2 CHRONICLES LESSON 25
We will begin this lesson in II Chronicles 25:1 "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."
Joash must have been 22 years old, when Amaziah was born.
Jehoaddan, was chosen by Jehoiada to be the wife of Joash. Since
Jehoiada was a Godly influence on Joash during his life, we know he
must have chosen a Godly wife for Joash. Possibly, the reason that
Amaziah was a believer in the LORD was, because of the training he got
in the home from his mother.
II Chronicles 25:2 "And he did [that which was] right in the
sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart."
It appears, that Amaziah started out as a king seeking God's own
heart, but strayed in the latter part of his reign, as his father did.
II Chronicles 25:3 "Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was
established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king
his father."
We remember, from the previous lesson, that Joash was sick and in
his own bed, when the servants came and killed him. Amaziah sought the
servants out who killed his father and killed them.
II Chronicles 25:4 "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."
We see, from this, that Amaziah knew the law, and observed it in
this instance. He seemed to want to please God in the judgements he
made.
II Chronicles 25:5 "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."
The army had been greatly scattered after the attack by the
Syrians. This is a re-grouping of the army. 300,000 men would be a
fairly large army for such a small land.
II Chronicles 25:6 "He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men
of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver."
A talent weighed 125 pounds, or 1,500 ounces. 100 talents would
be 150,000 ounces of silver. This means he paid 1.5 ounces of silver
for each man to fight.
II Chronicles 25:7 "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."
We saw in the last lesson, that God continued to send warnings to
Judah by the prophets. The man of God, here, is a prophet sent to warn
them.
II Chronicles 25:8 "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."
This is the message that the prophet gave to Amaziah. It would be
up to Amaziah to heed this warning. So many times, a man of great
worldly power will not change a decision he has made, for fear of
looking foolish to his people. If Amaziah heeded this message from God
under this great pressure, it would indicate that he was seeking to do
God's will.
II Chronicles 25:9 "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."
He had already paid Israel the silver to help him. Now, he would
lose his silver, if he sent them home. That little amount of silver is
nothing to the LORD who owns everything. If he would step out in faith
and do the will of the LORD, he would receive many times that amount
of silver from the LORD. This would take a great deal of faith that
this message was from God.
II Chronicles 25:10 "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."
The Israelites, specifically from Ephraim, did not want to be
sent home. They, possibly, thought they would get some of the spoil of
the battle, if they stayed. It, also, was an affront to them that they
were no longer needed in this battle.
II Chronicles 25:11 "And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led
forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the
children of Seir ten thousand." II Chronicles 25:12 "And [other] ten
thousand [left] alive did the children of Judah carry away captive,
and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the
top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces."
The top of the rock, here, is speaking of Petra. Even after
Amaziah sent the troops of Ephraim home, he still depended upon his
own strength, instead of the strength of God. He went to battle near
the Dead Sea. The ten thousand he smote at the sea, were in addition
to those he threw off of the rock and killed.
II Chronicles 25:13 "But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah
sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the
cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote three
thousand of them, and took much spoil."
Those of Ephraim, that Amaziah had sent home, took advantage of
Amaziah's troops being gone to war, and attacked the villages of
Judah. It appears, they killed 3,000 of Judah's people.
II Chronicles 25:14 "Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was
come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of
the children of Seir, and set them up [to be] his gods, and bowed down
himself before them, and burned incense unto them."
This was a terrible thing to do. It appears, that the faith
Amaziah had in God was short lived. He could not have had deep
convictions, or else, he would not have brought these false gods home
from Edom with him.
II Chronicles 25:15 "Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled
against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him,
Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not
deliver their own people out of thine hand?"
This was a very good question. If those false gods had any power,
they would have saved the people who worshipped them.
II Chronicles 25:16 "And it came to pass, as he talked with him,
that [the king] said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel?
forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and
said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou
hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel."
Amaziah warned the prophet to stop speaking, if he wanted to
live. The prophet had already spoken what the LORD had sent him to
say, and there was nothing more to say, so he did stop. He did not
stop because Amaziah threatened him, but because he had already given
the message God had given him. He told Amaziah that God would destroy
him for bringing the false gods back and worshipping them.
II Chronicles 25:17 "Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and
sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel,
saying, Come, let us see one another in the face."
Amaziah was so proud of himself for his victory over Seir, that
he now thought he could win over Israel. This was a challenge to Joash
of Israel to come to battle with him.
