Sadly, the verse does not end there; Amaziah followed God, but
"not with a whole heart"
(25:2). Frankly, it is difficult to see what Amaziah did that was right. In his
recorded history, there is only one event that illustrates his devotion to God.
Still God gave the evaluation that Amaziah did right. This would suggest that
his following of God was expressed through a general lifestyle rather than
major events. Certainly living for God is sometimes evidenced not through
dramatic episodes, but simply through ordinary life.
I believe Amaziah's deficiencies in following God can be
explained with this truth: "The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and
instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). Because his heart was not fully devoted
to God, he did not fear God as he should have, and therefore did not seek God
as he needed to. As a result, Amaziah made poor choices based on human reasoning.
What he decided to do apart from God's guidance led to defeat and judgment.
Amaziah's first significant act was to kill the men who had
killed his father. Although his father had been killed for his wickedness,
Amaziah was probably within his authority as king to have those men executed.
In the midst of this justice, he acted according to how "it is written in the law in the book of Moses" (25:4).
So far, he seems okay.
Next Amaziah gathered an army, which is not unusual. Amaziah
intended to fight against Edom. In the process, Amaziah decided that his army
was not large enough. In fact, Amaziah did have the smallest army recorded for
any of Judah's kings thus far, so it was humanly logical to hire additional
soldiers.
Amaziah's mistake was to hire the wrong soldiers. He hired men
of Israel, a nation under God's displeasure. God sent a prophet to confront
Amaziah with the ironic message that defeat was certain if the extra soldiers
were used, but victory was possible without them (25:8). Amaziah heeded God's
message by releasing the hired soldiers, and God gave the victory. The mistake
was not without consequences, however; the released soldiers were so angered
over their dismissal that they attacked some of Judah's cities and killed 3,000
men (25:13).
This story is the clearest indication that Amaziah followed
God. He had paid a large sum of non-refundable money when he hired the
soldiers. When the prophet confronted him, Amaziah was concerned about the loss
of money: "But what shall we do for
the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?"
(25:9). God assured Amaziah that He was able to handle the finances. In spite
of the fact that Amaziah had lost all that money, and in spite of the fact that
he also lost 25% of his army, he yielded to God in this matter.
Unfortunately, Amaziah's reign went downhill from this
point. After winning the battle against Edom, Amaziah brought Edom's gods back
with him and began to worship them. God pointed out the bad logic in this choice
to worship gods that had not been capable of defending their own people
(25:15). Amaziah further revealed his declining heart condition when he railed
against the prophet who had delivered God's message. Amaziah responded
passionately, "Have we appointed you
a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?" (25:16). Yes,
he threatened the life of God's prophet for delivering God's message.
Amaziah's decline had clearly begun, and more than half of
his reign remained. He had already angered God by his idolatry, and now he
added clear rejection of God's message. The prophet foretold the inevitable
result: "I know that God has planned
to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my
counsel" (25:16). While Amaziah's death would not come for some time, judgment
began quickly and was very severe.
Amaziah continued to rely on his illogical human reasoning
by going to war with Israel. He probably believed he had just cause; after all,
the hired soldiers he had released had attacked his cities. Knowing that he had
a small army, Amaziah chose to go to war with a country large enough that he
had previously hired part of its army. Rather than trying a surprise attack to
maximize his chance of victory, he sent a special invitation expressing his
desire to fight. Israel's king actively tried to dissuade Amaziah from pursuing
this battle, not because he was afraid, but because even he recognized
Amaziah's proud heart and the danger for Judah. "Amaziah would not listen, for [the battle] was from God . . .
because they had sought the gods of Edom" (25:20).
After Amaziah ignored all human and divine warnings, his
army was defeated and ran for home. Israel's army pursued all the way to Jerusalem,
where it destroyed the city walls, stole all the valuables, and took hostages. Amaziah
himself escaped death and ruled for fifteen more years, but he had "turned away from following the
LORD" (25:27), and all blessing was gone. Eventually his own people
conspired against him and killed him. The conspiracy started when he turned
from God, as the people apparently wanted a leader who would follow God, and
they feared the consequences of a king who didn't.
Amaziah's adversary perceived, "Your heart has become proud in boasting" (25:19). Indeed,
when Amaziah believed he knew what was best, he stopped looking to God for
guidance. Because he did not fear and seek God, he lacked the wisdom for
decisions, and his human logic failed him miserably. Had his devotion to God
been whole-hearted, he would have continued to seek the right path, but his
divided heart opened the way to destruction.
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