1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: twenty five and will be reading from the contemporary English version. 6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: Amaziah was twenty five years old when he became king, 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: and he ruled twenty nine years from Jerusalem, the hometown 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: of his mother Jehoedin. Even though Amaziah obeyed the Lord 9 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: by doing right, he refused to be completely faithful. For example, 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: as soon as he had control of Judah, he arrested 11 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: and killed the officers who had murdered his father, but 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: the children of those officers were not killed. The Lord 13 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the 14 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: people who sinned were to be punished. Amaziah sent a 15 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called 16 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: together all the men who were twenty years old and older. 17 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,040 Speaker 1: Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them 18 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields. 19 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,479 Speaker 1: Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put 20 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: them under the command of his army. Officers. Amazia also 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 1: paid almost four tons of silver to hire one hundred 22 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: thousand soldiers from Israel. One of God's prophets said, your majesty, 23 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: don't let these Israelite soldiers march into battle with you. 24 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: The Lord has refused to help anyone from the northern 25 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: Kingdom of Israel, and so he will let your enemies 26 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: defeat you, even if you fight hard. He is the 27 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: one who brings both victory and defeat. Amaziah replied, what 28 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: am I supposed to do about all the silver I 29 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 1: paid those troops. The Lord will give you back even 30 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: more than you paid, the prophet answered. Amaziah ordered the 31 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: troops from Israel to go home, but when they left, 32 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: they were furious with the people of Judah. After Amaziah 33 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: got his courage back, he led his troops to Salt Valley, 34 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: where he killed ten thousand Edamite soldiers in battle. He 35 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: captured ten thousand more soldiers and dragged them to the 36 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: top of a high cliff. Then he pushed them over 37 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: the side and they all were killed on the rocks below. Meanwhile, 38 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: the Israelite troops that Amaziah had sent home raided the 39 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: towns in Judah between Samaria and Beth Huran. They killed 40 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: three thousand people and carried off their possessions. After Amaziah 41 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: had defeated the Edamite army, he returned to Jerusalem. He 42 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: took with him the idols of the Edamite gods and 43 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: set them up. Then he bowed down and offered them sacrifices. 44 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: This made the lord very angry, and he sent a 45 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 1: prophet to act. Ask Amaziah, why would you worship these 46 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: foreign gods that couldn't even save their own people from 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: your attack. But before the prophet finished speaking, Amaziah interrupted 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: and said, you're not one of my advisers. Don't say 49 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: another word, or I'll have you killed. The prophet stopped, 50 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: but then he added, first you sinned, and now you've 51 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: ignored my warning. It's clear that God has decided to 52 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: punish you. King Amaziah of Judah talked with his officials, 53 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: then sent a message to King joho Ash of Israel, 54 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: come out and face me in battle. Jeho Ash sent 55 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: back a reply that said, once upon a time, a 56 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: small thorn bush in Lebanon arranged the marriage between his 57 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: son and the daughter of a large cedar tree. But 58 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush, Amazia. 59 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: You think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom, but 60 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: stay at home and do your celebrating. If you cause 61 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will 62 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: be destroyed. God made Amaziah stubborn because he was planning 63 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: to punish him for worshiping the Edomite gods. Amaziah refused 64 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: to listen to Jehoash's warning, so Jehoash led his army 65 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: to the town of Bethshemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah 66 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: and his troops. During the battle, Judah's army was crushed. 67 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: Every soldier from Judah ran back home, and Jehoash captured Amaziah. 68 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: Jehoash took Amaziah with him when he went to attack Jerusalem. 69 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: Jehoash broke down the city wall from Ephrium Gate to Cornergate, 70 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: a section about six hundred feet long. He carried away 71 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: the gold, the silver, and all the valuable furnishings from 72 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: God's temple, where the descendants of ovid Edom stood guard. 73 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: He robbed the king's treasure, took hostages, then returned to Samaria. 74 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: Amaziah lived fifteen years after Jehoash died. Everything else Amaziah 75 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: did while he was king, he is written in the 76 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: history of the Kings of Judah and Israel. As soon 77 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: as Amaziah started disobeying the Lord, some people in Jerusalem 78 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the 79 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 1: town of Lakish, but another group of people caught him 80 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: and killed him there. His body was taken to Jerusalem 81 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 1: on horseback and buried beside his ancestors. Let's pray, Lord, 82 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: we thank you for your word and for the privilege 83 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: of being able to look at it today. And we 84 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: thank you for the cautions that we see in this 85 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: portion of scripture. And it's a repeated caution that we've 86 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: seen ever since we began reading through the scriptures, the 87 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: caution to avoid idols. Lord. So often our hearts gravitate 88 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: toward the idols of this world. We think that falsered 89 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: of comfort are going to satisfy and comfort our hearts. 90 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: We think that false sources of victory can grant us 91 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: the victory that really only you can grant us. And 92 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: we buy into this kind of false thinking and false 93 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,039 Speaker 1: system of believing more often than we probably even realize. 94 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: In most cases, our personal idols probably aren't physical statues 95 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: or something of that nature, but usually they are things 96 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: that we think will satisfy our hearts and fulfill our 97 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: lives outside of your son, Jesus Christ and the truth 98 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: of his gospel. Lord, forgive us for gravitating toward idols, 99 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: and we pray that when you reveal to us that 100 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: there are idols in our lives, that we would be 101 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: willing to listen to your counsel and that we would 102 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: repent of our idolatry. We're grateful, Lord for your love. 103 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: We thank you for your presence with us, and we 104 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: commit this day to your care and pray this all 105 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: in Jesus's name. Amen.