2 Chronicles 25:1 – 28 Amaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 14:1-7)
“Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king. Yet he did not put their sons to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
Amaziah’s Victories
Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found there to be 300,000 choice men, able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.
He also hired 100,000 mighty warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites. Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
Amaziah asked the man of God, “What should I do about the hundred talents I have given to the army of Israel?”
And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”
So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And they were furious with Judah and returned home in great anger.
Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir, and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.
Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them. Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver them from your hand?”
While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
Jehoash Defeates Amaziah (2 Kings 14:8-14)
Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said. But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom. So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth-shemesh in Judah. And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home.
There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz.Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits. He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of God with Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
The Death of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:17-20)
Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? From the time that Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.”
Amaziah is the son of King Joash, the grandson of King Ahaziah, and a great, great grandson of King Ahab…. And it shows! Studying this “royal” line makes depressing business! There isn’t a man of faith in the entire bunch. Joash, Amaziah’s father, only acted righteously as long as his mentor Jehoiada, the high priest, was alive. But as soon as Jehoiada died, Joash plunged into idolatry at the urging of the elders of Judah. When Jehoiada’s son Zakariah attempted to correct Joash, Joash proceeded to have him stoned in the temple courtyard, thus committing the double sins of murder and abomination in the temple. Joash became so evil that two of his own servants finally finished him off while he was recovering from war wounds. The citizens of Jerusalem refused to bury Joash with the kings, burying him somewhere else in Jerusalem.
Amaziah wants to distinguish himself by going to war and decides to make war on Edom, despite the fact that Edom has not threatened Judah. Amaziah has an army of 300,000 men but wants to beef up his forces by hiring 100,000 warriors from Israel at a staggering cost of 100 talents of silver. 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver. When a man of God warns Amaziah to have nothing to do with the Israelite soldiers, Amaziah whines because he has already paid them, but sends them back. The Israelites retaliate by raiding all the way back to Samaria.
Amaziah defeats the Edomites, but then proceeds to collect their idols and bring them back to worship them. When another prophet confronts Amaziah, warning him against idol worship, Amaziah refuses to listen and threatens to kill him. The prophet stops but warns Amaziah that God wants to destroy him for his faithlessness.
Next, Amaziah, puffed up with pride from defeating 20,000 Edomites, sends threats of war to Jehoash, the king of Israel. Jehoash sends back a warning clothed in a parable, but Amaziah isn’t listening. Now Amaziah wants to fight the same doughty warriors he tried to hire earlier. Is this guy crazy or what? Jehoash defeats Amaziah, capturing him and carrying him back to Jerusalem, where Jehoash breaks down part of the walls of Jerusalem in a show of force.
Even though Amaziah outlives Jehoash by fifteen years, he still winds up being killed by his own citizens. While many of the elders of Judah have embraced idols, there are others who still worship the One True Living God. Once Amaziah turns his back on God, a conspiracy forms against him. Eventually, Amaziah tries to flee to Lachish for safety; however, men faithful to God pursue him and kill him there. Amaziah is buried “with his fathers in the city of Judah,” presumably with the kings.
APPLICATION: When my mother was four years old, she visited her grandparents on their farm. While her grandparents warned her not to bother the bees, nobody bothered to explain that those fascinating boxes behind the barn were the bee hives. Bored with adult conversation, my mother wandered out behind the barn and saw the row of bee boxes. Picking up a stick, my mother gleefully ran up and down the row of boxes, hitting each box with the stick and making a wonderful noise. The next noise, however, was terrifying! Suddenly my mother was engulfed in a cloud of angry bees!
My mother was only four years old and nobody had given her sufficient information to keep her safe. King Amaziah, on the other hand is an adult in his late twenties who wants to make a name for himself as a warrior. Amaziah succeeds, alright, but not in the way he has hoped. Amaziah attacks the Edomites, killing 20,000 of them. There is nothing to indicate that the Edomites have posed any threat to Amaziah; moreover, Amaziah is foolish enough to bring back their idols and worship the very gods that have failed to protect them. Amaziah fails to realize that God is the One who has given him victory.
Next, Amaziah decides to pick a fight with Jehoash, king of Israel for no reason. Jehoash is brighter at military affairs than Amaziah and warns Amaziah to stay home, but Amaziah is pig – headed and refuses to listen to sage advice. This military campaign results in total disaster. Jehoash captures Amaziah and carries him back to Jerusalem, where he destroys a large part of the city wall as a sign of his might and loots Jerusalem. Amaziah eventually outlives Jehoash by fifteen years but is such a wretched king that his own citizens kill him.
Amaziah serves as a terrible example of what happens when we wander away from God and try to do everything ourselves. Amaziah’s story should stand as a reminder to avoid senseless controversies. Proverbs 26:17 tells us, “Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.” Amaziah is definitely an ear – yanker!
How can we know when to intervene and when to keep still? There are three tests: 1. Does this matter involve us, our families, or even our country? 2. Are Biblical standards being violated? 3. What does God want us to do? There are times when we should leave things alone; however, there are also times when we must speak out and also pray, realizing that we may suffer in the process. May God help us to know when to speak out and to speak out firmly and clearly when necessary!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be wise enough to avoid senseless quarrels but to speak out when Your Word and Your Commands are being violated. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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