Godward Thoughts

AMAZIAH
Amaziah was halfhearted in his religious life and was not loyal to the Lord. Instead of trusting God for victory, he hired men from Israel; then he worried about the money he would lose if he obeyed the Lord! Once you start measuring obedience by profit and loss, you are not living by faith (Matthew 6:33). When you start asking yourself, “Is it profitable?” instead of “Is it right?” you had better read Philippians 2:1–11 and Hebrews 11:24–26.

Amaziah argued with God’s will but finally obeyed it; then the army became angry with him and declared war! They had been paid, so they should have gone home rejoicing, but they wanted a chance to fight and get spoils of war. Such is the wickedness of the human heart. Amaziah lost money and was upset; the soldiers made money and were angry. Money does not satisfy the heart.

The king refused to hear God’s servant and threatened to kill him (2 Chronicles 25:15–16), but in the end, Amaziah died. He lived for the wrong values and by the wrong counsel, and he died a failure. God is seeking disciples who are wholehearted (Matthew 6:19–24).

UZZIAH
The starting point in Uzziah’s success was his seeking God and wanting to do His will (2 Chronicles 26: 5). Unlike his father, Uzziah was a man wholly given to the Lord. He believed and practiced Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1–3 .

The turning point was his pride (2 Chronicles 26:16). He became famous (2 Chronicles 26:8, 15) and strong, and God helped him wonderfully (2 Chronicles 26:7, 15); but he could not handle success. If God’s blessings do not humble us, they will eventually destroy us. It is true that “a man’s pride will bring him low” (Proverbs 29:23; see also Proverbs 11:2; 16:18).

The finishing point was his isolation as a leper (2 Chronicles 26:19–21). Not content to be a king, he also wanted to be a priest. He did not respect the boundaries God had established, so God shut him in a narrow place as a leper. God gives the wide places to those He can trust with freedom (Psalm 18:16–19).

Uzziah did not commit a gross sin of the flesh. He sinned in the realm of spiritual things . It is possible to disobey God in the temple with a censer in your hand, but if you do, expect God to deal with you drastically.

JOTHAM
Uzziah sinned and was disciplined by the Lord, but that one event did not destroy his godly influence. His son Jotham followed his father’s example but avoided his father’s sin, and the Lord honored him.

Jotham lived a brief life and had a short reign, but he was faithful to the Lord. It is not how long we live that counts but how we live. Although Jotham’s chapter in Chronicles is short, John 2:17 is still true.