Scripture 2 Chronicles 25
Theme: Amaziah plus Halfheartedness Equals Destruction
Amaziah starts well but allows half heartedness, impatience, fear and pride lead him to destruction. This was designed for a small group meeting . Sunday Night or Wednesday Night
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Recently, I came across a couple of items that I believe can help us better understand how to look at the life of the major character in our Old Testament Story, King Amaziah. The first one is a quote from Francis Chen a well known Christian pastor, leader and author:
"Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are."
The second one comes from a passage of scripture that Brooklyn Tabernacle Pastor Jim Cymbala quotes in his little book - THE LIFE GOD BLESSES. Pastor Cymbala refers to the beginning part of 2 Chronicles 16:9 - "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His ... " (NASB)
Pastor Chen's quote along with our two Bible passages center around the same concept - the idea of a person being wholeheartedly given over to the LORD. A person who has chosen the LORD to be the center of their life. A person who believes and experiences a life in which true genuine humanness is having the LORD as their Savior, their Lord and their King.
It's a concept that we in the Church are very familiar with and one that we invite others to experience alongside us. In fact, many of our worship songs both past and present speak of such a whole heart experience:
- "Lord I Give You My Heart" (Michael J. Smith)
- "I Surrender All" (Judson W. Van DeVenter)
- "Christ is Enough" (Hillsong United)
- "King of My Soul" (Matt Redman).
The Bible is full of scriptures that center around the concept of having a wholehearted relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 6:5
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 10:12
"Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Giving ourselves completely and wholly over to the LORD is something that we know we should do but at times I believe that all of us find ourselves either being tempted not to do so or wondering if in fact we have done so. I think many of us could agree that we have faced times in our spiritual walk with the LORD when we have been tempted to fudge a little bit on our commitment and dedication. I believe there have been times that we have perhaps even allowed our spiritual light to wane a little bit or our spiritual salt has lost some of its vibrant saltiness. Perhaps there have even been times that it took all we had to drag ourselves to worship, to get on our knees to pray or open God's Holy Word.
If any of that rings true for you today then don't be alarmed. It is all a part of the process of our spiritual, emotional and physical transformation. It is a part of us having to deal with our flesh. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:16-24 that we should not be surprised to find ourselves at war with our flesh. Listen again to verse 17:
"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." (verse 17 ESV)
There is a marked difference between being born again and having a mature Christian character. There is a marked difference between being sanctified and possessing a mature Christian character. While we are saved in an instant it is not true that we are therefore restored into the image of Christ likeness in an instant. So, often the road to spiritual maturity is one that has many curves, stopping points, mountains and valleys to traverse. It is one that requires us to stay awake and vigilant.
Our Old Testament passage involves the life of man by the name of Amaziah. As we read his story we find that Amaziah was not careful with his spiritual walk. He allowed his flesh to overpower his spirit. The Bible tells us that Amaziah started well. He had everything going in his favor. However, the Bible also tells us that Amaziah did not end well. In fact, his life ended in tragedy. Amaziah's sins not only brought about his own destruction but the destruction of the nation of Judah as well.
Who was Amaziah? Well, first of all he was the son of King Joash and Queen Jehoaddan. Following the assassination of his father, King Joash, Amaziah ascended to the throne. He ruled the people of Judah for 29 years until his own assassination at the age of 54. Some of his contemporaries included some of God's finest prophets including the likes of Elisha, Jonah, Joel and Amos.
So, what exactly did Amaziah do that made his life go from one of great favor and promise to one in which the prophet says in verse 16 - "I know that God has determined to destroy you ..."?
We find the answer to that question in verse two where we read these words:
"And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart." (ESV)
Let's read that again - "And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, YET NOT WITH A WHOLE HEART."
It's that last part - that little phrase - "YET NOT WITH A WHOLE HEART" that ended up making all the difference in King Amaziah's life. Even though he did a great many good things that we will look at in just a moment the fact is when it all comes down to whether or not we have lived a genuine human life depends on how we have lived that life in relationship with the LORD. Nothing really matters if we have not given ourselves completely over to the LORD.
Earlier in his life Amaziah did some amazing things.
- We see that he followed very closely the teachings of the Torah and
- listened and obeyed the leadings of the LORD.
- He had a sensitive and obedient heart.
But when times got tough Amaziah he suddenly turns his back on the LORD and begins to serve other gods. He believes that these other gods hold the key to genuine life and so turns his attention towards them.
