2 Kings 14 (Part 1) Bible Study (Amaziah Reigns in Judah) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Second Kings chapter 14, and I know that our brother beautifully prayed, but I would love for us to pray once more before we unpack this precious text together. Lord, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you've allowed us to gather on this evening to seek your face in your word. And Lord, we know that this word carries so much power, and so we do pray that you would sustain the weary heart through your word. And we ask, oh, God of peace, the one who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, that you would equip us with everything that is good, that we may do your will. That which is pleasing in your sight through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory forever and ever.

Amen. This Bible study tonight will focus on one main thing. We will be looking at a particular man who had so much potential, who had incredible opportunities in his lifetime to bring glory to God, but was unfortunately ruined because of his pride. There are many things that the scripture tells us that can lead someone to becoming proud. There is physical beauty.

There is one's ethnic heritage. There is the accumulation of wealth. There is the accumulation of knowledge and many areas including spiritual truths that can inflate the heart and cause and create self adulation. But if there is one more category that we can add to these familiar pitfalls concerning pride, It is the wrong response to our success. And I'm not speaking primarily about financial success.

Any achievement, whether it's sudden or gradual that feeds our egos and causes us to feel a sense of superiority. And this success, which is something most of us strive for in our unique context, led to the undoing of a man who was a king named Amaziah. And this is gonna be our case study tonight. Amaziah is going to help us because when we are introduced to him, we don't find a blatant idolater. We don't find a man who is committed to despicable practices.

No. No. No. No. No.

The first few verses actually present him as a decent man. A good man, in fact. And we should take the time to identify some of these noble characteristics because I'm persuaded that doing so will reinforce the sobering truth that any of us can be infected with pride. There is not one person in this room, there is not one person in this world for that matter, who is naturally immune to pride. It is a parasite always ready to latch on the heart and suck the life out of it to our own destruction.

So the Bible says much about pride. And we have a real life example of how it destroyed a man again, who had so much promise to do the will of God and bring him much praise. And so let's begin here by looking at the first four verses. In the second year of Joash the son of Joash, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah began to reign. He was 25 years old when he began to reign.

And he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Joanna, of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. But the high places were not removed.

The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. So let me remind you what we're doing here with the first few verses of this chapter. We're looking at specific characteristics that are praiseworthy in Amaziah. And the reason why we're doing this is so that by the end of it, we can realize that if a man like this can become proud, who am I to think that it it can never tempt me? Who am I to think that it's not a potential problem for me?

And the first thing to note here from these first four verses is that Amaziah was a man who had genuine concern for the house of God. Look here again. We're told here in verse three that Amaziah, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. However, he was not like King David. David was a consistent standard in the book of Kings for other kings to measure up to.

Why is that? Because the Bible testifies that David was a man after God's own heart. Imperfect, yes. But the direction of his heart was something to strive after. And in acts thirteen twenty two, you don't have to turn there, but we're told what qualifies a man or a woman who is after God's own heart and it is this, that they do all that God has revealed concerning his will.

Not necessarily that they perform it perfectly, but they long to achieve all that God has revealed concerning what pleases him. And that could not be said of Amaziah. However, he was not a flagrant sinner. He was not somebody who was out there creating havoc. No.

We're told here that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. And there is a particular part that tells us how he walked in pleasing God. Look again at verse three. He did in all things as Joash, his father, had done. Hopefully, you remember who Joash was.

I know there's a lot of names with the letter j here in the book of Kings. A couple of chapters ago, we studied how Joash was spared from this bloody massacre that targeted his family. There was a priest and his wife who rescued him as an infant. Do you remember this? And he was kept in the temple of the Lord at the ripe age of seven.

He was made king in the kingdom of Judah. And when he got a little bit older, he took on the passionate role of revitalizing the temple in Jerusalem that was desecrated for so long. That's who Joash is. And this concern that he had for the house of God was a badge of honor that he was recognized for. And And when we come now to chapter 14 and realize that his son did the things that his father did, then we can assume that he shared in a similar conviction.

That he actually had a heart for the house of God. Now if that's true, then we have our first lesson about pride. That it's possible to be preoccupied with God's house, to contribute to corporate worship, to be invested in many ministries and still allow pride to gain a foothold. Listen very carefully. Spiritual activity does not shield you from pride.

