King Amaziah was the son of King Joash of Judah, who you may recall took the throne at the age of 7. Amaziah was 25 when he took over the throne after Joash was murdered. Joash had followed God for most of his reign, but after Jehoiada (the high priest who influenced him) passed away, Joash took the nation away from God and led the idol worship. Amaziah followed somewhat in his father’s footsteps, by worshiping God but also not removing the places of idol worship. Amaziah’s story is found in 2 Kings 14:1-22.
Amaziah’s reign is summarized by the author of Kings in verses 3-4: “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.”
King Amaziah started out his reign by killing the people who killed his father King Joash (verse 5). But it is specifically noted in verse 6 that he did not also kill their children, as he may have wanted to do out of his anger. But it is specifically forbidden to kill children for the sins of their parents (and vice versa): “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16). So, King Amaziah did follow God’s law in that instance.
King Amaziah is also remembered for being the one to defeat the Edomites (verse 7). There is more detail of this battle given in 2 Chronicles 25:5-24. Amaziah found 300,000 men fit for battle within Judah, and he also hired 100,000 additional troops from Israel to bolster their army against Edom. A prophet came to King Amaziah and questioned the use of troops from Israel, saying that God would not give them victory because of the Godlessness of Israel. Even if they fought courageously, God would make sure they’d lose the battle if the troops from Israel were involved. King Amaziah brought up the fact that he had paid money for those troops, and the prophet replied that God would give him much more than that in return. So King Amaziah sent away the troops from Israel, who were furious about the situation.
King Amaziah and the nation of Judah were victorious in their battle against Edom. They killed 20,000 Edomites; 10,000 in the battle, then they captured 10,000 more alive but threw them off a cliff and killed them. But, while they were in battle, the rejected and disgruntled Israelite socliers plundered some towns in Judah and killed 3,000 people!
After the victory, King Amaziah brought back the gods of the Edomites and set up them up for worship in Judah. God sent another prophet to the king to warn him of God’s displeasure with that act. But King Amaziah wouldn’t listen to the prophet; he shot him down, saying that he was not in the position to advise the king. The prophet gave Amaziah one final warning that God would strike them down because of their worship of idols and not listening to God.
Then, King Amaziah and his advisors got the idea to fight against Israel, so they sent word to Jehoash, King of Israel. Amaziah was caught up in the pride of having defeated the Edomites, so he thought he could take on the larger and stronger nation of Israel as well. King Jehoash of Israel replied to Amaziah of Judah, “You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?” (2 Chronicles 25:19).
Did King Amaziah listen to this warning? Nope! Israel and Judah engaged in battle, and Judah was basically wiped out. The army basically retreated to their homes, King Jehoash captured King Amaziah, Israel broke down parts of the wall around Jerusalem, and they took all of the valuables out of the temple and brought them back to Israel. This battle is recounted in both 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25, so it was significant for Judah that they disobeyed God in this way and got defeated by their sister nation.
King Amaziah’s biggest downfall was not listening to God, including not listening to the people that God had placed in his life. Even though it was reported that King Amaziah “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Kings 14:3a), the end of his reign does not agree with that. He did listen to the prophet who instructed him to send away the extra men he had hired from Israel in the battle of Edom, and God granted him victory because of that. But then, he chose to turn on Israel and fight them, which God clearly did not condone, so therefore Judah suffered heavy losses in that battle.
The message here seems clear for the people of Judah: listen to God, and you’ll be blessed; don’t listen to God, and you’ll get destruction. The same is true for us today. Things may not happen in our lives with that clear cause and effect as is reported for King Amaziah and the nation of Judah, but that principle still holds true. The blessings we receive from God may not be what we expect or desire, but we know that God is still sovereign and working to bless us in the way that is best for us when we are obedient to Him. But when we turn away from God and do our own thing, we should expect to have disastrous consequences in our lives.
Are you listening to God and the people who He has placed in your life? Or are you doing your own thing and turning away from God? Examine your life to see which way you are headed, and call out to God to help you correct your direction if needed.
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