positionally right, but they are also directionally right. By allowing direction to determine your associations, you will save yourself from much heartache through your children.