In fact, if you're not careful, it can be the cause for pride. What keeps us for from being arrogant is not what we do for God. It's how you view God. Big difference. What you do for God will not protect you from pride.

It's a proper view of God that will keep you grounded, that will keep you low, that will keep you humble. Because as you view God the way he wants you to see him, you will see yourself the way you're supposed to see yourself. And we're gonna find out very soon that Amaziah did not have a strength, at least a complete strength in his relationship with the Word of God. So number one, he had a concern for the house of God. But number two, as king, he did not allow his position to corrupt him.

Let's look at verse five and six. And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king, his father. But he did not put to death the children of the murderers according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin. So remember Joash is the father of Amaziah. And though Joash had this passion for God's house, he did not finish well.

He became corrupt himself. And the main reason for that is because Jehoiada, the priest who raised him and who counseled him and who guided him, passed away, proving that Joash did not own his faith. And so, he was easily let into idolatry. And because of his persistent rebellion and the constant rejection of prophetic warnings, and the sin in his life got so heinous that he actually killed the son of his mentor. God allowed something to happen to Joash.

He himself was murdered by betrayal. Go to chapter 12 of second Kings and let's just remind ourselves here in verse 20. It says here, his servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash in the house of Melo on the way that goes down to Sila. Joash was an evil man. He brought a lot of trouble into the kingdom, but it was not allowed for anyone to take it into their own hands to deal with him.

That's God's prerogative. So these servants murdered the king. And though they might have had righteous ambition, it was evil. Therefore, they would be punished for it. And as soon as the son of Joash, Amaziah came into power, one of his top priorities was to kill and to punish these murderers.

Question for you, is this an act of vengeance? It is? Is it an act of vengeance for somebody who has killed another unjustly to be killed by the government? It's not. This is justice.

This is in complete accordance to the will of God. This is capital punishment. And it wasn't wrong for the king to enact it. He had the right, if anybody had the right to do so. But this man's executive order is not mentioned for us to just see how justice was served.

It's the righteous restraint that he had that's highlighted. Because what we're told here is that although he found and he punished the murders of his father, he did not go above and beyond what the law demanded. Go back to verse six again of second Kings 14. But he did not put to death the children of the murders according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses. And then the historian quotes Deuteronomy twenty four sixteen.

How tempting it must have been for a man who lost his father and who had unlimited power and even the power to pardon himself, to not go above and beyond, to send a message to those who took something so precious from him. This is so commendable. This is so unlikely. This is unexpected especially in a culture with neighboring nations that would have easily slaughtered the entire household of those that took away somebody so valuable to you. But he did not allow himself to go to that point.

Now what does that tell you about Amaziah? If Deuteronomy is quoted in this passage, showing how he honored this law, what does that say about this man in relationship to the law? He knew it. He read it. He studied it.

He was governed by it to some measure. And this is one of the rare occasions in our study of kings where you have a royal dignitary honoring one of the foundations being a king in Israel. Remember what God demanded of his kings in Deuteronomy 17, that they were to write a copy of the law, that it was to be reviewed and approved by the priest. And let me read to you what the king was to do with the law in Deuteronomy seventeen nineteen. And it shall be with him.

You know how you carry your Bible around when you come to church? I hope you do at least. That's what a king was to do with the word of God. It was to be with him. It was to be on his nightstand.

It was to be in his office. It was to be with them and he shall read it in all the days of his life. This is a a wonderful text to advocate the discipline of reading your bible every day. The kings would do it. He shall read it in all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them.

This is impressive. Because we have a king here who is informed by God's word and chose not to manipulate it, chose not to ignore a particular law that he could have easily ignored in order to satisfy his flesh. Instead, he submits to it. And it's becoming increasingly more difficult to digest how this man is going to ruin his life because of pride. And we're only really getting started.

But it's important to have this careful evaluation, because it will help us again see the power of pride. It can sabotage anyone. So it's one thing to say, Amaziah became proud. What I want us to be able to say is, a man like Amaziah became proud. So how much more do I need to be dependent on his daily grace?

So what do we learn at this point? I know we haven't seen how he became proud just yet, but we're getting there. What can we learn here? It's simple. You and I can't rely on yesterday's obedience to keep us grounded against tomorrow's temptations.

It requires a humble daily walk with the Lord moment by moment. You can't even rely listen, please. You can't even rely on a rich history with God's word. You can't once upon a time have memorized scripture, have been devoted to scripture. You must love it today.

