The Half-Hearted Kings

Pride is popular today. We see our world celebrate it, rejoice in it, and base their entire lives on it. 

But pride is deadly. 

The 14th chapter of 2 Kings introduces us to one half-hearted king after another. The names are hard to follow because many of them repeat and the narrative keeps moving back and forth from the Northern 10-tribe nation of Israel to the Southern 2-tribe nation of Judah. I will do my best to simplify the story for you.

We start in the South with Amaziah. 

2 Kings 14:1–2 (ESV) In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

Amaziah will follow the Lord half-heartedly. His moderate commitment is still blessed as he will have great success against the Edomites dwelling in the south, that ancient rival nation descended from Esau. 

2 Kings 14:7 (ESV) He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.

But Amaziah's victory will lead him to pride and he will challenge the Northern king Jehoash to a fight. Jehoash tells him plainly to be content with his victory and not to act foolishly in this matter. 

2 Kings 14:10 (ESV) 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?”

This is the problem with half-hearted obedience. It can hurt us in unforeseen ways. Rather than seek God's will, Amaziah is sure of himself in spite of the warnings from Jehoash. Amaziah would have done well to pay more attention to the Lord's voice concerning Jehoash. He is the third son from Jehu's line. A promise had been made to Jehu (2 Kings 10:30) that he would have a son on the throne for 4 generations. To defeat Jehoash here would have undermined the promise of God to Jehu.

Nevertheless, Amaziah let pride call the shots. There is also a back story in 2 Chronicles 25 that outlines how Amaziah called on mercenaries from Israel to help him fight Edom. When the Lord told him he would not need them he sent them back and they raided towns in Judah perhaps out of anger. That may have also been Amaziah's motive for attacking Jehoash. He wanted revenge. 

The two contributors of pride and vengeance do not work well in God's servants. Amaziah suffers a terrible defeat at the hands of Jehoash and Israel.

2 Kings 14:11–14 (ESV) But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 And he seized 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.

The story of Amaziah's defeat is one retold in countless lives throughout history. It is why many great sports teams lose to an unexpected underdog, it's why companies get so bloated they cannot care for customers, it's why churches can gain a huge following and wonderful reputation only to fall into disreputable sin. The Proverb is clear, "Pride comes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18). Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).

Wherever you are right now, no matter the victories you've experienced, humble yourself before God. The character of Jesus is that of the Universe's Sovereign Lord who will not let His position keep Him from humble service toward others. This is the Spirit of Christ and it is counter to the spirit of our age.