Though the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, the Lord delivered a very great host into their hands, because Joash and Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. So the Syrians executed judgment against Joash. And when they had departed from Joash, leaving him very ill, his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and they slew him on his bed. So he died and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 24:24-25 AMPC)
Joash started well when he listened to the godly counsel of Jehoiada. But he made a 180-degree turn when he listened to ungodly counselors. Joash, it seems, couldn’t commit to a godly or ungodly lifestyle on his own; instead, he lived as those around him did—always giving in to the loudest voice at that particular moment.
We are prone to follow the voices around us, too, which is why Paul urges us to make a commitment to follow God regardless of how others are living:
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies—presenting all your members and faculties—as a living sacrifice…. Do not be conformed to this world (this age)—fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs—but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind…. (Romans 12:1-2 AMPC).
A life fully committed to living God’s precepts is red hot in its passions—“Let your love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil—loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness—but hold fast to that which is good” (Romans 12:9 AMPC).
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Craig T. Owens 
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