A Man’s Downfall

2 Kings 8:18, 27

He (Jehoram) 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; He (Ahaziah) walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab's family.

Behind every great man is a woman.  We’d love to believe that. That as wives, our support and good character will add up to our husband’s respect at the city gates. But sadly, history is full of great men’s downfall because of women too. First on the list is Eve for Adam. We also have Bathsheba for David and Delilah for Samson. In politics, we have the Boleyn girl for Henry VIII, Monica Lewinsky for Clinton, and some Pinoys believe it was Imelda for Macoy. Woods was said to have dropped from 87 to 33 percent approval because of his infidelity scandal. But is it really because of women in general? Or more because men made the wrong choices, add to that, the wrong women?

In this second half of chapter eight, we have the father and son tandem of Jehoram and Ahaziah. They succeeded the godly but compromising Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, from the favored line of David. Their reigns were short: the older one eight years, the younger, one year. Both engaged in wars: Edom and Libnah against the father, Aram against the son. But here’s another common denominator that caused their downfalls: they were connected to the wrong woman, Athaliah. She was from Ahab’s family - the royalties known for their rampant idolatry. As a wife to Jehoram, she pulled him to commit the sins detestable to the Lord. As a mother to Ahaziah, 2 Chronicles 22:2 said, she ‘encouraged him in doing wrong’. They had a godless woman in the house, but still, they do have a choice and an inch hope to escape her snares.  But they did not. As a result, God struck them with a heavy blow, resulting to their horrible deaths.

With seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, Solomon earned the right to warn men against godless women. In Ecclesiastes 7:28 he said ‘Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman!’ The number was our clue he was talking about his wives. Then also in chapter 7, Proverbs this time, he wrote, ‘My sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Don't let your hearts stray away toward her. Don't wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims.’ As the wisest man who ever lived, it will do us well to listen to God’s words through him. Wives, we're created to be God-fearing helpmates to our men. Mothers, let’s guide our boys in choosing that woman of noble character. And to our men, our dear men, a lot have already fallen from your ends because of those from our fence. Don’t let any woman have the dictate. Be not the Adam who kept silent while Eve conversed with the serpent. You do have a choice. Always.  May God bless you and keep you.