Title: King Amaziah
Memorize: And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 2 Kings 14:3 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 25:16-23 (Nkjv)
[16] So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?” Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
[17] Now Amaziah king of Judah asked advice and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.”
[18] And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
[19] Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”
[20] But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom.
[21] So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
[22] And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.
[23] Then Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits.
Message:
Amaziah would have been a great king but for his flaws. He led the people to worship God, but he failed to remove the high places where the people sacrificed and burned incense to other gods. This gave room for a double-standard life, which God hates. Amaziah also conquered the Edomites, brought back their gods, and sacrificed to them. This idolatry resulted in a rebuke from a prophet of God, but he resisted the prophet and turned deaf ears to his warnings.
The ultimate defeat of Amaziah can be linked to overconfidence. After conquering the Edomites, he challenged another king to battle, but unfortunately, he was defeated and captured.
It is very important to learn from Amaziah’s errors. As a result of God’s love for you, He can send anyone to correct you when you err, but the onus is on you to listen and change your attitude. Don’t become overconfident even when you know so much. Always be teachable and willing to learn.
Key Point:
Overconfidence kills; don’t give room for it.
HYMN 56: Nearer, My God To Thee
1 Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee;
E’en Though It Be A Cross
That Raiseth Me,
Still All My Song Shall Be,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!
2 Though Like The Wanderer,
The Sun Gone Down,
Darkness Be Over Me,
My Rest A Stone,
Yet In My Dreams I’d Be
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!
3 There Let The Way Appear
Steps Unto Heaven;
All That Thou Send’st To Me
In Mercy Given;
Angels To Beckon Me
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!
4 Then With My Waking Thoughts
Bright With Thy Praise,
Out Of My Stony Griefs
Bethel I’ll Raise;
So By My Woes To Be
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!
5 Or If On Joyful Wing
Cleaving The Sky,
Sun, Moon, And Stars Forgot,
Upward I Fly,
Still All My Song Shall Be,
Nearer, My God, To Thee;
Nearer To Thee!
Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 37:1-38:28, 1 Timothy 6:1-21
Authors: Pastor E.A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye