Amaziah’s Limited Reality

Synopsis     2Chron 25:10-18     4/23/2020 

King Amaziah invaded Edom. However, before he went, a prophet of the Lord told the king that God did not want Ephraimite mercenaries in the ranks. So, Amaziah disbanded the mercenaries and sent them back to Ephraim.  

The mercenaries were frustrated because their pay was dependent on gaining spoils from the battle. So, they looted the Benjamite villages along their path back to Ephraim. 

The battle against Edom and Mount Seir was a huge success. Amaziah’s soldiers brought back a large haul of spoils from the battle. And the king brought back Edomite idols from Mount Seir.  

But almost immediately, the king began worshipping the idols that he had captured in the battle. So, the prophet returned. Unfortunately, he refused to listen and sent the prophet away.  

Afterward, he provoked the King Joash of the northern kingdom with a challenging letter. 

Amaziah’s Limited Reality 

Amaziah was the king of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. And his glorious palace was right next door to King Solomon’s glorious Temple. Yet, he worshipped idols. 

Just as the prophet wondered, we wonder how Amaziah could make this exchange. 

In this way, we both forgot that the power of idols is in their tangibility and attractiveness.  

The making of idols was a craft. And the best of the pagan’s worlds idols was also the best of the pagan world’s art. These idols were exotic. And they were crafted with great skill.  

Of course, that doesn’t make them god-like. But it does make them enchanting and attractive.   

The Tangible vs The Real 

God is spirit. And those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.  

This is a hard claim. I live in a world of tangible things. Money. Power. Glorious or Inglorious fame. These are tangible.  

This is the hardest part. I have struggled to comprehend that the things most real are invisible and the things that never really last are the things right in front of me.  

So, my prayer – may we all see that which is real this day. May our sight be rightly ordered. 

“as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2Cor 4:18