Amaziah was one of the most foolish kings Judah (the Southern kingdom) ever had. Let me explain why. Amaziah decided to wage war against the Edomites. He needed some extra troops, so he hired mercenaries to aid him in his endeavor. God however told Amaziah, through a prophet, that he did not need the help of the mercenaries, because God would deliver the Edomites into the king’s hands. At this point Amaziah listened to what the prophet of God had to say and let the mercenaries go. He then went to war and sure enough, his armies won the battle against the Edomites.
At this point you would think he would have gotten it. God was with the king and granted victory. It was obvious that the God of Judah was strong and capable to deliver on His promises. Amaziah however, did not get it. Like a fool he took the gods of the Edomites home and – believe it or not – he started worshiping them. Biblical scholars say that this is the only time in the Old Testament when a Hebrew king worshiped the gods he captured in a war. Very foolish! How could some puny and defeated gods be of any benefit? How could anyone choose to worship gods that were clearly inferior and defeated by Yahweh?
Now, we might be tempted to think that we would have done better. We would like to think that we would have been smarter. The reason Amaziah did what he did was because his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord. 2 Chronicles 25:2 tells us that Amaziah did well for the most part, but he wasn’t wholeheartedly devoted to God.
Unless out hearts are completely devoted to God, we may be just as foolish as king Amaziah was. Sure, the idols we bring into our homes to worship look different and we may have different names for them. Yet, the principle is the same. Bottom line is, if you have a personal experience with God and you know for sure that he healed you, restored you, provided for you, guided you or defended you, make sure you do not forget. That God who has so mightily done amazing things for you in the past, is more capable of meeting your current challenges and needs than any other puny “gods”.