At first the man is a model of what it means to be a faithful follower of the LORD. When everything around him told him to lash out in revenge he practices great restraint. He only punishes those directly responsible for the assassination of his father King Joash. He follows the dictates outlined in the Torah (Dt. 24:16) and spared the lives of these men's families. He is not interested in some type of blood lust.
Later on Amaziah obeys the words of the prophet concerning the mercenaries from Israel even though doing so was at a great cost. He chose to write off more 7, 500 pounds of silver at a cost today of over 1.7 million dollars rather than disobey the LORD.
Those two incidents alone allow us to get an insight into this man's commitment to the LORD. His ability to forgive and not exact revenge on his father's enemies families and his ability to write off such a huge expense all on the word of the LORD speaks volumes. In both cases I am sure that the young man took a hit in the PR department and had some of those around him questioning whether the young man was tough enough or wise enough to be king.
Amaziah lived at a time when perceived weakness or financial foolishness were not easily tolerated. The same forces that saw to the death of his father had not disappeared just because some of the leaders of those forces had been put to death. Everyone of Judah's king had their own share of external and internal enemies. King Amaziah was no exception. Therefore, his commitment and dedication we see her displayed is rather remarkable.
It took great courage and dedication to do both of these things and we see that in each case the LORD rewarded the young king. King Amaziah does not have to face any internal turmoil and as far as the battle is concerned it is a complete victory through and through. The army of Edom was devastated. At first it appears as if everything is going the king's way. He is under the LORD's protection, grace and blessing.
Sadly, however, that is not how Amaziah's story ends. In verse 14ff we read where King Amaziah does something that staggers the mind and heart. Instead of getting rid of the false idols of the Edomites, King Amaziah brings them back to Jerusalem. Not only does he bring them back to Jerusalem he begins to make offerings to them and burn incense to them. He sets up these idols to take the place of his worship of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
What in the world is going on? Is he suffering from some type of brain injury? On the surface none of this makes any sense. Why would a man bring back a bunch of defeated gods back to Jerusalem where God's Holy Temple stood and where the presence of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY would dwell? Why would a man who knew the Torah so well do such a rebellious and idolatrous thing? Back in Dt. 17:14 - 20, Moses speaks of the importance of Israel's future rulers understanding and obeying God's Law. In fact, the LORD had a plan for each new king to intimately know God's Word. Listen to the words of Moses' words found in verses 18-20:
"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statues, and by doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel."
Can you imagine the time and attention that took? Each king was responsible for writing out by hand the whole of the Torah - the first five books of what we call the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. By writing out one's own copy and reading it daily it was the Lord's hope that such a practice would ensure that each king would have a personal relationship with Him and who give to the LORD all their heart, mind and soul.
All of this causes us to even more wonder what caused this man who up to this point of his life had displayed such dedication and wholeheartedness to do a 180? What caused him to suddenly abandon the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY for some pieces of wood and stone?
While our passage does not specifically state why Amaziah turned from the LORD it does give us some definitive hints. Let's look at some of those hints.
+One of those hints may be found in last verses of chapters 25 and the beginning verses of chapter 26. They surround the birth of his son Uzziah who after his death took the throne. We notice in 26:1 that Uzziah was only 16 years old when he took the throne.
At first that may not get our attention until we realize that Uzziah is the only son mentioned of King Amaziah. Unlike King David and King Solomon who had a number of children it appears that King Amaziah fathered only one son.
That means for the first 12-13 years of King Amaziah's reign there was not an heir to the throne. Given the fact that Israel had just been through a struggle to retain a descendent of David on the throne (Amaziah's father Joash) this was no small affair. It was imperative that a king be able to bring an heir to the throne especially in light of the Davidic Covenant. Adding additional pressure to all of this was what was happening to the average lifespan of a Davidic king. Over the last four kings the average lifespan had fallen drastically. (Jehoshaphat - 60 years, Jehoram - 40 years, Ahaziah - 22 years and Joash - 47 years - with an average lifespan of approx. 42 years).
And while we may want to sneer at such an idea we need to remember a little of recent history when it comes to the monarchy of the United Kingdom. It should be noted that Prince Charles and Diana were married on July 29, 1981 and by June 21, 1982 Diana had given birth to Prince William. And while it was not quite as quick it should also be noted that Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married on April 29, 2011 and in a little over 2 years she had given birth to Prince George on July 22, 2013.
Now, what does all of this have to do with the idols and gods of the Edomites? It must be remembered that while Oos (called Quash in other places) was the main god of the Edomites ( we will get to him later) the majority of their gods/idols were fertility gods (like Baal and Ashtoreth among others). It was commonly believed that these fertility gods/goddesses held the power associated with sex, fertility, pregnancy and childbirth. If one desired to have a child they would need to bring a sacrifice before these idols and burn incense. It might even require that one place the idol in one's bedroom to ensure success.
I know this may sound foreign to us but even today we see people turning to crystals, gems and other totems for help. We see people who say if you eat certain foods or say certain prescribed prayers or do things like paint a room in faith then you will be assured of having a child. Even thousands of years later people are still doing things like we see here with King Amaziah.
Could it have been that Amaziah had given up on YHWH's help in providing an heir and therefore turned his attention to these gods of fertility for an answer? Could it be that the sole reason he brought them back to Jerusalem and into his own house was to make sure that the Davidic line would remain on the throne?
People including ourselves can be tempted to do some crazy things when a state of desperation sits in. Amaziah would not be the first person who has turned to avenues outside the will of the LORD to find an answer. How many people do we know who have turned to fortune tellers, who had called one of those 900 numbers or who have faithfully read their horoscope for some answers? How many people have had minister after minister pray over them hoping that this one's prayer or that one's prayer might do the trick? How many people have traveled from this church to that church seeking for a healing or for an answered prayer so desperate that they would be about willing to go anywhere and do anything to get their answer. How many people have believed more in a program than in the LORD GOD AMIGHTY?
It's easy to point fingers at Amaziah but it's not so easy to see that we may have been tempted to do something very similar. While it may not be an image of a god or goddess we bring into our homes it may the Horoscope or misusing a passage of scripture treating it like a magical incantation that leads us astray.
We must be careful what we do in our times of desperation. We must follow the advice of the Psalmist and the Prophet Jeremiah who share with us such passages as these:
Psalm 50:15 “and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
King Amaziah made a costly mistake by not depending on God. He needed to remember just how God had made a way for his father to become king. He needed to remember that God was in charge of making sure a son of David was on the throne not the individual sons of David.
+Another hint may be found in verses 11 - 12 where we read that 20,000 men of Seir or of the nation of Edom were killed in their battle with the nation of Judah.
On the surface this too may not seem very important. But as we look at it more closely we have to wonder why so few casualties? How was it that Judah had brought 300,000 men to the battle and yet at the end of the day only 20,000 of the Edomites were defeated?
Was it the fact that the Edomite army while not very large was known for their tenacity and military might? Where they like the ancient Spartans of Greece at the Battle of Thermopylae where some 300 Spartans were able to resist for days a Persian Army that numbered well over 100,000 men? One has to remember that the nation of Edom descended from the mighty hunter and warrior Esau, brother of Jacob and grandson of Father Abraham.
Was it the fact that when King Amaziah looked over the battle field he was amazed at the power and strength that the tiny nation of Edom possessed? Was he then taken in by the power attributed to Qos their main god who was said to be a god mighty in battle? A god who could only be defeated when a rival nation had 10 to 20 times the number of soldiers at their disposal?
Did King Amaziah suddenly begin to think that his own faith - his faith in YHWH could not produce such military might and power? And then surmising if Edom could do what they did under Oos with such a limited army what could he could with an army over 300,000 under the leadership of such a god?
You see, if the Devil can't trip us up with desperation he will attempt to trip us up by thinking that the true power of the world lies not in the hands of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY but in the hands of someone or something else. He will get us into thinking that only he has true power and majesty.
The Devil will get us to place our trust in the skill and knowledge of some doctor who does not even acknowledge God or does not serve God rather than take the time to find a doctor who does follow God. He will get us into thinking that some program or plan has the way for us to find victory instead of depending on the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
He will get us to place our trust in the Almighty Dollar rather than putting first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He will trick us into thinking that the only way for us to get out of financial trouble is to forsake our time with our families and with worship so that we can make some extra money. If we are not careful we soon become addicted to the extra money and instead of it freeing us up it enslaves us more and more. We find ourselves getting deeper and deeper into debt rather than getting out of debt.
The Devil will get us into thinking that there is some quick method to gaining success, to experiencing victory and to getting what we need.
King Amaziah was so fooled by these idols that he foolishly bit off way more than he could chew. While the nation of Edom was a small fry the same could not be said for the nation of Israel. Under the dynasty started by Jehu the nation of Israel had regained a great amount of power both politically and militarily. The nation of Israel was way more than Judah could handle especially since it was still trying to get it's own house in order after the civil war started by Queen Athaliah just a few years earlier.
