But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. (II Chronicles 22:7 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Find God’s Plans
It has been said, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” And that is true as far as it goes. But I suggest an addendum to that saying. “He who fails to follow God’s plans, fails.”
Ahaziah came to power in Judah through a series of unfortunate and fortunate events. The youngest son of King Jehoram, he was selected as king only because all of his brothers had been captured in a raid by the Arabians. He seems indecisive, letting his mother, Athalia, make policy decisions… poor ones. In his brief reign, he wandered, and led Judah away from God.
But God’s plans were still running the show. God had even planned Ahaziah’s end, even though Ahaziah sort of slipped into a friendly visit of the evil Israelite king, Joram. God found no difficulty in using Ahaziah’s chaotic looseness to accomplish His plans… eventually leading to the ascension of Joash, Judah’s great king who restored God’s people to God’s Word.
Chaos feels frightening. It feels unrooted. It feels insecure.
But in God’s plans, there really is no chaos. He has every detail worked out.
It is clear that the chaos of Judean history could have been avoided if Ahaziah and others had found God’s Word, like Joash eventually did. But God’s plan was carried out.
We see this happening often in scripture’s description of history. Noah’s ark, Jacob’s marriages, and David’s anointing are good examples. Bethlehem, Golgotha, and the empty tomb are even better.
Fear not, then find God’s plans.