You must love it tomorrow. You must abide by it day by day and allow the life in it to surge into your soul and for all the nutrients of it to keep you where God wants you to be. And so although this man did honor God's word at one time, you get the sense, if you're reading carefully that he maybe didn't have a holistic embracing of the word of God. Because yes, he did honor God in this particular manner, but what did we read earlier? That he did not remove the high places.

So even under Amaziah's reign, he did not allow reform to go to that extent, just like his father. So we're thinking, okay, this is this is a crack in his foundation. That being said, there's still things that are good about him. He had a relationship with God's word. It is commendable, but it was not consistent.

It was not complete. And that's gonna lead to greater dangers. Here's a third point concerning Amaziah's commendable character. This is probably the most shocking. He was willing to receive correction.

He was willing to receive correction. Look at verse seven of chapter 14. He struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley Of Salt and took Selah by storm and called it Jokthiel, which in its name which is its name to this day. Now you read this and you think, okay, how do you get humility from a verse like this? Well, it helps to know that this is a summary of a much larger account found in a different part of our Bibles.

And when you go to second Chronicles 25, you get the whole backstory to this particular war that Amaziah engaged in with the Edomites. And it's worth looking into if we're gonna dig deeper into this fascinating case study. So, let's turn to second Chronicles chapter 25 and begin in verse five. The beginning of second Chronicles 25 reads similar to what we read in second Kings 14. But when we look at verse five, it expands what we read in verse seven.

Second Chronicles 25 verse five. Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by father's houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those 20 years old and upward, and found that they were 300,000 choice men fit for war, able to handle spear and shield. He hired also a 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for a 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, oh king, do not let the army of Israel go with you for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites.

But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy for God has power to help or to cast down? Oh, so much can be said from this one passage. Let's just touch on a few things. Number one.

It's evident here that Amaziah, in this great plan, did not seek the Lord for it. He did not take the time to approach the Lord in prayer and to inquire, should I go to war with Edom? Now why is he going to war with Edom anyway? Well, here's just a reference. You don't have to turn there.

Second Kings eight twenty, at one point, Edom who was under the rule of Judah, broke free and they came up with their own kingdom. And so, Amaziah wants to bring them back under their rule and their dominion. That's the political reason. But our focus here is on his approach. He did not seek the Lord.

And we know that because God sends a prophet. This was his first mistake. His first major mistake at least, and it's a mistake that many Christians make. We'll soon discover that Amaziah could have spared himself a lot of headache and trouble if he had just taken the time to get before his God. And that's something you and I have to keep in mind.

It's no different. It will cost you and I much more if we move ahead of the Lord than if we delay and pray before we pay, or respond, or execute, or move, or build. Develop the discipline to inquire of God, to invite God, to seek God. Our tendency is to just do things in our own wisdom, especially when we think we're experts in something. Amaziah should have sought God and we're gonna see how he's gonna pay a price for that.

But secondly, Amaziah's folly is not just seen in his independence, it's also seen in his distrust of the clear will of God. So look back at verse six. It says here that he hired a 100,000 mercenaries from Israel to join him in this war. Why is that wrong? Well, the prophet tells us why it's wrong.

God wasn't with Israel, being the Northern kingdom. He wasn't with them. And Amaziah didn't need a prophet to enlighten him about it. History testifies of what happens when the people of God yoke themselves with those who are opposed to God. I mean, did he not think of Jehoshaphat?

Remember Jehoshaphat who married into the family of Ahab, all the generational problems that came with that. And God's word from the beginning of this book tells us, he warns us about partnering with those who hate him, who don't honor him. And so Amaziah should have known. He should have understood that from the beginning. But he assumed.

He thought that he can move ahead. He was under the impression that the more numbers I have, the more likely I will be successful. That's not how God works though. We're told here that he's the one who enables somebody to succeed or to fail. And he should have understood that from the beginning.

So here's the truth about how God works. His empowerment rests on obedience, not on numbers, not on resources. That's access by compromise. Here's another thought. Do you see the grace of God in this passage?

I do. Where do we see it? Does Amaziah make a last second call to a prophet to make sure that what he's doing is God's will? No, he doesn't. God sends a prophet to Amaziah even though he failed to seek him.

What do you call that? Grace. Grace. God's grace. That's what you call it.

