2
Kings 14 reminds me how many people are spiritual adolescents. They
want the blessings of God, but do not want to fully submit Christ as
Lord. The
chapter begins with the next generation ruling over Judah. “Amaziah
son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine
years… He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but… The
high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense there“.
Once again, we have a king that doesn’t want to ruffle any
feathers. Like many teens today, he is just going along with the
crowd. Young or old, it is not easy to resist peer pressure to
conform. Next we read that “he
executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. Yet he
did not put the sons of the assassins to death”. The
chapter quotes the Law of Moses, “Fathers
shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to
death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sins”
(Deuteronomy 24:16).
Many people today blame their parents for mistakes they are making
right now but God holds each of us accountable. Like Amaziah, we too
have access to His wisdom in scripture. Are you seeking God’s
wisdom?
As
the chapter continues, God gave Judah a victory, they “defeated
ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt”
but instead of giving God the praise, Amaziah did not acknowledge God
at all. Overconfident, he called out the King of Israel, “Come,
meet me face to face“.
The king of Israel gave him a firm warning, “You
have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your
victory, but stay at home!”
“Amaziah,
however, would not listen“.
Hearing God’s Word is not the same as listening to God’s Word.
And we read the sad conclusion, “Judah
was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. Jehoash king
of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah… Then Jehoash went to
Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem… He took all the
gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the Lord
and in the treasuries of the royal palace“.
They were completely defeated. The king of Judah died in exile
after the people of Judah “conspired
against him“.
Pride often keeps us from maturing. When we learn to praise God, we
experience joy.
And
the chapter ends with another next generation of kings. “The
people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him
king in place of his father“.
As we will read, this king of Judah will be the closest thing to a
righteous man since King David. “Jeroboam
son of Jehoash king of Israel became king…
He
did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of
the sins of Jeroboam“.
This was Jeroboam II, and he was as bad as the original. Please
notice, God does not make everything perfect for the “good guy”
and everything bad for the “bad guy”. As the chapter ends, we
read, “The
Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel… was suffering; there
was no one to help them. And since the Lord had not said he would
blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the
hand of Jeroboam“.
It is a mistake to believe that when we succeed, God is condoning
our actions.
God often uses unjust men to accomplish His perfect will. Do
you want God’s wisdom? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us where to
begin, “with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus“.