The About-Face
Read 2 Chronicles 25:5-13
In the world, the assumption of having "gone too far to go back" will
be bandied about to encourage persistence in even an unwinable
situation. However, tenacity in the face of defeat is not always
admirable. Foolish stubbornness can pass as stalwart commitment to
principle. For example: there is no nobility in remaining steadfast
because you don't want to acknowledge a failed investment in time,
money, or affection.
Having hired out one hundred thousand mercenaries from the Kingdom of
Israel, Amaziah wasted his down-payment when he reneged on using their
services. But in relation to the 100 talent-loss, the good king of
Judah was given the encouragement that "the Lord is able to give thee
much more than this" (ver. 9b). This is the great principle of the
passage: once an error in judgment is acknowledged and repented of, God
is allowed to compensate for the setback.
Amaziah didn't ignore the prophet to avoid losing his investment of the
100 talents or to "save face" before his neighbors in Israel. He
willingly purged the mercenaries from his army (bearing their disdain),
and met the Edomites with a smaller, all-Judean force. For this reason,
God gave him a decisive victory. Amaziah's example is still a model for
us today: if we are humble enough to admit it when we've taken a wrong
turn, we can ask God to show us the detour back onto the right road.
In the world, the assumption of having "gone too far to go back" will
be bandied about to encourage persistence in even an unwinable
situation. However, tenacity in the face of defeat is not always
admirable. Foolish stubbornness can pass as stalwart commitment to
principle. For example: there is no nobility in remaining steadfast
because you don't want to acknowledge a failed investment in time,
money, or affection.
Having hired out one hundred thousand mercenaries from the Kingdom of
Israel, Amaziah wasted his down-payment when he reneged on using their
services. But in relation to the 100 talent-loss, the good king of
Judah was given the encouragement that "the Lord is able to give thee
much more than this" (ver. 9b). This is the great principle of the
passage: once an error in judgment is acknowledged and repented of, God
is allowed to compensate for the setback.
Amaziah didn't ignore the prophet to avoid losing his investment of the
100 talents or to "save face" before his neighbors in Israel. He
willingly purged the mercenaries from his army (bearing their disdain),
and met the Edomites with a smaller, all-Judean force. For this reason,
God gave him a decisive victory. Amaziah's example is still a model for
us today: if we are humble enough to admit it when we've taken a wrong
turn, we can ask God to show us the detour back onto the right road.
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