The King Who Bowed to a Defeated Enemy

The reign and life of King Amaziah.

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Amaziah comes to the throne of Judah under difficult circumstances - his father has just been murdered by his own servants.

The biblical text seems to drop several hints that Amaziah tried to be like King David, but he ended up falling woefully short of David’s example.

Timeline of the Kings of Judah.

The Overview.

Amaziah became king of Judah when he was 25 years old and reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddan (“Jehovah delights” or “Jehovah-pleased”), a local girl from Jerusalem. When Jehoiada arranged Joash’s marriages, he did not look to any foreign nation but chose a wife for the king from among God’s own people (2 Chronicles 24:3).

Amaziah did what was right in God’s sight, yet not like David. Instead, “he did everything as his father Joash had done” (2 Kings 14:3). The high places were not removed, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there (2 Kings 14:4).

While David was the king “after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), Amaziah's heart was not loyal to the Lord (2 Chronicles 25:2). This phrase is an ominous sign of what the future holds for Amaziah’s reign.

Amaziah Executes His Father’s Murderers.

As soon as Amaziah’s throne was secure, he executed the men who had murdered his father (2 Kings 12:20-21). Amaziah carried out justice rather than seeking revenge. He only executed the men who killed his father - he did not execute their families.

Amaziah’s first official act as king showed him to be concerned with following the law of God and being a just judge (Deuteronomy 24:16). Early on in his reign, Amaziah knew God’s law and held himself accountable to obey God’s law (Deuteronomy 17:17-18).

Like King David, Amaziah executed those who had lifted their hand against the Lord’s anointed (2 Samuel 1:14-16).

Victories and Defeats in Battle.

While Amaziah is initially victorious on the battlefield, his overconfidence leads to a colossal defeat. Even his victory becomes the source of his eventual demise.

Amaziah Builds His Army.

When Amaziah gathered his military together and organized them, he had 300,000 “choice" troops, ready to go to war and able to handle a spear and shield (2 Chronicles 25:5). To bolster his army, Amaziah also hired 100,000 mighty warriors from Israel for 100 talents of silver - worth perhaps as much as $3.6 million in today’s money (2 Chronicles 25:6).

However, “a man of God” - a prophet - came to Amaziah and told him:

"O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow” (2 Chronicles 25:7-8)

Amaziah was told not to take any of the soldiers from the northern kingdom with him because God was not with them. If the king decided to reject God’s command, even if they fought bravely in battle, God would cause them to fall.

Amaziah asked, “What am I going to do about the 100 talents of silver I’ve already paid the troops from Israel?” The prophet answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this” (2 Chronicles 25:9).

So Amaziah obeyed the Lord and sent the troops from Israel back home. They returned home with “their anger greatly aroused against Judah” (2 Chronicles 25:10). They missed out on gaining from the spoils of victory, and that loss is likely what fueled their anger and caused them to “burn with wrath” (BBE).

Amaziah’s Victory Over Edom.

Amaziah strengthened his own army and led them into battle against Edom in the Valley of Salt. King David made a name for himself in this valley by defeating 18,000 Syrians and gaining military control over Edom (2 Samuel 8:13-14).

Meanwhile, Amaziah killed 10,000 people from Edom in the Valley of Salt. They also took 10,000 captives and threw them off the edge of a cliff “so they all were dashed in pieces” (2 Chronicles 25:11-12).

But while Amaziah was enjoying a great victory in Edom, the “disgruntled” soldiers from Israel raided cities of Judah - killing 3,000 people and taking “much spoil” for themselves (2 Chronicles 25:13).

Amaziah’s Defeat Against Israel.

Afterward, Amaziah gets advice from his counselors and decides to challenge the king of Israel to battle (2 Chronicles 25:17). Joash, the king of Israel, sent back a message that basically warned Amaziah not to mess with him (2 Chronicles 25:18-19).

But Amaziah would not listen, because God was involved in this to bring about his downfall (2 Chronicles 25:20). Judah was defeated in battle and thourghly embarrassed by the king of Israel, who broke down a huge section of Jerusalem’s wall, took all the gold, silver, and articles found in the house of God, the king’s treasures, and carried off hostages to Samaria (2 Chronicles 25:21-24).

Amaziah’s embarrassing defeat was the result of a catastrophic decision he made after his victory in Edom.

Amaziah’s Fatal Mistake.

After Judah’s slaughter of the Edomites, Amaziah took the idols of the Edomites, set them up to be his gods, bowed down to them, and offered incense to them (2 Chronicles 25:14).

The Lord’s anger burned against Amaziah because of his idolatry, and the Lord sent a prophet to Amaziah saying, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?” (2 Chronicles 25:15).

If the idols of Edom couldn’t rescue them from Amaziah’s hand, why would Amaziah worship their gods? The picture here is that the victor is bowing before the ones he has defeated.

Amaziah tells God’s prophet, “Have I made you one of my advisors? Be quiet! Do you want to die too?” The prophet became quiet, and then said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice” (2 Chronicles 25:16).

And so, Judah lost the battle against Israel because of Amaziah’s foolish decision to bow down before Edom’s idols. But this isn’t the end of the story.

It seems Amaziah’s idolatry was not forgotten among the people of Judah, and “they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem.” Amaziah is forced to flee to Lachish - considered the second most important city of Judah behind Jerusalem - but is killed there (2 Chronicles 25:27).

His body was returned to Jerusalem on horses and was buried with his fathers “in the City of Judah” or “David” (2 Chronicles 25:28).

Crowning Principles.

Don’t underestimate the importance of loyalty to God.

Amaziah strikes me as a king who desperately wants to be “David 2.0.” He executes his father’s murderers, as David executed the murderers of Saul. He builds the military as David did; he even goes to battle in the same valley where David fought and “made a name for himself.”

But he falls far short of being like David - why? Because unlike David, he was not loyal to God.

Amaziah wanted the success that David had without the faith of David. However, David’s legacy and success as king were because of his faith and loyalty to the Lord.

Perhaps one of the reasons God’s people struggle today is because we try to follow the successful “methods” of past leaders without following their example of great faith in God.

Don’t bow down to the enemies God has defeated.

Amaziah’s folly was that he worshipped the idols of the nation the Lord had given him the victory over in battle. His God had proven Himself to be greater than the gods of Edom, and yet, Amaziah bows before the gods of Edom rather than his God.

Jesus came into this world (John 3:16) to die and be raised from the dead to “destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus triumphed over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:20-26). God gives Christians “the victory” over sin and death “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

Sin is an enemy Jesus Christ has defeated. Christians must not bow down to enemies our Lord has defeated in battle.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14)