II Chronicles 25:18 "And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah
king of Judah, saying, The thistle that [was] in Lebanon sent to the
cedar that [was] in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to
wife: and there passed by a wild beast that [was] in Lebanon, and
trode down the thistle." II Chronicles 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?"
We see that Joash of Israel had no love for Amaziah. He told
Amaziah that just because he had won a battle with Edom, did not mean
that he could fight against Israel. He was speaking of Judah as the
thistle and Israel as the cedar. He warned Amaziah not to go to battle
with Israel. Amaziah and Judah would be severely hurt in a battle of
this nature.
II Chronicles 25:20 "But Amaziah would not hear; for it [came] of
God, that he might deliver them into the hand [of their enemies],
because they sought after the gods of Edom."
God put it in the heart of Amaziah to go against Israel, so that
He could punish him for bringing back the false gods of Edom and
worshipping them. God was jealous. He would not allow the worship of
false gods.
II Chronicles 25:21 "So Joash the king of Israel went up; and
they saw one another in the face, [both] he and Amaziah king of Judah,
at Beth-shemesh, which [belongeth] to Judah." II Chronicles 25:22 "And
Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to
his tent."
It is interesting, to me, that this battle took place in Judah.
It appears, that Israel might have been the aggressor here. God
punished Judah by Israel winning the battle. The soldiers of Judah ran
home to their own tents.
II Chronicles 25:23 "And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah
king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh,
and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem
from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits."
It was as if Joash wanted Amaziah to see the destruction of
Jerusalem. He tore down 600 feet of the wall in front of Amaziah.
II Chronicles 25:24 "And [he took] all the gold and the silver,
and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-
edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and
returned to Samaria."
The person, who was in charge of the treasures in the temple at
this time, seemed to be Obed-edom. Joash of Israel robbed the temple.
He did not keep Jerusalem. He just took the people, who had been
captives there, and all of the wealth of the land.
II Chronicles 25:25 "And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah
lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen
years."
It appears, that Amaziah of Judah out-lived Joash of Israel by
fifteen years.
II Chronicles 25:26 "Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first
and last, behold, [are] they not written in the book of the kings of
Judah and Israel?"
Again, we see that more details on the reign of King Amaziah are
found in the book of Kings in the Bible.
II Chronicles 25:27 "Now after the time that Amaziah did turn
away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in
Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him,
and slew him there."
This was speaking of Amaziah's own people turning against him,
and killing him. It appears, the conspiracy had been growing in
strength, since he came back from his battle, when he brought the
idols from Edom. He did not feel safe in Jerusalem, and ran to Lachish
where he was killed.
II Chronicles 25:28 "And they brought him upon horses, and buried
him with his fathers in the city of Judah."
He had an honorable burial in Jerusalem. The people who killed
him, brought him back to Jerusalem on his horses that he had fled on.
2 Chronicles 25 Questions
1. How old was Amaziah, when he began to reign?
2. How long did he reign?
3. How old was Joash, when his son, Amaziah, was born?
4. Who had chosen the wives of Joash of Judah?
5. Amaziah did that which was _________in the sight of the LORD.
6. Who did Amaziah kill, as soon as he was established in his
kingdom?
7. Why did he not kill their families?
8. How many men of war in Judah and Jerusalem did he bring together?
9. Who did he hire to help his troops?
10. How much does a talent of silver weigh?
11. What message did the man of God bring him?
12. What does verse 8 say, God has the power to do?
13. What question did Amaziah ask the prophet of God?
14. What was the answer he gave?
15. How did the Israelites, who had been hired, feel about being sent
home?
16. Who strengthened Amaziah?
17. The top of the rock, in verse 12, is speaking of _________.
18. How many did Amaziah smite at the Dead Sea?
19. The soldiers that Amaziah sent back, did what, instead of going
home?
20. What terrible thing did Amaziah do, when he came from the
slaughter of the Edomites?
21. What message did God send Amaziah by a prophet?
22. Why did Amaziah want to go to war again?
23. Who does he challenge to a war?
24. What did Joash of Israel tell him he should do?
25. Where did the two kings meet in battle?
26. Who won?
27. What did the king of Israel take from Jerusalem?
28. Who had been in charge of the temple treasures?
29. How long did Amaziah live, after Joash of Israel?
30. How, and where, was Amaziah killed?
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