Just a Doc, Taking Medications

In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. 1 Kings 16:34

While addicted, I engaged in mental gymnastics, contorting logic to make my behavior more palatable to my conscience. I wasn’t addicted. I was just a physician, taking my necessary medications. It was simply a disagreement about what medications were necessary for me. No big deal. Like I said – mental gymnastics, twisting logic to justify terrible behavior. That only eased my conscience about my morality problem though.

Practically, even if I could justify my crimes to myself, I knew that if discovered, I would lose everything. I’d lose my job. I’d get a divorce. Divorce would mean losing custody of my kids. This was a terrifying reality that, as I realized I couldn’t stop, was inevitable. It wasn’t if, but rather, when. When was my life going to come apart? So, you know what I did? I ignored it because I was addicted. I couldn’t stop and so what choice did I have? I pressed on, knowing exactly what it was going to cost me. And that is the definition of addiction – continuing a behavior, despite knowing the terrible consequences.

This is the same behavior displayed by Hiel of Bethel in today’s passage. During the reign of the wicked King Ahab, Heil sought to rebuild Jericho, a city previously destroyed by God because of its idolatry. After its demolition, Joshua laid a curse on anyone who would ever be tempted to rebuild it – At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates (Joshua 6:26). As an Israelite living 500 years later, Hiel would have known about the curse, but he also would have known he wasn’t supposed to worship idols. Now, with all of Israel worshipping foreign gods though, Heil joined in. Everyone does it. No big deal.

It was a big deal to God though, who struck Hiel’s firstborn son dead as Hiel laid the city’s foundations. At this point, you’d think that Hiel would relent and repent. If he hadn’t believed the curse previously, he had to believe now and he also had to accept that his youngest son was going to be next if he persisted. Hiel, however, was obsessed and so, he could not stop. Knowing the consequences, he pressed on.

I’m not sure there’s a grand lesson here, except to teach us about addiction. This behavior is nothing new. Through the ages, man has displayed a profound ability to justify his evil and to press on, despite knowing the terrible consequences. That is the nature of addiction, which if left untreated, will consume the lives of those it touches.