2 Chronicles 25:1-13 (October 14th, 2025)

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart. 3 And as soon as the royal power was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. 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.”

Amaziah's Victories

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. 6 He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents[a] of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. 8 But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” 9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” 10 Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. 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. 13 But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.

Half-Hearted Obedience: The Folly of Trusting in Man

Summary

Amaziah, son of Joash, became king at twenty-five and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The Chronicler gives a telling evaluation:

Amaziah began well. He executed the officials who had murdered his father but spared their children, obeying the Mosaic law which said, “The fathers shall not be put to death because of their children” (v. 4). His early acts showed a measure of justice and restraint.

However, when preparing for war against Edom, Amaziah revealed his spiritual compromise. He organized his army (300,000 men of Judah), and hired 100,000 mercenaries from Israel for a vast sum of silver (v. 6). It seemed a reasonable move to strengthen national defense. But God sent a prophet to warn him:

Amaziah hesitated. His concern was not for God’s glory but for his investment:

The prophet replied with a timeless truth:

By faith, Amaziah obeyed—sending back the mercenaries, even though they were angry and later raided Judah’s cities in revenge (v. 10–13). He then went on to defeat the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, striking down ten thousand and capturing another ten thousand alive.

The story reveals the tension between partial obedience and full trust. Amaziah obeyed God’s word but reluctantly, calculating the loss rather than resting in divine sufficiency. His victory was real, but his heart remained divided.

Who is God?

God provides faithfully to those who seek Him not with a partial but wholehearted trust. He gives “much more than this,” meaning He provides more than money, alliances, or human security can ever offer. God is not honored by reluctant compliance but by joyful faith. He calls His people to trust His sufficiency even when obedience seems costly or illogical.

What is Our Guilt?

Our guilt mirrors Amaziah’s hesitation. Our problem is that we obey, but not with a whole heart. We question God’s commands when obedience threatens our comfort or investment. We ask, “But what about what I’ll lose?” instead of “What might God do if I trust Him?” Like Amaziah, we are prone to transactional "faith"—seeking to balance obedience and personal cost rather than surrendering in full trust.

We often measure our obedience by the results or convenience it yields. But remember! Half-hearted faith leaves us spiritually vulnerable. The "mercenaries" we hire—the worldly means we trust—eventually turn on us.

How Does Grace Shine?

Grace shines in God’s patience and provision. Despite Amaziah’s weak faith, God still granted victory. This shows that God’s faithfulness exceeds our frailty. Yet this grace is also corrective. It invites us to move from reluctant obedience to joyful dependence.

Ultimately, this story points to Christ, who obeyed the Father not reluctantly but wholeheartedly. In the wilderness, He refused Satan’s shortcuts. On the cross, He trusted the Father fully, even when it cost Him everything. His perfect obedience secures our salvation and strengthens our wavering hearts.

Through Christ, we learn that faith is not a transaction but a relationship. Let's pursue a life of trusting God, remembering that “the Lord is able to give you much more than this.”

Prayer

O Lord,

Forgive us for obeying You only when it feels safe or reasonable.

We confess our divided hearts, our fear of loss, and our trust in human means.

Thank You that You are able to give far more than we could ever lose by trusting You.

Teach us to obey not with calculation but with confidence,

not out of fear but out of love,

as Jesus did, who trusted You fully even unto death.

In His name we pray. Amen.