Brenda Speaks

Brendaonline.com

Judah’s King Amaziah

25 Amaziah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 

Amaziah lived 54 years.  His mother was from Jerusalem which tells us that he had somewhat of a stable background of being around the things of God.

2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight but not wholeheartedly.

Amaziah had areas in his life that were not 100% submitted to God.

Does religion allow us to say we serve God but not with a whole heart; and still be connected to God?  God shows mercy toward all who show that they want him to be Lord of their lives.

3 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed his servants who had killed his father the king.

 4 However, he did not put their children to death, because—as it is written in the Law, in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded—“Fathers are not to die because of children, and children are not to die because of fathers, but each one will die for his own sin.”

Amaziah knew the writings of Moses.  When he was settled in as king, he revisited the case of the men who killed his father and made a decision to have them executed.  It is understood that God's people must not kill and take matters of justice into their own hands.  God did not punish Amaziah for the execution of the people who secretly killed his father.  If anyone was to die, it had to be justified. The two men not only killed a man, but they also killed his father who was king.

Amaziah’s Campaign against Edom

5 Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral families, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those twenty years old or more for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be three hundred thousand fit young men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield. 

6 Then for 7,500 pounds[c] of silver he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel.

Amaziah prepared an army to fight against the Edomites.  This fight started when Jehoroham was king.  The Edomites paid taxes to Judah and decided to pull away after Jehoroham who did not follow God's instructions.  Amaziah had the right to go against the Edomites because 

7 However, a man of God came to him and said, “King, do not let Israel’s army go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—all the Ephraimites. 

God sent a man and warned Amaziah not to take Israel to fight with him.  Israel had turned their backs on God and God wanted the world to know that anyone who abandons his command was not on his list to be used.

8 But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for battle! But God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to make one stumble.”

If you go in spite of God's command, you will fail.

9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel’s division?”

Amaziah paid 7,500 pounds of silver to Israel to assist him in fighting.  Israel had soldiers for hire.  (Mercenary). Amaziah was concerned about the money he spent.  When we go ahead of God's plan then call God when making an oops, we will lose what we invested in without God.

The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”  

God knows our hearts.  God saw Amaziah's intent.  

God knows if we went ahead of him he was able to give back what you lost on your own and replace it with more.  When we adventure to please God, God knows we may not do everything correctly.

10 So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage.

Amaziah obeys God. However, the mercenary army of Israel did not take it lightly.  They were furious.  Perhaps they thought they would get receive the plunder taken from the defeated army; because Israel's king was wicked, the soldiers for hire knew the king who sent them kept the money and said when you win you can get your part.  God's Word does not tell us why they were so angry.  These are a few of my thoughts because of my experience with people in the world we live in today.

11 Amaziah strengthened his position and led his people to the Salt Valley. He struck down ten thousand Seirites, 

2 King 14-Christian Standard Bible

David made a reputation for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people,.... To go to war with the Edomites; not discouraged by the dismission of the hired troops, but trusting in the promise and power of God, he went forth with boldness and intrepidity: and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir, ten thousand; the Edomites; so-called, not because they were the posterity of Seir, but because they dwelt in Seir, from whence they drove the descendants of Seir, and dwelt in their stead; see 2 Kings 14:7.

12 and the Judahites captured ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces.

Judah's army killed 10 thousand and captured ten thousand.  They took the 10 thousand that were left alive, and led to the top of a cliff, and threw them off the cliff, and all of them died.

Anything in our lives that wants to destroy us, throw it over the cliff.  It is better to live without it than to live with it and lose your life.

13 As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down three thousand of their people, and took a great deal of plunder.

While Judah was at war in the Valley of Salt, the angry men of Israel raided and killed three thousand people and stole from them.  This was typical of Israel.  When Israel could not have their way, they behaved like a mafia.  Today we live life as the people who know God but take decisions into our hands and destroy what we don't like as if we have a right to do so.  Israel was paid handsomely and was told they did not need to fight and they were allowed to keep the money offered.  That was not enough.  No matter who we are, when we leave God, we become like those we see as savages. Israel will be judged by God.

14 After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them. 

After a war, many times the winners bring back valued items taken from their enemies.  Amaziah is recorded as bringing back the gods of Seirites.  He brought them back and worshipped them.  This is mind-boggling to me.  How did you seek God and win and come back to worship the god of the defeated ones?

15 So the Lord’s anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not rescue their own people from you?” 

God saw.  God sent a prophet and asked why? Why are you wasting time talking to a thing?  When we seek God and turn to a thing after the God we sought gave us a win, we become lost and confused.  God still sent a prophet to warn.  God could have said I am tired, but yet he wants us to come to ourselves and pay attention to what we are doing.

16 While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?”

So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”

Amaziah did not listen.  Amaziah became stubborn and rude.  Taking advantage of the power you have over people is dangerous.   He gave orders for the prophet to be quiet.  The prophet did as he commanded, but told him his fate of death.

Amaziah’s War with Israel’s King Jehoash

17 King Amaziah of Judah took counsel and sent word to Jehoash[e] son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.”

Amaziah plans his own death.  He began to search for war.  A war that will be his downward spiral as king of Judah.

18 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 

19 You have said, ‘Look, I[f] have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident[g] that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”

After receiving the petition for war against Israel, Israel sarcastically responded, you do not want to fight me.  Stay in your place like a good little boy.  Don't think because you won one war you will win a war with me.

20 But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom. 

This is the second time Amaziah did not listen.  This time God is allowing Amaziah to fight without any more warnings.  When God stops talking...........

21 So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah. 

King Jehoash came to Judah.  Now the city of Judah will suffer because of the non-sense stirred by their king.  People's lives can become in jeopardy when the leader is misled by his own pride.

22 Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent.

This was not a one-on-one fight between king and king.  When kings make decisions to fight, they use people to do the fighting.  People's lives are taken unnecessarily because of a two men quarrel. 

 23 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz,[h] at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards[i] of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.[j]

The city of Judah was destroyed because of a king who would not listen to God.  All of this could have been avoided had we listened to the warning of a God who cares.

24 He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God’s temple, the treasures of the king’s palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

Judah is attacked by his own brother.  The brother who left God fighting with the brother who does not care anymore.   These were the same men who use to pray together.  Now the whole family is lost because of stubborn men who will not seek God's counsel.

Amaziah’s Death

25 Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz. 

Israel's kings die.  Judah's king lives 15 years longer.

26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there. 

When we turn from the Word of God, death is inevitable.

Amaziah killed the men who killed his father, now the men of Judah are doing to him what was done to his father.  Amaziah's father fled and came back home and was killed while suffering from wounds; now, Amaziah flees away from home and lost his life to the people he once led.

28 They carried him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Judah.

Amaziah was carried back to Judah and was buried with his ancestors.

 What the difference between this chapter and the world we live in today?