25/02/12

Life of Amaziah

2 Kings 14:18 - And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?


Amaziah was the eighth king of Judah, son of Joash, began to reign B. C. 835, and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. He did well in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Having established himself in his throne and slain the murderers of his father, he mustered a host of 300,000 men of Judah, and hired 100,000 men of Israel, for a war upon Edom. These hired forces he reluctantly dismissed at the command of God, who gave him the victory without their aid. But this did not prevent him from carrying home with him the idols of Edom, and setting them up to be his gods. For this defiance of Jehovah, he was threatened with destruction by a prophet of the Lord; and soon after, went headlong into war with Israel, in which he was defeated and humbled. Fifteen years after, he was slain by conspirators, after flying to Lachish to escape them.

From the records of Amaziah we read the good and bad things he did. He was a like us ordinary Christians today who make efforts be in the Lord. We see when the Lord spoke to him and he abided by it he was blessed, but when he strayed away from the Lord, the Lord send a warning to him through His messenger and he did not abide to the warning. Later we read out of his over confidence in himself not realizing it was the Lord Who gave him victory the previous time, he went into battle this time on his own might and we read he was utterly defeated.

What we read after a period of fifteen years of eating the humble pie he was killed in the same way like his father. The very thing which was first priority of his life became his poison.

The Lord is teaching us from the life of Amaziah how even when we are shaky in our lives and we listen to the Lord we will see victory over everything, however impossible they may be. But when we stop having a relationship with the Lord and put other things above the Lord, it may not be another god, but a person even if that person claims to be from God is given more priority than God. It may also be a desire to make it big in life, to prosper, to have fame and money. It may be an addiction or a tradition which is given more priority than God Himself, if such things are made gods and worshipped then God would do the same to us like He did to Amaziah.

We may say we live in the times of grace therefore nothing will happen.

Yes we live in the time of grace but we need to understand this gives us more time and not total freedom to continue our evil way of life. Grace makes our God slower to anger not blind and void of anger towards sin.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, your grace saves us from your wrath. There are many times when we do not listen to You, You send your messengers to correct us and bring us to You. Lord, there are times when we put things of this world, people and our worldly understand above You. Lord, help us not to turn away from You and to remove all the gods we have set above You. We pray that we do not experience your wrath like Amaziah did...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

Philemon 1:24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

Acts 16:11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

Acts 20:15 And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus.

2 Timothy 4:11-13
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments [skin used to write on mostly as rough drafts].

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)