WEBVTT - 2 Chronicles 25

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five and will be reading from the contemporary English version.

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<v Speaker 1>Amaziah was twenty five years old when he became king,

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<v Speaker 1>and he ruled twenty nine years from Jerusalem, the hometown

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<v Speaker 1>of his mother Jehoedin. Even though Amaziah obeyed the Lord

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<v Speaker 1>by doing right, he refused to be completely faithful. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>as soon as he had control of Judah, he arrested

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<v Speaker 1>and killed the officers who had murdered his father, but

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<v Speaker 1>the children of those officers were not killed. The Lord

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<v Speaker 1>had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the

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<v Speaker 1>people who sinned were to be punished. Amaziah sent a

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<v Speaker 1>message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called

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<v Speaker 1>together all the men who were twenty years old and older.

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<v Speaker 1>Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them

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<v Speaker 1>ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields.

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<v Speaker 1>Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put

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<v Speaker 1>them under the command of his army. Officers. Amazia also

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<v Speaker 1>paid almost four tons of silver to hire one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>thousand soldiers from Israel. One of God's prophets said, your majesty,

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<v Speaker 1>don't let these Israelite soldiers march into battle with you.

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<v Speaker 1>The Lord has refused to help anyone from the northern

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<v Speaker 1>Kingdom of Israel, and so he will let your enemies

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<v Speaker 1>defeat you, even if you fight hard. He is the

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<v Speaker 1>one who brings both victory and defeat. Amaziah replied, what

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<v Speaker 1>am I supposed to do about all the silver I

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<v Speaker 1>paid those troops. The Lord will give you back even

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<v Speaker 1>more than you paid, the prophet answered. Amaziah ordered the

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<v Speaker 1>troops from Israel to go home, but when they left,

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<v Speaker 1>they were furious with the people of Judah. After Amaziah

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<v Speaker 1>got his courage back, he led his troops to Salt Valley,

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<v Speaker 1>where he killed ten thousand Edamite soldiers in battle. He

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<v Speaker 1>captured ten thousand more soldiers and dragged them to the

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<v Speaker 1>top of a high cliff. Then he pushed them over

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<v Speaker 1>the side and they all were killed on the rocks below. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>the Israelite troops that Amaziah had sent home raided the

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<v Speaker 1>towns in Judah between Samaria and Beth Huran. They killed

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<v Speaker 1>three thousand people and carried off their possessions. After Amaziah

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<v Speaker 1>had defeated the Edamite army, he returned to Jerusalem. He

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<v Speaker 1>took with him the idols of the Edamite gods and

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<v Speaker 1>set them up. Then he bowed down and offered them sacrifices.

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<v Speaker 1>This made the lord very angry, and he sent a

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<v Speaker 1>prophet to act. Ask Amaziah, why would you worship these

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<v Speaker 1>foreign gods that couldn't even save their own people from

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<v Speaker 1>your attack. But before the prophet finished speaking, Amaziah interrupted

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<v Speaker 1>and said, you're not one of my advisers. Don't say

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<v Speaker 1>another word, or I'll have you killed. The prophet stopped,

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<v Speaker 1>but then he added, first you sinned, and now you've

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<v Speaker 1>ignored my warning. It's clear that God has decided to

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<v Speaker 1>punish you. King Amaziah of Judah talked with his officials,

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<v Speaker 1>then sent a message to King joho Ash of Israel,

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<v Speaker 1>come out and face me in battle. Jeho Ash sent

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<v Speaker 1>back a reply that said, once upon a time, a

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<v Speaker 1>small thorn bush in Lebanon arranged the marriage between his

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<v Speaker 1>son and the daughter of a large cedar tree. But

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<v Speaker 1>a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush, Amazia.

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<v Speaker 1>You think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom, but

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<v Speaker 1>stay at home and do your celebrating. If you cause

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<v Speaker 1>any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will

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<v Speaker 1>be destroyed. God made Amaziah stubborn because he was planning

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<v Speaker 1>to punish him for worshiping the Edomite gods. Amaziah refused

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<v Speaker 1>to listen to Jehoash's warning, so Jehoash led his army

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<v Speaker 1>to the town of Bethshemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah

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<v Speaker 1>and his troops. During the battle, Judah's army was crushed.

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<v Speaker 1>Every soldier from Judah ran back home, and Jehoash captured Amaziah.

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<v Speaker 1>Jehoash took Amaziah with him when he went to attack Jerusalem.

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<v Speaker 1>Jehoash broke down the city wall from Ephrium Gate to Cornergate,

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<v Speaker 1>a section about six hundred feet long. He carried away

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<v Speaker 1>the gold, the silver, and all the valuable furnishings from

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<v Speaker 1>God's temple, where the descendants of ovid Edom stood guard.

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<v Speaker 1>He robbed the king's treasure, took hostages, then returned to Samaria.

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<v Speaker 1>Amaziah lived fifteen years after Jehoash died. Everything else Amaziah

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<v Speaker 1>did while he was king, he is written in the

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<v Speaker 1>history of the Kings of Judah and Israel. As soon

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<v Speaker 1>as Amaziah started disobeying the Lord, some people in Jerusalem

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<v Speaker 1>plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the

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<v Speaker 1>town of Lakish, but another group of people caught him

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<v Speaker 1>and killed him there. His body was taken to Jerusalem

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<v Speaker 1>on horseback and buried beside his ancestors. Let's pray, Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>we thank you for your word and for the privilege

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<v Speaker 1>of being able to look at it today. And we

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for the cautions that we see in this

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<v Speaker 1>portion of scripture. And it's a repeated caution that we've

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<v Speaker 1>seen ever since we began reading through the scriptures, the

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<v Speaker 1>caution to avoid idols. Lord. So often our hearts gravitate

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<v Speaker 1>toward the idols of this world. We think that falsered

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<v Speaker 1>of comfort are going to satisfy and comfort our hearts.

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<v Speaker 1>We think that false sources of victory can grant us

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<v Speaker 1>the victory that really only you can grant us. And

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<v Speaker 1>we buy into this kind of false thinking and false

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<v Speaker 1>system of believing more often than we probably even realize.

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<v Speaker 1>In most cases, our personal idols probably aren't physical statues

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<v Speaker 1>or something of that nature, but usually they are things

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<v Speaker 1>that we think will satisfy our hearts and fulfill our

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<v Speaker 1>lives outside of your son, Jesus Christ and the truth

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<v Speaker 1>of his gospel. Lord, forgive us for gravitating toward idols,

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<v Speaker 1>and we pray that when you reveal to us that

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<v Speaker 1>there are idols in our lives, that we would be

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<v Speaker 1>willing to listen to your counsel and that we would

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<v Speaker 1>repent of our idolatry. We're grateful, Lord for your love.

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<v Speaker 1>We thank you for your presence with us, and we

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<v Speaker 1>commit this day to your care and pray this all

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<v Speaker 1>in Jesus's name. Amen.