Amaziah's Victories

                                                               2 Chronicles 25:5-13

 

August 11, 2023

 

Amaziah's Victories

Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward and found that they were 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.  He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver.  But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites.  But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose, that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has the power to help or to cast down.”  And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”  Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger.  But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir.  The men of Judah captured another 10,000 alive and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces.  But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.

Would anyone in the current leadership of the USA listen to a man of God, are would they go on with the plans they had?  Maybe a better question would a man of God have access to our President?  Amaziah listened and did what the man of God told him to do, but much would have been different if Amaziah had sought God’s direction before hiring the Ephraimites of Israel?

 

As followers of Christ, we have been given a clear understanding of the need to first seek God’s council, before all decisions.  Many of my problems were entering into business and family matters without seeking the council of the Lord.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice