“But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.” — 2 Chronicles 25:7
Warnings often fail to change people’s behavior. Either the warning goes unnoticed, or the warning is heard but ignored.
The latter was the case in the sinking of the British-owned steamship Lusitania by a German U-boat during World War I. The loss of this luxury liner should not have been unforeseen or surprising. For weeks before the ship was to sail from New York to Liverpool, notices had been published in newspapers cautioning people who were planning trans-Atlantic travel that ships belonging to Great Britain or her allies could be destroyed. That warning even appeared in The New York Times on the day of the Lusitania’s departure!
The British government had also warned the captain of Lusitania to avoid areas where German U-boats were active. He was told that if he entered such an area, he should zigzag through it by changing course at irregular intervals to foil any efforts by U-boats to plot the ship’s course for torpedoing. The captain received additional warnings when he did enter a danger zone, but for some reason, he ignored them. In fact, instead of employing the recommended evasive strategy, he slowed the ship down and remained close to shore! This made the Lusitania a perfect target. On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the ship and within twenty minutes it sank, claiming the lives of 1,195 people.
Today’s text references three warnings to King Amaziah of Judah. One was heeded, though grudgingly, and two were ignored. The result was disaster.
First, an unnamed prophet warned Amaziah not to use mercenary soldiers from Israel to fight for him against the Edomites. While Amaziah did follow that advice, he openly weighed obedience against the potential financial impact. The eventual victory over Edom was marred by the mercenaries’ reprisals in which three thousand from the cities of Judah were slain.
Then, a prophet rebuked Amaziah for worshipping the gods of the conquered Edomites. The divine “anger” expressed by the prophet was a warning—an attempt to turn Amaziah from his folly. The prophet told Amaziah, “God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel” (verse 16).
Later, King Joash of Israel used a parable to warn Amaziah not to attack his nation, comparing Judah to a thistle and Israel to a strong cedar. Amaziah should have listened to Joash but he did not, and his nation suffered a terrible defeat in the ensuing battle.
Today, several thousand years after the days of Amaziah, we deal with warnings every day. Caution lights, traffic control signs, and advisories warn us of potential traffic or weather-related hazards. Medical professionals and fitness experts caution us about dangers to our health and well-being. Politicians and media analysts warn of impending economic and international crises. It is easy to become jaded by the warnings coming from all sides, and simply tune them out.
Of a far more serious nature than any earthly warning are the warnings in the Word of God—and those are warnings we must never disregard. The greatest danger facing society today is not a lack of Biblical warnings, but rather, a refusal to heed them! Let us purpose to be alert and responsive recipients, because ignoring God’s guidance and commands will result in eternal consequences.
Chapter 25 is a record of the twenty-nine-year reign of Amaziah, who ascended to the throne of Judah at the age of twenty-five following the death of his father, Joash. The nature of Amaziah’s reign is described in verses 1-4, which indicates that he began his reign doing what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not completely. Verses 5-12 tell of Amaziah’s victory over the nation of Edom, but after the battle, the king turned to idolatry (verses 13-16). He then initiated a military confrontation with King Joash of Israel that resulted in an ignominious defeat for Judah (verses 17-24). Because Amaziah had turned away from the Lord, verses 25-28 record that a conspiracy by his own people brought about his death. Most of the incidents in this chapter are also recorded in 2 Kings 14:1-20.
Verse 2 indicates that Amaziah did not serve God with a “perfect heart.” The Hebrew word translated perfect means “to be whole or complete,” so even at the start of his reign, Amaziah’s heart was not fully set on doing the will of God. Some of his policies were in opposition to God’s requirements, such as his allowing sacrifices and incense offerings to continue on the high places (see 2 Kings 14:1-4). Verses 3-4 of this chapter also indicate that although he slew the servants who murdered his father, he spared their children, in accordance with the command in Deuteronomy 24:16.
According to verses 5-6, Amaziah organized a standing army of 300,000 men who would eventually fight against Edom. However, he also hired mercenary troops from the northern tribes of Israel. Using mercenaries in battle was a common practice in the ancient world, but an unnamed prophet cautioned Amaziah not to do so because the Lord was not with Israel. Furthermore, this prophet warned the king that if he did so, “God shall make thee fall before the enemy” (verses 7-8).
Though Amaziah heeded the prophet’s warning, he did ask about the one hundred talents he had paid to Israel. In essence he was asking, “How much will it cost me to be obedient?” The prophet answered, “The Lord is able to give thee much more than this” (verse 9). Amaziah wisely obeyed, and the result was a military victory at “the valley of salt” (an area south of the Dead Sea) though the dismissed mercenaries plundered the cities of Judah on their return home, killed thirty thousand people, and took much spoil (verse 13).
Verses 14-16 describe Amaziah’s descent into idolatry, stating that he brought the gods of the Edomites back to Judah and began worshipping them. When God sent a prophet to reprimand him, the king arrogantly silenced the man of God. However, the prophet pronounced judgment against Amaziah: God would destroy him because he rejected His counsel.
Amaziah wanted a showdown with Israel, possibly in retaliation for the mercenaries’ plundering of Judah, and the conflict between the two nations is described in verses 17-24. The phrase in verse 17, “Come, let us see one another in the face,” was a challenge to face one another in battle. King Joash of Israel responded with an allegorical reference to a thistle (representing Judah) and a cedar (representing Israel). In essence, he advised Amaziah to glory in his previous victory over Edom but then to stay at home. Amaziah ignored his words and, as the prophet had foretold, Judah was defeated in the resulting battle. Amaziah became a prisoner of the king of Israel for a time, and Jerusalem suffered great losses.
Verse 25 indicates that Amaziah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash of Israel, whose death probably prompted Amaziah’s release from imprisonment. However, Judah’s embarrassing military loss had undermined any support for Amaziah among the leaders of Judah. He fled to Lachish to escape those of his own nation who conspired against him, but his efforts were in vain; he was assassinated at Lachish. His body was brought to Jerusalem, where he was buried “with his fathers.”
III. The history of the kings of Judah
I. The reign of Amaziah (25:1-28)
1. The character of his reign (25:1-4)
2. The campaign against Edom (25:5-12)
a. The dismissal of the mercenaries (25:5-10)
b. The defeat of the Edomites (25:11-12)
3. The cause for the conflict with Israel (25:13)
4. The idolatry of Amaziah (25:14-17)
5. The campaign against Israel and the defeat of Judah (25:18-24)
6. The murder of Amaziah (25:25-28)
We may ignore earthly warnings and still escape harm, but we will not escape God’s judgment if we ignore His warnings.
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