Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
When struggling with something that just won’t work properly men will often say “It is so close…” And someone will usually reply “Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades”
Amaziah is a good example of that witty comment.
2Ch 25:2 “ And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, …”
He came close to being a good person, but he had one flaw that would destroy his character and bankrupt his entire life. His flawed life has a valuable lesson for us to learn today.
Amaziah was a king over Judah. He was 25 when his father
(then king of Judah) was slain and Amaziah was made king. After punishing those who had killed his
father he then organized Judah for war with Edom. Fearful he did not have enough men he hired
additional soldiers from Israel. God sent a messenger to Amaziah and said he
did not need the soldiers from Israel and Amaziah obeyed and sent them home. He
was victorious against the Edomites whose capital city is what we know as
Petra, the city carved into stone cliffs.
He had obeyed God and saw a great victory.
Have you ever stepped out on faith and seen God work on your
behalf? A missionary speaker told of
being isolated in the jungle. No outside contact, no supply lines, nothing! He
said “We had to rely on God for everything.” I overheard a lady sitting near me comment “Oh
dear, wouldn’t that be awful!” Unless
you have had miracles in your life you might agree with her. Each generation needs to have their own
experience of needing God and seeing him work in their behalf. What has God done for you lately?
Is that the lesson we should learn from Amaziah? Trust God
and he will work on your behalf. Well
that is close but it is not the main lesson.
Did you notice the verse we started with was not complete? Here is the complete verse.
2Ch 25:2 And he did
that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.
God told him to do something, he did it and God gave him a victory over his enemies. So what did he do wrong? 2 Chron 25 details his story. It tells us that after the victory he took the Edomite idols home and began to bow down before those idols.
God sent a prophet to rebuke him and point out the obvious. “Those idols were not able to deliver the Edomites. God gave you the victory. And you left God to worship those worthless idols." Seems like pretty simple logical advice. But proudful Amaziah told the prophet "who are you to give me advice. You should just shut up!"
2Ch 25:16... Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten?...
God was giving him a chance to do right. He sent a prophet to give Amaziah a chance to return to worship God, but he refused.
Pr 16:18 ¶ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
What was wrong with Amaziah's head? The problem was not in his head, but in his heart. When he became king of Judah he did not remove idol worship which still persisted in high places of Judah. Even his obedience to God was flawed. Instead of destroying the Edomite idols he took them for himself. He saw the victory was because of what he had done.
Next he decided to take on much larger Israel. He challenged Josiah, King of Israel, to a battle, but Josiah sent him good advice.
2Ch 25:19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
But Amaziah did not listen and was defeated when Joash not only won the battle but stripped Jerusalem of all the temple gold.
2Ch 25:24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God... and the treasures of the king's house...and returned to Samaria.
Amaziah became so unpopular with his own people in Judah, that he left town. But they found him and killed him.
The lesson for us? Recall
the times when God has come to your aid and done something which you could not
do for yourself. When the victory comes
recognize it was God doing it for you and do not take credit for it. We all need to have our own miracles. During
this coming year let us trust God to work miracles for us and recognize His
handiwork in our daily lives. May God
grant us a heart that seeks after Him, an awareness of when God works on our behalf, and a thankful spirit to praise Him for His unspeakable love to us.
So how should we live to avoid the errors of Amaziah. We need to recognize that God daily works on our behalf, and not become filled with pride because we think, when wonderful things happen in our lives, that it is because we have done it in our own strength. A verse in Matthew should guide our thinking.
Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Do not take credit for what God is doing in our lives. In closing we should be reminded of what Amaziah did not recognize.
Pr 16:18 ¶ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