That the Lord loved this man enough to intervene and to give him a final warning before he makes this decision. I want you and I to consider a gift from God when a man or a woman of God love you enough to approach you when they see that you're about to make a wrong choice and rebuke you, redirect you, and encourage you to go back to God's word, to trust God's word on the matter. Don't silence such people. Don't allow offense to creep into your heart because of such people. See them as an extension of the mercy of God.

No matter how inconvenient it is, no matter how painful it may be, if it aligns with God's Word, don't shut it down. Don't ignore it. Don't you dare see God in it. That's what Amaziah does. Though initially, it's met with a hesitancy that's very common to you and I, when it comes to obedience.

Look what he says here in verse nine. And Amaziah said to the man of God, but what shall we do about the 100 talents that I have given to the army of Israel? The man of God answered the Lord is able to give you much more than this. Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again, and they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. There are a lot of reasons why people remain in disobedience.

And Emmaus Ia gives us a very common reaction. People often feel like they are too invested in something to back out and make a change. That can be seen in so many avenues of life. You know, there are some people who are in an ungodly relationship. You know why they're in an ungodly relationship?

Even as a Christian, because they didn't pray about it to begin with. And God's now convicting them. But what are they wrestling with? Well, I'm so caught up in this. I'm so tied to this person.

I'm so invested. I can't even fathom ending something that God's telling me the end. You have others also, who are so entrenched in a particular sin. I've talked to them after hearing a message that points out that very sin that they're engulfed in. And here's how they've reasoned with themselves.

Well, I've already tainted my body. I've already damaged my mind. I'm already steeped in this. So what's the point of changing now? I'm scarred.

That's how Amaziah is thinking. I've already paid a price for this, so why change now? And here's how you and I have to understand this. Whatever the price tag of obedience may be, to remain disobedient is always, always, always more expensive. Always.

Some are convinced that obedience is more costly than disobedience. You're dead wrong. Dead wrong. Yes. To obey God is gonna ask you to surrender something, but as the man of God said, the Lord will give you much more than this.

That's not just for Amaziah, that's for all of us. And that's one of the reasons why repentance is a joyful thing because it's an invitation into something greater. To turn from this to God is not you really sacrificing anything. You're letting go of something inferior for something superior, something impure for something pure, something that lies to you, something that will guarantee you. That's what repentance is all about.

That's why I love to say it. I love to preach it. Repent. People think that those who preach repentance are just people who can't figure out how to enjoy life, so they wanna make other people miserable. You know, John the Baptist, as much as he was a fiery preacher, yes, he preached repentance.

But one of the first things that we know about him is while he was in his mother's womb, he leaped for joy. Those who really understand what true repentance is, they'll be joyful people and they call people to repent so that they can share in that joy. Yeah. I know that there is legalistic people out there who love to bash people with that word repent. I'm not one of them.

God forbid. Now, when you understand that it's an invitation into something greater, something that will deliver you and save you and preserve you, he responds to this correction. That's the main point. He actually says, okay, fine. I paid I paid a lot for this, but he looks to these 100,000 soldiers and he says, go back home.

I love how realistic the Bible is. I'm so happy the Bible doesn't sugarcord anything. Because something's about to happen now. He obeys God. He initially disobeyed.

He learned his fault. He makes a change. He sends them home, but something happens. Scroll down to verse 13. But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth Horon and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.

How's that? This man obeyed God. God told him, send them away, send them back home and he complies. So how is it then that as these men make their way back to their kingdom, they're so angry, they feel so cheated, that in rage now they destroy some of the cities of Judah and actually kill 3,000 people and take spoil. Here's the lesson.

Sometimes there are consequences even for forgiven sin. We have to be realistic here. I love to preach the message of God's grace. I love to sing about it. I love to counsel with it.

I need to preach it to my own heart. And we should never hesitate to help those who are heavy laden and brokenhearted for them to learn God is a God of many chances. And for them to understand that he is able to rewrite your story. That being said, we have to be honest. There are consequences for sin.

And as eager as we might be to preach about God's grace, you and I also have to be just as eager to tell people to not sin. To not sin. Because to preach the grace of God to the degree that people hearing it think that there are no problems in sin, it's problematic. It's dangerous. Some consequences for sin linger.

