2 Chronicles 25:1 says, Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. Amaziah was twenty-five when he became king of Judah, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. He wasn't that old when he started to rule nor was he that old when he ended his reign. We may start serving God when we are fairly young, but that doesn't ensure that we are going to have a long life here on earth. Many great Christians today die much too young, but they live forever with God. Verse two adds, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Basically, Amaziah went through the motions of worshipping God and did not go against Him, but he did so without any real zeal for following God's will. It is not enough to just go through the motions of worship if we have no zeal to do what God calls us to do nor a personal relationship with God. Verse three continues, Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father. When his kingdom was established, he had his servants that had killed his father killed. Matthew Henry says that even though they likely killed the king for his having had God's prophets killed, it was not their responsibility presume to do God's work. We, as followers of Christ, are not called on to be judge, jury, and executioner of those who are going against God, but we are to reach out to them with the gospel instead. Verse four states, But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin. At least Amaziah did not kill the children of those who had killed his father the king but said that fathers should not die for the sins of their children, nor should children die for the sins of their fathers, but that everyman should die for his own sins. This is God's truth. Every person will be judged for their own sins. Verse five adds, Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield. Amaziah then began to organize the people of Judah into an army, establishing captains over the people according to who their father was. He also numbered them and had three hundred thousand men over twenty who were referred to as choice men able to go to war and who could handle a spear and shield. We are all a part of the army of God, but our purpose is not to kill our enemies, but to reach out to them with the gospel while being protected by the armor of God. Verse six continues, He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver. He then reached out to Israel and hired a hundred thousand of the Israelites to supplement his forces. We should never reach out to lost people to protect us spiritually today, but must rely on God and His people, our fellow Christians, to fight with us as we are guided by the Holy Spirit. Verse seven says, 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. A man of God came to Amaziah and told him to not let the army of Israel go with him, because God was not with them, since they had turned away from Him. We cannot ally ourselves with non-believers in order to find spiritual security today but must rely on God alone to give us that security. Verse eight adds, But if thou wilt go, do it; be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. Amaziah was told that if he went into battle with them that he was going to lose, because he would be relying on something other than God to give him the victory. He was also reminded that God had the ability to help or to cast down. The implication was that if Amaziah remained true to God, then God would give him victory over his enemies, and he didn't need those who didn't follow God to help him. We as followers of Christ need to rely on God alone to keep us spiritually safe, and He has already won the victory. Verse nine continues, And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. Amaziah was worried about the money he had paid the people of Israel more than he was in doing what God commanded it would seem. He said if he sent them away, he was going to lose the hundred talents that he had paid them. If we have invested in something that goes against God's will in our life, we need to be more concerned with repenting and being restored to a right relationship with Him more than we are with what it may cost us financially. Amaziah was told that God was able to give him much more than what he might lose by doing what God commanded. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have already gained more than we will ever lose, so we should never be concerned about what it might cost us financially. Verse ten concludes, Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger. To his credit, Amaziah listened to the prophet of God and sent the army of Israel home, but this made them mad. When we do what God calls on us to do, we may make the people of the world mad at us, but we cannot allow that to stop us from doing what God tells us to do.
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