2 Kings 14:14

Amaziah, up to a certain point, walks with God, but in weakness and with an unsteady step. He leans on human strength, but he listens to the prophet, and this keeps him from defeat... His victory over Edom lifts him up. He takes the gods of Seir, gods that could not save their own people, and bows down before them. He then turns a deaf ear to the prophet who rebukes him. But pride goes before confusion, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Amaziah makes war against Israel. He is defeated in disgrace, taken prisoner, and Jerusalem itself is laid waste.

Amaziah does not listen to this warning. Chronicles tells us "it was of God" (2 Chr. 25:20), "that He might deliver them into the enemy's hand, because they had sought after the gods of Edom." Judah is beaten and Amaziah is taken prisoner. Jerusalem is broken down. The enemy carries off all the treasures of the king and of the temple as spoil, along with hostages (vv. 12-14). Amaziah meets his God, whom he had claimed to serve and honour, as a consuming fire from the moment he forsakes Him to serve other gods.

Amaziah's foolish stubbornness refused to consider such a serious warning. He did not realize that God was moving him in this bad direction, because he had adopted the idols of Edom (v. 20). When someone gives himself up to idolatry, he can expect to give in to any evil influence. He has chosen folly instead of wisdom.

So Amaziah shows a measure of righteousness. But in the end his heart is lifted up, and he challenges the king of Israel. One solemn fact stands out. God will never approve the arrogance of a righteous man. He will sooner take the side of the bad man who is challenged than the side of the righteous man who arrogantly challenges him... God will always be where righteousness is. And wherever righteousness fails, even in God's own people, God sets His face against it.

Amaziah himself was captured. The king of Israel came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, a length of 400 cubits (about 600 feet). He took all the articles of gold and silver that were in the house of the Lord (vv. 13-14). What a lesson this is for us! If we meddle where we have no right, we shall find the wall of our separation from the world broken down. Worse still, the precious things that belong to the Lord, which we hold in trust, will be stolen from us! Let us pay close attention to the words Paul wrote to Timothy, "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust" (1 Tim. 6:20).

There is nothing new under the sun. Today, sad to say, believers also challenge one another to fight. They forget that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is against mighty satanic armies of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. Instead of praying for the peace of Jerusalem, they break down its walls. That makes it hard to keep up godly separation and protection from evil. The precious vessels of God's house are taken, just as was later done by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king. And hostages — we try to force our brothers' and sisters' good behaviour through such pressure! What a loss for God when we believers treat one another like this!