It reminds me of one of the plagues in Egypt, where the frogs were everywhere in pots and beds and shoes. And after a pharaoh wanted reprieve, he asked Moses. Moses provides it after interceding and we read there an interesting commentary that the frogs were remained and they were piling together cleaning up the land and the land stank for some time. What does that teach us? That sometimes the consequences to our sin linger.

And it's no different here. So just don't sin to begin with. And if you do, there is grace, but sometimes there are scars that remain. Heard a testimony from a beloved brother out of state who was testifying to that when he was getting baptized. And he said something that that struck me because he was honest with his story.

He was excited that God had changed him, that he made a decision not to fully commit to the Lord, but in the same testimony, he realized that he's later in life and that he will never be able to get his younger years now. All those years he lived in compromise, he will never be able to regain. That's a man who understands the consequences of sin. God will forgive you. God can rewrite your future, but he's not gonna rewind time for you.

And that's just one of the consequences of sin. So shun it. Avoid it. Be fearful of it. Because it does have ramifications, even if it's forgiven.

Let's come to our last thought about Amaziah before we get into the turning point of his life. Second Kings 14 verse seven again. He struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley Of Salt and took Selah by storm and called it Jokthiel, which is its name to this day. So we get this impression that after this victory, God blesses him for his obedience. He does gain victory over the Edomites.

He decides to pay tribute to the Lord. And he decides to actually name this region of his conquest, something that's quite telling about his heart posture. That word there, there's this there's debate about what it really means, but a common definition that is agreed upon is that Jokthiel means the blessedness of God. So what does that tell you about Amaziah? It tells me at least, initially, and here's our final point about his character, he was willing to give God glory.

He was willing to give God praise for his success. How different is this than Saul? Remember when Saul was told to go and eradicate the Amalekites in first Samuel 15, he thinks he did obey God. He actually didn't completely obey the Lord, but he is so puffed up in his success. Then in first Samuel fifteen twelve, we're told there that he built a monument unto himself.

Not unto the Lord, but with his name on it. So let's recap here. Amaziah was a man who had a concern for God's house. He was a man who didn't allow his position of power to corrupt him. He was somebody who was willing to receive correction, and he even initially gave God glory for some of his greatest achievements.

So then how do you explain verse eight down to verse 12? Let's read it together. Then Amaziah sent messengers to Joash, the son of Joahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel saying, come, let us look one another in the face. And Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah a thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon saying, give your daughter to my son for a wife. And a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.

You have indeed struck down Edom and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory and stay at home. For why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you? But Amaziah would not listen. So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

And Judah was defeated by Israel and every man fled to his home. It's like reading about a completely different person. Same man. And in the verses that we just read and a little bit beyond, I believe there are five truths related to pride that will help us know its potential danger and its potential devastation. So we looked at four things concerning Amaziah the person.

Now let's look at five things concerning pride. Number one, the temptation of pride greets us after success. And where does it greet you first? In your heart. Jesus tells us in Mark seven twenty one and twenty two that pride, among other vices, come from within, from our own hearts.

And our flesh is very capable of taking credit away from God and attributing it to yourself. Robbing him of the glory and convincing you that you were able to achieve something that really was a blessing and a gift from above. So the heart, the heart lies to us. The heart persuades us. But more than just your heart, there is the danger of outside voices that fuel the pride in our hearts.

And if we're not guarded, if we're not careful, that can create a forest fire in our souls that cannot be contained. So we read here that Amaziah mustered up the courage now to actually approach the Northern Kingdom Of Israel and say, hey, wanna fight? But when you look at the parallel account, you get a different vantage point. So go to second Chronicles 25 and look at this commentary in verse 17. Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoas, son of Jehu king of Israel saying, come, let us look one another in the face.

What's different from second Kings? The first part, Amaziah king of Judah took counsel. So this tells me that Amaziah's foolish ambition was affirmed by flattering men. They should have told him, Amaziah, you have no idea what you're up against. Edom is one thing.

The kingdom of Israel? If you're gonna do this, you gotta seek God. And And you gotta ask yourself, why you wanna do this? There's none of that. I can only imagine what they told Amaziah.

Go for it. There's no king like you. Oh, I'm sure that they are shaking in their sandals realizing that you overtook the Edomites. And so whatever these men said, I'm sure it was exaggerated, only added gasoline to the arrogance of this man. A man is tested by his praise, Proverbs tells us.

