Thursday, December 5, 2019

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly

2 Chronicles 25:1-28
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile, the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder. When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them.
Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah.
From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.
Amaziah's cruel victory over Edom leads to his downfall. He brings home the foreign gods. And in his bumptious pride, he throws down the gauntlet to powerful Isreal. Defeat turns the people against him. It seems that Uzziah, the 'Azariah' of 2 Kings, was made co-regent. After 29 years on the throne, a conspiracy ends Amaziah's life. The Chronicler sees the king's defeat and his death as punishment for worshipping the gods of Edom.
Why?
Amaziah's mother was from Jerusalem so she leads her son walked on the right way.
But when he got the victory and became proud of his power, it led to his downfall.
Amaziah did not listen to the word of God's prophet and suggestion from Israel Jehu and forbidden their warning, so the anger of the Lord make him failed in the battle, 
People are humble before the Lord at the beginning but when he prospers he forgot who he was and God's blessing.
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亞馬謝,心不專誠:聽神的話另有目的、動機。聽主的話有好處就聽,不喜歡就不聽。
和以東的戰爭:召募30萬兵,又召募北國軍兵10萬。當人願意聽神的話,神不會虧待我們。他想到的是他的損失,獲得的比損失多,於是就聽先知的話。
打敗了以東,居然來回敗國的偶像,這是人甘願自賤,以別神代替耶和華。這個神是我立的,這個神要聽我的。即自己想要做神,於是另外立一個神,表面是另外的神,其實是自己要當神。
前面聽話,現在不聽先知的話,因為他已經是強國,所以人只想聽自己喜歡聽的話。前面聽神的話可以賺錢,現在先知的話聽了讓我不舒服。如果神的話讓我們不舒服,我們要接受,要改變。如果不好的話以為在講別人,所以也舒服。
心高氣傲是神的審判落在我們人身上
向北國宣戰:人想要讓別人知道我很強大。
亞馬謝就是許多基督徒的代表,我們讀經是否讀到不舒服時,是否仍然願意聽。聽道也是一樣,聽到不喜歡的...
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How?
Be humble and pray to the Lord let the Holy Spirit remind me! Be humble before the Lord!

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