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 7:6-76For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, (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. 6:1-31Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (Ephesians 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; 6:20-218My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. (Proverbs 1:8‑9)
20My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. (Proverbs 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 1:3-123But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? 4Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 5And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 9Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (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.