Be very careful what you do with the compliments and the appreciations and the flowers that are placed at your feet, because it can make all the difference. And accepting how men flatter you can lead to God flattening you and me. The temptation of pride greets us after success, and it's usually just around the corner. For some preachers, it's as they make their way after their sermon to the pew that they sat at before they preached. Number two, pride is easily discerned by others and rarely by the one who possesses it.

Let's go back to second Kings 14 verse nine. Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah. So he's gonna respond to this challenge and he provides a parable. And this parable essentially diagnosis what's really going on here. He talks about this thistle in Lebanon and how it speaks to the cedar in Lebanon.

Then he goes on to say how this thistle will ultimately be trampled by a wild beast. But notice here what he says in verse 10. What the king of Israel says to the king of Judah, you have indeed struck down Edom and your heart has lifted you up. So the king of Israel was able to recognize that this man is challenging him in pride. And it's so fascinating to me how a wicked king was able to discern that and Amaziah's own counselors couldn't.

But such is the nature of pride. Those who have it usually fail to see that they do and everybody else says and recognizes you got it. At least honest people. And you would think that such an honest assessment would have caused Emaziah to think and to reflect. It doesn't.

But here's what we can learn from this. One of the most terrifying features of pride is again it blinds us. There are many sins that are obvious to us as we participate in them, as we keep it a secret, but pride is one of those sins that actually convince you you don't really struggle with it. So what's the antidote? At least one antidote is to invite people into your life who are willing to speak into your life.

Don't just get anybody, but people who love you enough to say, I'm noticing this in your attitude. I see how you're acting in this way. And it concerns me and I'd love you enough to say, what's going on? Let's talk about this. Such people are wonderful assets.

They are gifts from the Lord. And we should be at this point, while our hearts are tender, open and invite people and give them license to speak to us in such a way. Because if we're not quick to do so, pride is a way of callousing our hearts and leading us to a third troubling ingredient about it. Number three, pride refuses to consider warnings or correction, at least over time. Look back at verse 11 of chapter 14, but Amaziah would not listen.

You know you've crossed crossed the dangerous line when you are unable to listen to others' advices. And that was this man. He did not listen. And it wasn't just the criticisms of others. It was also the counsel that comes from God's word.

I'm persuaded that the same Amaziah who saw God's law and had to deal with murderers, honoring it down the road deviated from the scriptures, which was a contribution to where he is today. How am I convinced of that? Go back to Deuteronomy 17 and notice what a regular interaction with God's word for kings offered them. Not just guidance, not just how to orchestrate and execute justice, but Deuteronomy seventeen nineteen, and it shall be with him and he shall read in all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God. Pause.

How do you learn to fear God, which is synonymous with standing in awe of God? You you have to have God's word. It can't come from your own imagination. You leave your view of God to your own imagination, you're gonna be making idols. It's God's word that accurately portrays him and if you honor it for what it is, will inspire and awe in your heart for him.

And here's one of the byproducts of fearing God. Learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them, look at verse 20, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers. What did the king of Israel say to Amaziah? Clearly your heart has been lifted up. It has lifted you up.

But what does a regular engagement with God's word promise? That you would fear him, so that your heart would not be lifted up against your brothers. So let's do the equation. If this word promises such a purifying effect and Amaziah, who was supposed to engage with God's word, is not humble but proud, it tells me that he stopped interacting with God's word. And that's a dangerous thing because this book will keep you from becoming proud.

And if you're not careful, pride will keep you from this book. So this man was confronted for his heart being lifted up. And I think the problem started long before the king of Israel pointing it out. He stopped meeting with God. His view of God got fuzzy.

And because he stopped hearing from God's word, he stopped God's word from speaking into his heart, his own heart, and the counsel of others were louder. And they deceived him. And now he is picking fights that he shouldn't be picking and entertaining things that he shouldn't be entertaining, which we're about to discover. This man stopped inquiring of the word, and it led to something dangerous, his downfall. Number four, pride will lead to yours and my downfall.

Verse 12. What do we read? And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. James tells us that God opposes the proud. He gives grace to the humble, but he opposes the proud.

That word oppose in the Greek is actually a military term. It means to set up rank against. So here's how you translate that. God goes to war with the proud. Doesn't matter what you're proud about.

If you persist in it, if you refuse to reject it, if you're deceived by it after people have warned you, God will go to war with such a person. He will find a way to humble them. And nobody can beat God. Nobody can win against God. Yeah.

