The LORD Can Give You Much More Than That
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. . . . He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
. . . Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield.
He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
But a man of God came to him and said, "Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel -- not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or overthrow."
Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?"
The man of God replied, "The LORD can give you much more than that."
So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage."
2 Chronicles 25:1-10
. . . Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield.
He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
But a man of God came to him and said, "Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel -- not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or overthrow."
Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?"
The man of God replied, "The LORD can give you much more than that."
So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage."
2 Chronicles 25:1-10
One of the challenges we face as Christians is to really understand and believe God's word. It is rather difficult for us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts without leaning to our own understanding. It is difficult for us to totally acknowledge God in all our ways and truly trust Him to direct our paths. The reason is simple: Trusting God means we relinquish control into His hand. Trusting Him means we choose to stand still and see His deliverance. Trusting Him means we choose to believe that in all situations, He is working things out for our good. That is never an easy thing to do, especially when the evidence before our eyes tell us an outcome of potential defeat and not victory.
King Amaziah had it all figured out and was ready for battle. He counted his fighting men and hired an extra hundred thousand soldiers from Israel for which he paid a pretty sum of one hundred talents of silver. All was set for battle but God had a message for the king: "these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel . . . Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or overthrow."
There are many lessons in this passage:
First: God is sovereign and He has the power to help or overthrow. No matter how much we prepare for a situation, the final word always comes from God. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD."
Our dependence should always be on the Almighty, and not in our own strength.
Second: We must be careful of the alliances we form in life. Ungodly alliances are always displeasing to God no matter what gains we think we may get from those alliances. King Jehoshaphat almost lost his life because he went into alliance with the ungodly Ahab. Later, he formed an economic alliance with Ahaziah another wicked king of Israel. God destroyed all the investments he made in that alliance.
The danger of ungodly alliances is that they have the potential to pollute our relationship with God and invite divine wrath. They cost more than they deliver. They might bring short-term gains but the end is predictable death. Watch the people you allow into your life. Are those relationships sanctioned by God? Amaziah had to let go of the Israelite soldiers. Maybe you might have to let go of some alliances too!
Finally: The LORD can give us much more than we can ever give to Him! When Amaziah was told by the prophet to release the hired Israelite soldiers from his army, his greatest concern was the fact that he had already paid them one hundred talents of silver. But the prophet's response was: "The LORD can give you much more than that."
So, be it a relationship that God is asking you to give up; be it a job; be it a contribution that God is asking you to make -- always remember that "The LORD can give you much more than that." The widow gave up her last meal to feed Elijah but God gave her back a three year supply of food for her entire household. The LORD can give you much more than that!
King Amaziah had it all figured out and was ready for battle. He counted his fighting men and hired an extra hundred thousand soldiers from Israel for which he paid a pretty sum of one hundred talents of silver. All was set for battle but God had a message for the king: "these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel . . . Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or overthrow."
There are many lessons in this passage:
First: God is sovereign and He has the power to help or overthrow. No matter how much we prepare for a situation, the final word always comes from God. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD."
Our dependence should always be on the Almighty, and not in our own strength.
Second: We must be careful of the alliances we form in life. Ungodly alliances are always displeasing to God no matter what gains we think we may get from those alliances. King Jehoshaphat almost lost his life because he went into alliance with the ungodly Ahab. Later, he formed an economic alliance with Ahaziah another wicked king of Israel. God destroyed all the investments he made in that alliance.
The danger of ungodly alliances is that they have the potential to pollute our relationship with God and invite divine wrath. They cost more than they deliver. They might bring short-term gains but the end is predictable death. Watch the people you allow into your life. Are those relationships sanctioned by God? Amaziah had to let go of the Israelite soldiers. Maybe you might have to let go of some alliances too!
Finally: The LORD can give us much more than we can ever give to Him! When Amaziah was told by the prophet to release the hired Israelite soldiers from his army, his greatest concern was the fact that he had already paid them one hundred talents of silver. But the prophet's response was: "The LORD can give you much more than that."
So, be it a relationship that God is asking you to give up; be it a job; be it a contribution that God is asking you to make -- always remember that "The LORD can give you much more than that." The widow gave up her last meal to feed Elijah but God gave her back a three year supply of food for her entire household. The LORD can give you much more than that!
Prayer: Lord, please help me to be radically obedient to you at all times. Amen.