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Jan 2, 2007

Don't Stop Running the Good Race

Background: 2 Kings 14:1-21, talks about a story from the life of a king named Ahaziah. He did what was right and followed God, though not wholeheartedly. He did some nice things during his reign, but made one grave mistake. I take details of his life from 2 Chronicles 25( since it has a detailed account of his works).


Lessons from the mistakes of king Amaziah

  1. A good start of reign- "3 After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4 Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law," He tried to keep the law of God.
  2. Followed or listened to God's prophet-"7 But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel--not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." When Amaziah was planning for the battle at Edom, he has hired some Israelites to be in his army, but a word came through a prophet of God saying he shouldn't take them with him else he'd lose.
  3. Diluted motivation for obeying God-No doubt he listened to the man of God, but now his motive had been diluted by greed. He weighed the question about how he could get the money back, which he had paid to get those Israelite soldier, "9 Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?" The man of God replied, "The Lord can give you much more than that." and Amaziah sent the Israelite troops back, not because, now he was being obedient, he was being obedient, because he was waiting to get something in response. His motivation so easily swayed right away from obedience to reward zone membership!!!
  4. Pride and foolishness- I think the easy win, got to his head and "14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them." Can you see that? He forgot who had given him victory and immediately turned to gods who weren't even gods.Moreover, in his arrogance and defiance, he threatened the man of God who had guided him through good counsel from God.

Conclusion: He started well, he kept the law laid long ago, but he fell right at the very first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" . He allowed pride to take the best of him. Sometimes we stop at one big move of God and want to make camp there, making that moment a shrine, rather than knowing the God who did it. This man was so blinded by the achievement he had found through God he forgot God was behind it all the while, in spite of having heard from God's prophet. I asked myself, do I love God the way I do, for something I need from Him, or because He is God and He loved me first and I am simply reciprocating His love for me?? How about you? Let's not give up the motivation of Jesus our Lord's love for me.

Galatians 5:7 "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

2 comments :

uncommon1 said...

hey i started reading Ruth like you suggested and i'm now in I Kings! i wanted to do your "lessons" along with my reading but it hasn't worked out yet. hard to get any peace/quiet time with a 22 month old and wife. but i am reading and i plan to start studying on my own, starting with john 3:16. i'm still gonna try and do your lessnos along with my reading.

An Ordinary Christian said...

A little levin (how does one spell that?) goes through the whole dough. I think when someone has a "little" disobedience, they are headed for trouble. I'm scared of that, of what I would get myself into with a little disobedience. I'm sinful enough as it is, without not withholding everything I have to give to God (hope that makes sense).