Scripture Thought (What I Learned):
Chapter 25: Amaziah is Slain
Amaziah was twenty-five
years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he
did what was right in the sight of the Lord. As soon as the
kingdom was established, he executed his servants who had murdered his father
the king. However he did not execute 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.” (2
Chronicles 25:4)
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah
together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,
according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and
Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them
to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could
handle spear and shield. He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor
from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came 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. 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.” (2 Chronicles 25:7-8)
Then 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.” (2 Chronicles 25:9)
So Amaziah discharged the troops
that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was great
against Judah, and they returned home angry. Then Amaziah strengthened himself,
and leading his people, he went to the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand
of the people of Seir. Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand
alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of
the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces. But as for the soldiers of
the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to
battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed
three thousand in them, and took much spoil.
After Amaziah came from the
slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them
up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to
them. Therefore the anger of the Lord was against Amaziah, and He
sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why hast thou sought after the gods of the
people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?” (2
Chronicles 25:15) So it was, as he talked with him, that the
king said to him, “…Art thou mad of the Kings counsel? Forbear;
why shouldest thou be smitten?” (2 Chronicles 25:16) Then the prophet
ceased, and said, “…I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast
done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.” (2 Chronicles 25:16)
Now Amaziah king of Judah asked
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.” (2 Chronicles
25:17) 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. Thou sayest, Lo,
thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth up to boast: abide now
at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall,
even thou, and Judah with thee?” (2 Chronicles 25:18-19) But Amaziah
would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give
them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of
Edom.
So Joash king of Israel went out;
and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to
Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. Then
Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the
son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke
down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate; four
hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles
that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king’s
house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
Amaziah the son of Joash, king of
Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king
of Israel. The rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, are
written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel, another lost book of the
Bible. After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD,
they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but
they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. Then they brought him on
horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.
Chapter 26: Uziah Reigns/Leprosy
Now
all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and
made him king instead of his father Amaziah. He built Elath and restored it to
Judah, after the king rested with his fathers. Uzziah was sixteen
years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His
mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right
in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had
done. He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the
visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.
Now
he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of
Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod
and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, against the
Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. Also the Ammonites
brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for
he became exceedingly strong. And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the
Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then
he fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for
he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also
had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved
the soil. Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies,
according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and
Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s
captains. The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two
thousand six hundred. And under their authority was an army of three
hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to
help the king against the enemy. Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire
army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones.
And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers
and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and
wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.
But
when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for
he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of
the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
So
Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of
the LORD; valiant men. And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to
him, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord,
but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go
out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine
honour from the Lord God.” (2 Chronicles 26:18) Then Uzziah became
furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he
was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the
priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. And Azariah
the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead,
he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also
hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him. King Uzziah was
a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he
was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham
his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
The
rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of
Amoz wrote. So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his
fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they
said, “…He is a leper.” (2 Chronicles 26:23) Then Jotham his son
reigned in his place.
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