5/21/2011 8:35:49 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus:
Pride
Bible Reading
& Meditation
Reference: 2Ki.14:8-14;
2Chron. 25:17-28
Message of the verses: “8 ¶
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of
Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face each other." 9 Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king
of Judah, saying, "The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar
which was in Lebanon, saying, ’Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But
there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush.
10 "You have indeed defeated Edom,
and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why
should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with
you?" 11 But Amaziah would not
listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah
faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled
each to his tent. 13 Then Jehoash king
of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of
Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of
Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits. 14 He took all the gold and silver and all the
utensils which were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of
the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.”
“ 17 ¶
Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of
Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face
each other." 18 Joash the king of
Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thorn bush which was in
Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ’Give your daughter to
my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and
trampled the thorn bush. 19 "You
said, ’Behold, you have defeated Edom.’ And your heart has become proud in
boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you,
even you, would fall and Judah with you?" 20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from
God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.
21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and
he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged
to Judah. 22 Judah was defeated by
Israel, and they fled each to his tent. 23
Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of
Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and
tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate,
400 cubits. 24 He took all the gold and
silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with Obed-edom,
and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to
Samaria. 25 And Amaziah, the son of
Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of
Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the
rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written
in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 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 after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried
him with his fathers in the city of Judah.”
As
Warren Wiersbe writes in his commentary on this section “Amaziah defeated Edom,
and then Edom defeated Amaziah because he began to worship the gods of Edom.” I believe that the key phrase that is found
in this section of Scripture is in verse twenty of 2Chronicles chapter
twenty-five: “But Amaziah would not
listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods
of Edom.” God is a jealous God
and does not want anyone to worship idols, and that is exactly what Amaziah
did, and the result of this was that his mind was blinded with pride and he
thought that it was himself that deserved credit for the victory over the
Edomites and would not give the credit to the Lord and so the Lord caused his
defeat by the king of the northern tribes who actually warned him not to come
up against him, but his pride caused him to do so and as a result he and Judah
were soundly defeated and he was captured.
He later returned to rule with his son, but then others killed him and
he was buried in Jerusalem. “Pride goes
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV).
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I know that there has been times when I have
been guilty of pride, times when the Lord has given me a message to teach to
others and sometime afterwards when I think things went well I will think that
I did a good job, but in reality I will have to ask forgiveness from the Lord
because of my pride.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
1.
Remember the truth of Proverbs 16:18.
2.
Remember the truth of Psalm 139:23-24.
3.
Remember the truth of Romans 12:1-2.
4.
Remember the truth of Philippians 4:11-12.
5.
Remember the truth of Psalm 101:3.
5/21/2011 9:13:19 AM
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