We see here that Israel defeated Judah, but in reality it was God who defeated Judah. And he uses different means to do it. And that's what we find here. But the arrogant being humbled. Right?

The conceded being brought low is not always because God directly involving himself in that person's life. Here's what I mean. Pride can lead to other sins and those sins can be the means of bringing somebody low. Does that make sense? And what you find in second Chronicles 25 is that that Amaziah chooses to do something after his victory over the Edomites.

That's just mind boggling. I'll be honest. When I read it, I didn't get it for for a while. I could not understand why he chose to adopt a certain habit. I want you to see it for yourself.

Go to second Chronicles 25 and look at verse 14. After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. That shock anybody else or is it just me? So you defeat these people, the Edomites. Clearly, their gods could not help them and here's how you respond.

I wanna worship those gods. Hello? They could not deliver the Edomites. Why do you wanna worship them? That's a reasonable question, isn't it?

And that's one that a prophet asked. Look at verse 15. Therefore, the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet who said to him, why have you sought the gods of the people who did not deliver their own people from your hand? Anybody home, Amaziah? Pride is scary.

Are we any wiser? Here's how this becomes relatable. Is it possible that we have committed the same sins that we've seen destroy other people's lives? Now it's resonating, isn't it? Because here's how we see it.

He took these statues and he brought them to Jerusalem and he worshiped them. No. Idols are not just statues. Anything that you love more, anything that you're devoted more to than God is an idol. So ask yourself this.

Have you ever indulged in anything, pursued anything? Have I ever? Even after seeing it fail to deliver somebody else. How many people have we seen, especially online, especially with celebrities and people of power, who have sacrificed so much for fame and money and sex. Are they happy people?

How many have killed themselves? How many of these people in the rock industry, in the hip hop industry die early? Why? Because their idols could not deliver them. And yet, how many people even in the church make money their god still?

It's no different than Amaziah. You're taking the idols that failed to deliver these people and bring them into your own heart. What about sexual morality? Okay. What about things like like gossip, adultery, pornography, lying, slander?

We've seen how it's ruined marriages. We've seen how it's ruined friendships. We've seen how it's toppled ministries. And what do we still do? We adopt them.

We still pursue them. And Amaziah gives us one reason why we do that. Pride. Pride in what sense? Well, for some people, they don't think what these pursuits are really idols.

I'm just a hard working man. I don't know. For you to abandon serving God, loving God, meeting with God, that's an idol my friend. I I I'm just a very caring person. No.

You just wanna find out dirt on people. So you have something to talk about at lunch tomorrow with your girlfriends. All these different examples that we can use. Pride tells us this isn't really sin. Or if it is sin, we convince ourselves, those they went too far.

They went too far with alcohol. I I I know how to. Clearly, you don't have control. Now it's an idol. And so we say, I can I can handle this in moderation?

I don't know what went through Amaziah's mind to think that he can bring these gods and worship them without any problem. But we do the same with sin. God help us. So sometimes, the downfall that comes from pride is not necessarily God humbling us directly, but allowing what pride leads us to and that's further sin to destroy us. Last point.

Pride not only harms us, but others. Second Kings 14. Let's look at verse 13. And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, Abed Shemesh and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits from Ephraim Gate to the corner gate. And he sees all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

And Messiah's pride didn't just hurt him, it hurt Judah and Jerusalem. The wall was breached, spoil was taken, there's vulnerability now, there's greater insecurity than ever in this time. Depending on who you are, pride promises collateral damage. Think about Pharaoh and how much destruction he allowed in Egypt because he refused to submit to God's call to repent. Now let's bring it to our world.

How many homes have been ravaged? Because a father, stubborn, proud. What happens to spouses? What happens to children who live under such abuse and selfishness? Well, apart from the grace of God, they don't turn out too well.

What about ministries that have proud leaders in it? Does the pride of those leaders only affect the leaders? No. It impacts that church. It affects the community.

Pride is atomic and it's power, not just in the person's heart, but in the persons that are around that person. And one way that we can recognize, if if we still have the ability to discern that pride has overtaken us is that people, not just some people, but most people, gradually want nothing to do with us. Don't wanna fellowship. They surely don't wanna serve with you in ministry. They avoid you.

