“They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun...
You know that only the good die young”

At least that’s what Billy Joel thought according to his 1977 hit song, ‘Only the Good Die Young”.

These past few weeks our Morning Minutes in the Bible on An American Missionary have focused on the house of Omri in Israel (the Northern Kingdom) as God’s champion, Elijah, battled Omri’s evil son Ahab. We saw the triumph of emotionalism over reason as Ahab reacted childishly every time he was rebuked. We also saw God’s inevitable triumph over evil, as demonstrated by the deaths of Ahab and Ahaziah because of their rebellion against God. It wasn’t a life time of laughter and sinners die young too.

While Omri’s sinful sons brought misery and death to Israel a completely different story was unfolding in the south under Jehoshaphat. A good king, he was instrumental in stabilizing Judah in contrast to what was going on up north. As a result he lived and reigned a long time. But even this Godward facing king stumbled a couple of times. Twice he was rebuked was for forming an alliance with Israel. Once with Ahab in the battle against Syria when Ahab died (2 Chronicles 19:1-4) and when God destroyed ships he made in conjunction with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 20:35-37).

God’s warning to Jehoshaphat after his alliance with Ahab is powerful and timeless. “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord?” (2 Chronicles 19:2). Throughout the history of God’s people, whether in the OT kingdom days or now in the NT kingdom of Christ days, there have always been people who think that compromise and alliances with evil will subdue the evil. We mistakenly believe that if we just laugh with the sinners, instead of crying with the saints, the sinners will realize how cool we are and want to join with us. It never works! Those who approve social drinking make this mistake. The same goes for aligning ourselves with those who are pious but remain in religious error. Rather than considering repentance for themselves, the sinners rejoice in our compromise. Will we hear the Lords’ warning and take it to heart, or keep repeating the mistake?