This is the second of my several takes on Amaziah’s life. This king of Judah started well, made a startlingly bad decision, heard an offer of grace, but slapped it down. Even so, God granted him a stamp of approval. Look at what I mean.
2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart. (2 Chronicles 25:2–ESV)
That is the stamp of God on Amaziah’s life. Overall it was right (see this entry for a word about that), but he did not get a 5-star rating. The main course of his life was approved, but it came with a rotten side dish. The up-charge for that not-so-premium side would bite.
Guess what? After I read of Amaziah’s dealings, I did not agree with verse 2. Approved? Seriously? “Yep, Lane, that is what the Bible says.” God had to teach me some things about that, and I will write about them in a future entry. In the meantime, let us head to war with Amaziah.
11 But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir. 12 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. (2 Chronicles 25:11-12–ESV)
In the last lesson, we read about Amaziah’s start. We saw his intention to bring Edom, that rebellious vassal-nation, to heal. He brought his nation together, and held large-scale war trials, and distilled a corps 300,000 strong. Arranged into what we would call companies and battalions they marched south, led by Amaziah to war.
More than 50 years earlier, his great-grandfather, Joram of Judah, made this same trek, a trek to quell Edom’s rebellion. Back then, however, it seems that Joram’s overzealous chariot company out-paced the infantry. Chariots may constitute an army’s power base, but they still must be supported by their infantry. Joram’s charge led to his being isolated, surrounded, and only barely escaping through a hastily arranged night-fight/flight. That and some follow-on events wrecked Joram’s reign; he went on to an ignoble end (2 Chronicles 21:18 and following provides some details).
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