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Amaziah is another example of someone who followed the Lord nominally but did not fully commit his heart.
“He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.”
2 Chronicles 25:2 NASB
Though still flawed, the example that all were compared to was King David. He led with passion and zeal for God in all things.
“He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done.”
2 Kings 14:3 NASB
After a big military victory, Amaziah took the foreign idols and bowed down in worship to them. Maybe we can’t relate to that specific picture. How about this? After a great spiritual victory at church on Sunday morning, many come home and bow down to the false god of football. No, football is not inherently bad, however, it certainly can be an idol. The irony of this is that many times, a sacrifice to a false idol is made during prosperous times. How quickly do we forget how God has delivered us?
Just think about this for a minute! Amaziah had just witnessed a powerful military victory from the Lord Himself. Immediately following, he takes the false gods of the nation he just defeated and burns incense to them. Then, he goes to war against his own people of Israel. Although God blessed Him, Amaziah turns his back on the Lord.
Do we do this in our lives today? This has been a very relevant topic to the season of life that I am in right now. I have been praying for God to reveal my idols. I know I have them – we all do. It has been birthed from a desire to give the Lord my whole heart. I know I will never be perfect, but should that stop me from growing?
Bottom line: don’t be like Amaziah. We can learn a lot from his story. If you have been blessed with fruitful times, continue to praise God. If you have been blessed with struggles (and growth), continue to praise God. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal your idols. You may be surprised.