And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention. 2 Chronicles 24:18-19
One of the most astounding occurrences in the aftermath of my addiction, as the consequences rained down, was the realization that I knew what was going to happen. I knew the pain I was going to cause. Others asked afterwards, Didn’t you think about the consequences? A three-year-old knows not to touch a hot stove, but you didn’t know any better? The answer is complicated. Yes, intellectually, I knew, but no, I did not weigh those consequences. Offsetting all else, in my decision making, was the drug. Here was the entirety of my thought process – What do I want? That is, of course, profoundly selfish, but that is also the definition of addiction – Doing something repeatedly, despite knowing and experiencing painful consequences.
Though it didn’t involve drugs, this inability to count the cost is described in today’s passage. In the story, King Joash, who had once led a revival of his people in following God, now returned to idol worship. This rebellion angered God, who sent prophets to warn him of the approaching consequences. Joash couldn’t claim ignorance. He’d been warned. If you continue down this path, it will lead to self-destruction. Joash however, ignored God’s warnings. Within the year, Joash was dead, assassinated by his own servants.
Drug use leads to painful consequences. This is no mystery. The same could be said though of any habitual sin. It is the nature of that sin to poison the mind so that we fail to consider the consequences. This is the diseased effect of sin, and it is the pathological thinking of addiction. It’s not an excuse, but rather an explanation. Once we voluntarily engage in sin, we invite it in and we allow it to corrupt our thinking. Thankfully, this can be undone. As we do what it takes to cut the sin or the drug out of our lives, we can begin to consider the consequences of our actions. This is recovery – to begin to think things through. Like any healthy behavior though, it’s not natural or easy. So, if we desire to avoid the pain and self-destruction of addiction, we must learn to continually ask – Where will this behavior lead me? If it goes somewhere we don’t want to go, then we must abandon it, or face the fate of Joash.