Verse 14: Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them.
When King Joash was assassinated, his son Amaziah became King over Judah. He was twenty five years old. The Bible says that king Amaziah did what was right in the sight of God, but did not have a loyal heart. We can easily fall into this trap--doing everything that we think is right, and on the same token, doing it with the wrong motive. God always looks at our hearts.
One of the wonderful things that King Amaziah did was that he spared the children of the men who assassinated his father. It was common during this time for Kings to eliminate anyone and their families who have done evil against the throne. Amaziah, however, followed Moses' teaching that says, "children shall not be put to death for their fathers." We as Christians should always filter what our society and culture tells us to do through the Word of God.
Another commendable things that King Amaziah did was that he listened to a Prophet of God. The Prophet basically told him to get rid of the 100,000 mercenaries that he had hired with 3 1/2 tons of silver, and surprisingly, Amaziah sent them home. It's always better to obey than to sacrifice. Even if you have invested your time, money and talent on the wrong things, you can always obey and turn back. It's never too late!
Here's the turning point of this story. When King Amaziah defeated the Edomites with his 300,000 men, he did the unthinkable as indicated in our key verse (14). Again, it all goes back to our hearts. If our heart is not fully dedicated and/or loyal to God, we can easily turn the wrong way. King Amaziah bowed down to these idols, and the Lord delivered him into the hands of the Northern Kingdom. At the end, Amaziah fled Jerusalem where he reigned, and was killed in Lachish. What a sad and dispirited ending!
Let us always keep our focus in our hearts on our Lord Jesus Christ!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit's reign in our hearts. Help us and keep our feet from turning from you. Continue to give us the hunger for your Word, so that we will know the right way to live and obey!
When King Joash was assassinated, his son Amaziah became King over Judah. He was twenty five years old. The Bible says that king Amaziah did what was right in the sight of God, but did not have a loyal heart. We can easily fall into this trap--doing everything that we think is right, and on the same token, doing it with the wrong motive. God always looks at our hearts.
One of the wonderful things that King Amaziah did was that he spared the children of the men who assassinated his father. It was common during this time for Kings to eliminate anyone and their families who have done evil against the throne. Amaziah, however, followed Moses' teaching that says, "children shall not be put to death for their fathers." We as Christians should always filter what our society and culture tells us to do through the Word of God.
Another commendable things that King Amaziah did was that he listened to a Prophet of God. The Prophet basically told him to get rid of the 100,000 mercenaries that he had hired with 3 1/2 tons of silver, and surprisingly, Amaziah sent them home. It's always better to obey than to sacrifice. Even if you have invested your time, money and talent on the wrong things, you can always obey and turn back. It's never too late!
Here's the turning point of this story. When King Amaziah defeated the Edomites with his 300,000 men, he did the unthinkable as indicated in our key verse (14). Again, it all goes back to our hearts. If our heart is not fully dedicated and/or loyal to God, we can easily turn the wrong way. King Amaziah bowed down to these idols, and the Lord delivered him into the hands of the Northern Kingdom. At the end, Amaziah fled Jerusalem where he reigned, and was killed in Lachish. What a sad and dispirited ending!
Let us always keep our focus in our hearts on our Lord Jesus Christ!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit's reign in our hearts. Help us and keep our feet from turning from you. Continue to give us the hunger for your Word, so that we will know the right way to live and obey!