Now, let’s turn to 2 Kings 1:1-2. “Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.”
Here we have another young man who had a fall. Like Eutychus, his fall is intended to portray a spiritual fall that any one of the Lord’s people could have. He was a young king who had just ascended to the throne in Israel in place of his father. He had his life before him, and I’m sure it looked pretty good. But it all came to a screeching halt one day when he “fell down through a lattice.” The fall of Ahaziah was a very serious one. It was something from which he would never recover. This is solemn, brethren. It shows that there are some things that a person may fall into that they may not recover from.
The Lattice—Bars of Protection
Note: it says that in falling, Ahaziah broke through “the lattice” of his home. Now, what does this speak of? I believe the answer is found in Proverbs 7:6-7. It says, “At the window of my house I looked through my casement [lattice], and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding ... ” This chapter in Proverbs describes a young man in his father’s house learning under the wise counsel of his father and mother about the dangers of the world—and in particular, moral evil. He learns the important lessons of life by observing the ways of others, not by going out into the world and experiencing those things himself. By looking out through “the lattice” of his father’s home, he was behind the bars of protection that that godly home had, and from there he learned the lessons of life. If we have been raised in a God-fearing home, we should be able to get all the moral instruction that we need as to the ways of the world, without having to go out into it.
The “lattice” speaks of the parental guidelines and restraints that are placed in the home (some homes have more, and some have less) for the purpose of protecting the young from falling into the evils of the world. Sad to say, in the case of Ahaziah, in falling, he broke through the lattice. And by doing so, he injured himself in such a way that he never recovered.
You know, there has been many a young person who has resented their parents’ principles of separation and has wanted to break through them. Dear young people, do you find the principles of Christian living in your parents’ home too restricting? Do you have thoughts of wanting to break through the lattice in your parents’ home? Oh, be careful! If you break through those restraining principles that your parents have established, you could be headed for a fall! God has recorded the fall of Ahaziah in Scripture as a warning.
The Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Even as you get older and think that you should be able to make decisions in your own life, still, it says, “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee” (Eph. 6:1-3). Regardless of how old you get, you should always “honour” your father and mother. As you get older, there should be the lifting of your parents’ supervision, but not your parents’ principles.
The book of Proverbs tells us that you are to bind the principles that your godly mother and father have taught you around your neck and to live by them for the rest of your life (Prov. 1:8-9; 6:20-21). Only a person who is on a sinful course of rebellion would want to break through those Scriptural principles. Such a person, if he or she should fall, is not one that I suggest we go after. It would be better to leave them with the Lord until such time as there is some repentance.
If you read a little further in 2 Kings 1, you’ll see what God thinks of those who would help someone on in their sinful course. The king sent “messengers” to “Baal-zebub” to inquire for him, and also “a captain of fifty with his fifty” were sent to the prophet Elijah. But the soldiers were smitten by the judgment of God (2 Kings 1:3-12). When the king sent another captain with his fifty, they were also smitten. These men came under God’s judgment because they were abettors to the king’s deliberate course of sin in seeking after Baal-zebub. You may think that it was a little severe, but it just shows us what God thinks of those who would help someone on in their course of sin. To go out deliberately and have fellowship with someone who is unrepentant in their course of sin is really assisting them in their self-will and is helping them on in that course. You may not look at it that way, but it is really what you are doing. And if we do it, we are liable to bring down the governmental judgment of God upon ourselves. We could incur a serious rebuke from the Lord. Let us be warned by this. What I’m saying here is that a Eutychus type you should go after, but with an Ahaziah type, you shouldn’t. As I say, these things take discernment.