And that's illustrated in Amaziah's life as we read the final verses of this section. Let's scroll down to verse 18. Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. And they brought him on horses and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was 16 years old and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. So when this man was restored to the throne, we don't know who they were who conspired against them, but it's likely that there were people who were under his administration. And they thought themselves, we're not gonna deal with this man. And it's ironic, isn't it?

That the same king who brought justice to those who conspired against his father was also murdered by betrayal. It's quite heavy of a Bible study, isn't it? So let me end on a more cheerful note. Is there any way that we can know that we can remain in perpetual humility? Is there any way we can know that we can secure ourselves from this this slithering poison of pride?

Yes. It's in the New Testament. Let's go to John chapter three, and this is where we'll end tonight. I mentioned John the Baptist. Let's end with John the Baptist.

John three twenty five. Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who is with you across the Jordan to whom you bore witness, look, he is baptizing and all are going to him. So pause here. You have students of John the Baptist, the fiery revivalist, who didn't just preach repentance by the way.

Clearly, when the disciples asked Jesus, Lord, can you teach us how to pray like John taught his own disciples? John had his own little school. So yes, he told the Pharisees and everybody else, you better repent. But with his own disciples, he taught them different things including how to pray, how to fast. And people were now going to a new Bible study on Friday nights.

Jesus's Bible study. And the disciples were concerned. Everybody's going to Jesus now. This concerned them and they thought John was unaware of it. So they wanted to bring it to his attention.

Brother John, if if you've been wondering why there's less and less people at our meetings, it's because everybody's going to the one that you bore witness to. And notice how John responds. John answered in verse 27. A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourself bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears and rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. What a response. But this response was possible because of a revelation John had.

What is it? There is not one thing I have that wasn't given to me from heaven. My preaching, my success in ministry, the audience that I had, the life that I have, the abilities that I have, anything and everything, I realize came from God. And so if it came from him, and he wants to take it, he has every right. It doesn't belong to me anyway.

It's not mine. And I'll tell you what that will unlock in your life. Not only will it protect your heart from becoming proud, it will encourage you to rejoice at other people's success. So more people are now flocking to Jesus and what does he say? I rejoice greatly.

Because Christ is being glorified. He's being honored. So if you want to avoid Amaziah's mistakes, I think John the Baptist gives us the secret, at least a major one. Believing that all that I have, from how I look, to what I know, to what I have, what I'm able to do, to how people are blessed, All of that has been given by God. And you stay there and the way you're reminded is this word.

You're regularly confronted on a daily basis of who God is and who you are. What he has done and what you need from him. What he can do and what you can't do apart from him. And you will be more than safe. You will know a life of joy and success in that joy.

Perpetual victory, even over something as vicious as pride. Unfortunately, Amaziah did not have this revelation. We do. God is for us, and he loves us enough to warn us with stories like this so that we can avoid it for ourselves. Let's pray.

Father, our response to this Bible study is that we acknowledge that everything we have, all that we are, is because of you. You permitted it. You fashioned it. You provided it, and we give you all the glory for it. Lord, if there's any area in our lives, whether that be a skill or a unique feature, it could even be a personality.

If there's anything in our lives that we think has something to do with us, Lord, may it die tonight. May that lie shrivel up and die in the sanctuary in light of these truths that we heard. Lord, we don't wanna be like Amaziah who had so much potential, but wasted it, spoiled it because success got to his head. If you so choose to use any of us in a way that blesses others, Help us be like this man, John the Baptist, always reminded fresh at the top of his thinking and meditation. It's because of God.

It's because of the Lord. We wanna live in that truth, Lord. So tonight, we take our time to sit in your presence, to allow these truths to wash away anything that is collected in our hearts that shouldn't be there. Give us ears to hear always. Help us trust you, Lord.

Help us be sensitive even to correction when it's right. We want to be successful the way you want us to be successful. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. The praise name can come.

Help us worship the Lord. Can I encourage you to do something? Let's not rush and stand up and sing right away. They'll come and they'll they'll set things up in a minute here, but just respond to this bible study tonight. Ask the Lord to renew a sense of awe of him.

Ask him to always keep you in that place of viewing him as your boast, and that everything around you, everything before you, you're not greater than that. If there's any greatness, if there's any goodness, again, it's because of a good God. May the Lord help us, and then we'll stand together and sing because he loved us enough to speak to our hearts and to keep us in his will.