The LORD God Almighty tried his best to get Amaziah's attention. We see in verse 15 where the LORD sends a prophet to speak to Amaziah but it is to no avail. In verses 18ff the LORD tries to even use the voice of King Joash of Israel to wake up Amaziah but again it was to no avail. Both in their own way tried warned him to repent and change his ways. But Amaziah would not listen. When a person has decided to trade the LORD in for false gods it isn't long before they are tripped up by their own foolishness and arrogance. Amaziah was not the first person to fall into such a trap.
And in the end his rebellion cost him and his nation a great deal. It cost them the lives of countless young men who died in their battle against Israel. It cost over 600 feet of the wall that protected the capital city of Jerusalem that was demolished. It cost all the gold and silver that had been in the Temple along with the treasures of the palace that had been carted back to Israel to be placed in the pagan temples of Baal and Ashtoreth. It cost the lives of the hostages that had been taken back who would live out the rest of their days either in exile, slavery or worse had been put to death. And lastly, it cost Amaziah his life. His foolish decisions caused the same forces that led to his father's death to conspire for his own death. Amaziah, who possessed such great potential was dead by the age of 54 at the hands of his own people.
It all started with Amaziah yielding to the temptations to believe that:
+God could not be trusted to fulfill the plans He had for Amaziah. Desperate for an heir Amaziah choose to believe in the gods of fertility rather than in the God of all Creation. He chose to believe in the foolishness of stone and wood rather than in the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
+God could not be trusted to always bring about peace and victory. Amaziah who became hungry for more power believed that he could unite the Old Kingdom under the Edomite god of Qos and the other gods rather than live in peace under the leadership of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. The Bible tells us that it was not a part of God's plan to reunite the Kingdom and it certainly was not in God's plan to attack their brothers and sisters from the North.
+You don't have to wholeheartedly worship and live for the LORD. Amaziah foolishly began to believe that you could remain pure and holy to the LORD while at the same time fill your life with ungodliness and impurity. Amaziah foolishly thought he could disregard God's Ten Commandments.
+You don't have to heed the warnings of the LORD. Amaziah foolishly believed that he was in control and that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was at his disposal. Amaziah believed that he could do anything and not suffer any dire consequences. Amaziah believed the foolish lies of the Devil who told him that he could disregard God's warnings and still prosper and be under God's blessings and favor.
Today we can't do anything for King Amaziah. We can't go back and transform his life or change the disaster his rebellion and sin caused. But we can allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, our hearts and our minds and learn from his life both good and bad.
+We can learn how blessings and favor flow when we obey God's Word and when we listen to godly advice. We can learn how God will lead us and direct us into righteousness.
+We can understand the importance of being sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. We can learn how God will do His best to keep us from sin and its devastating consequences but we must obey those warnings.
+We can learn how just a little leaven of sin can spoil our whole lives. We can learn how just allowing one or two little wrongs, little idols can lead us down a horrible path. We can learn how we can go from being able to hear God's voice to rejecting God's voice. We can learn how much we will suffer and those around us will suffer when we fail to follow the will of the LORD.
Sin, rebellion and idolatry are horrible things. They not affect an individual's life they can affect entire families, entire communities and even entire nations. They can cloud the leaders of a nation to make foolish decisions and to get a nation in times of war that only bring about ruin and disaster. They can cause us in our times of desperation to reach out to things that seek to harm us rather than help us. They can cause us to think that if we just have the right numbers, the right amount of finances, the right program that everything will go well when all along we have been set up by our own sin(s) to destroy ourselves.
What is the answer? It's a simple one. We must do our best to walk in the Spirit and live by the Spirit. The Apostle Paul understood all too the temptations of going the wrong way. Listen to some of his advice:
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (I Cor. 10:12?13)
That is one of the reasons in all of Paul's letter he stresses over and over again how important it is to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit. That is one of the reasons why our LORD reminded us over and over again to "ABIDE IN HIM" "TO FOLLOW HIM" "TO BE ONE WITH HIM" "TO BE INFILLED WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT" "TO OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS" "TO LOVE THE LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL".
Today, as we close our altars are open. They are open for any who may be going the way of Amaziah. Open for you to come and repent and return to the LORD.
They are open for any who have been listening to the voices of others instead of the voice of the LORD. Open for you to come and repent and renew your walk with the LORD.
They are open for any who have been trying to live a holy life without giving the LORD your whole heart. Open for you to come and repent and begin anew your walk with the LORD giving the Lord all your heart, mind and soul.
They are open for any who would like to come down and intercede for a friend or a loved one whose walk has become lukewarm and you believe that they are in danger of turning their back on the LORD.
They are open for any who would like to just spend some quality time with the LORD.
Prayer Time
