Chapter 25
2022 - This verse:
4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin." [2Ch 25:4 ESV]. I have seen this before. This principle is codified in the Law of Moses as to how a nation ought to be run, and likely applies to interpersonal conflict. Then in Ezekiel 18, we see that God also applies this principle to himself, in that he does not send a son to hell for the actions of his father. So this applies both physically and spiritually.
Amaziah's story, as in 2K14. More details on Amaziah's battle with Edom. He musters 300,000 men from Judah and Benjamin, plus 100,000 mercenaries from Israel.
2024 - This is quite a fall from over a million men that we saw back in Chapter 17 under Jehoshaphat. How did they lose 700,000 men in this short time. How many were lost in assisting Ahab against Gilead? It would be worth going back and detailing the battles that took place, and with whom. We know that just in the last chapter that Aram sacked Jerusalem and killed many. We do not see, at least not in 2Chr, that there was any organized resistance to this...indicating that the army was already much diminished.
A prophet tells Amaziah that God is not with Israel, and they he won't need those men, to send them home. Amaziah has already paid them, but sends them home with their money. The men of Israel are fiercely angry about this. Probably because they missed out on the real loot, though they did make 100 talents of silver. That is not much silver per man when divided up. This rebuff of the soldiers of Israel may in part account for Joash's rebuff of Amaziah's invitation to visit him face to face in Jerusalem. Does the convoluted reply of Joash to that invitation apply to the dismissal of the mercenaries? No...not as I read it. Perhaps the thistle is Amaziah, the cedar is Joash, and the daughter for the son is about Athaliah and the marriage of "consolidation" that occurred earlier. Joash is saying that the alliance begun then is not binding on him, and that he is prepared to make war on Israel despite what previous kings had agreed to. Yes. I think that is the meaning of this convoluted message.
2024 - Went back and read the MSB notes at 2Kings 14:8 cf. MSB says that Amaziah is the thorn bush - a worthless and irritating little plant - and Joash, or Jehoash, depending on where you look, is the mighty cedar. The implication is that since he defeated Moab, Amaziah thinks he and his 300k are pretty tough - the equals of all Israel. Joash does not think so. The we get vs 20, which tells us God had ordained all this to bring Amaziah down, because he brought home and worshiped the gods of the people he had just defeated. What a maroon.
2022 - This verse:
5 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. [2Ch 25:5 ESV].
A good principle of military organization here. Draft whole families, whole households, and then put them in the same units. I would expect the fighting to be much more spirited if it is your son or father, uncle or cousin who is fighting next to you. Built in teamwork, built in self-sacrifice for your fellow soldiers...but a hard hard thing when people died.
Amaziah wins his battle with Edom, killing 10,000 in the battle and then throwing another 10,000 off a cliff to their deaths. The angry mercenaries take the moment to raid into Judah, kill 3,000 people, and take much loot. They likely spread terror where ever they went. The mercenaries knew that the main army was far away in the south, and they were free to do as they liked. No "rule of law" could oppose them.
Amaziah brings home the gods of Seir, and worships them. A prophet points out that those gods couldn't help their own people, so it is kind of silly to worship them. Amaziah threatens the prophet unless he keeps silent. But the prophet does say that God has determined to destroy Amaziah.
Then Amaziah contacts Joash in Israel. It turns out that this was because God wanted Amaziah destroyed over the gods of Seir he worshiped and chose this method to accomplish it.
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom. [2Ch 25:20 ESV] This is another of those things that seems to be beyond all reason and logic. Amaziah makes decisions that we just cannot understand. Unwise, thoughtless, reckless, whatever. This is now the second time I have noticed such a thing, where historical actions seem contradictory to good sense, yet they happened because God had decided that human history needed to go a certain way. The time before it was the angel that came forth and said he would put lies in the false prophets mouths so Ahab would fall.
It was also because of these gods that the conspiracy was formed against him, and led eventually to his death. This verse:
27 From the time when he turned away from the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. [2Ch 25:27 ESV]
So this was his downfall. The conspiracy was not about the lost battle, but about the won battle, and the gods of Seir that Amaziah foolishly brought home with him. Mind-boggling that he would do that.
First notes, 9/1/18
Amaziah becomes king in Judah. He has his father's murderers killed. In II Chronicles we find this description of him:
And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord , but not with a loyal heart.
II Chronicles 25:2 NKJV
God requires more than appearance, no matter how accurate that appearance might be. He requires the same of us.
Amaziah went to war with Edom. He hired 10,000 mercenaries from Israel. He was warned to send them home or lose to Edom because God was unhappy with Israel. He sends them home but they are angry. They got paid but they got no spoil. They felt cheated of something not theirs to begin with.
Amaziah kills 10,000 in Edom, and throws 10,000 captives off a cliff, dashing them in pieces. And we are today horrified by the tactics of Isis. They are nothing new. This may have been the end of the people of Esau for all time.
The Samaritans he sent home raid cities in Judah and kill 3000 people and take much spoil while Amaziah is busy in Edom.
Amaziah brings the gods of Edom home and begins to worship them. How dumb is that? They lost! God is angered, sends a prophet who is rebuffed, and God determines to destroy Amaziah.
Israel defeats Judah in battle as a result, and Israel knocks down 400 cubits of Jerusalem's wall. 15 years later, Amaziah's own people murder him, and make his son king.
At least this seems clear. God's justice towards Amaziah's apostasy is clear to us. God's ways parallel our sense of justice here. But God is just even when it is not at all clear to us.