Today’s reading reminded me of a children’s ministry training I once attended. In this training, we were encouraged not to reduce Old Testament narratives to mere moral lessons. Each recorded story is part of the whole story of the Bible. And that story is about God’s great redemption of an unworthy and forgetful people. It blew my mind. David’s slaying of Goliath wasn’t about defeating giants in my life. Gideon laying out fleece wasn’t about my decision-making.
When we mistakenly confuse ourselves with the story’s main character, we miss a passage’s whole point and purpose. The narratives in 2 Chronicles exist to show us how human nature’s tendency to pridefully do the wrong thing again and again, even when shown that it results in destruction. It begs the question, “Who will spare us from such endless cycles of pride and destruction?”
Like many kings before them, Amaziah and Uzziah began following the Lord. But their obedience wasn’t wholehearted (2Chronicles 25:2). So they refused to heed their forefather Solomon’s warning about pride coming before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). By following the poor examples of half-hearted kings who came before them, their names were eventually added to the list.
When I read of Amaziah’s and Uzziah’s fateful endings, I find myself wondering about God’s justice and punishment for sin—it can feel harsh. But then I realize that I am downplaying both God’s holiness and my sinfulness. All sin separates us from God. And anything less than wholehearted devotion is coming from a place of sin.
These passages guide us to think long and hard about God’s righteousness. It should rock our world that God doesn’t leave the guilty, half-hearted, and hard-hearted unpunished. It should also lead us to long deeply for a merciful Savior when we realize we’re just like these kings.
The good news is that there was One who was truly wholehearted in His obedience to God. He’s a king too. He succeeded where all others failed. Those united by faith to this Eternal King will inherit His righteousness and good standing before the Father. He came to give us the heart transplant we needed. He gave us the Holy Spirit who has given us new hearts set toward God. And by grace, we are freed to love and approach Him without destruction.
The just and righteous God of 2 Chronicles is also compassionate, gracious, forgiving, and abounding in love to a thousand generations (Exodus 34:6–7). Yes, He is the God of Amaziah and Uzziah, but He’s also the God of Peter, Paul, Zaccheus, the thief on the neighboring cross, and us. Pride keeps us from wholehearted devotion, but King Jesus’s redemption frees us from its power, making Him the real hero of the Bible’s story.
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42 thoughts on "King Amaziah Turns from the Lord"
Liz Noble- I am praying for you ! You are not alone.
All of your comments are so thought provoking and help me to understand the text in a way I don’t get on my own yet. It is so obvious some of you really spend time pondering and meditating on what you have read. I want to get to that point. Thank you for your faithful example. Have a blessed day!
Lord, show me any area of my life where pride stands in my way of drawing closer to You! Have a wonderful weekend She’s! Lifting each request read up in prayer.
♥️ Amen
I agree MANDY! Had quite similar thoughts! I will keep praying for a humble heart and for God to show me where pride stands in my way faithfully following his word. Have a beautiful weekend everyone!
Bad night…just pray
DOROTHY congratulations! Being a Grandma is such a blessing! SEARCHING I am glad you got to your destination ok. Have a blessed weekend Sisters!
Thanks for sharing. Some are very hard to understand.
@Sarah D. So glad to hear you’re going on another date. How exciting! Praying it goes well along with your job interview! If it hasn’t happened praying it goes well but if has praying it went well! @KRISTIN SPARKMAN praying for your daughter and her youth group that they’re safe and have a great time in Mexico. What a fun opportunity!! Praying for all of you women today. Happy Friday! I’m finishing up a table I built with my dad last weekend and then getting started on patio furniture. We are supposedly to get 20 inches of snow this weekend. Ugh I’m ready for winter to go away! If anybody is still dealing with snow I completely feel your pain.
I pray that I would be whole heartedly committed to Jesus. I am so thankful though that when I fall short or my intentions, God forgives me. I pray I would rely on Jesus to give me the strength to truly follow after him.
@KRISTIN SPARKMAN: praying for safety of your daughter and the mission youth group in Mexico. God bless their young hearts and their hands-on sacrifice for His glory.
May God keep us from the deadly sin of pride. Someone once said this and it stuck with me, “God can increase you, but can you stay humble?”. May God help us to be humble like Him.
@Dorothy: big congrats, praying for baby George and no depression for his mama.
@Victoria E: praying for the Lord to provide good staff and lovely daycare environment for baby Elijah, much peace for you and hubby in this transition. He is turning 1 already, how exciting and how quick.
@Margaret W: praying for Angel and her family, and I hope she is doing all right.
@Sarah D: grace for you and your bf, and opening of job in the Christian school.
@Rebecca W: success for your son’s interview.
Have a lovely weekend. Be blessed dear sisters.
I have been struggling to follow some of the readings in Chronicles and just today decided to read the passage in The Message translation. It made it much easier to follow along! Just wanted to share in case this helps someone else.
WOW!!! WOW!!! What a devotional Beverly wrote. This really caught my eye “All sin separates us from God. And anything less than wholehearted devotion is coming from a place of sin.” And then when she goes on to explain how our only relief is King Jesus. WOW!!! SOOOO POWERFUL!!!
As I have mentioned before I read my Scripture from a devotional Bible, well today between chapters 25 and 26 is a “Treasure of Truth” which I would like to share with you: Living in God’s wisdom protects us from having to learn things the hard way!” I feel this is so true.
Well sisters it’s official, I’m a grandma now!! George was born yesterday evening, 3 weeks early, my daughter-in-law had to have a c-section. George was 5lbs 9oz, 18.25 in., he’s in the NICU because he needs to be able to maintain a consistent normal body temperature, and take either a bottle or breastfeed without difficulty. Momma is sore but doing okay. Daddy is good. Please continue to pray for all three. Dani, my d-i-l, suffers from depression and we need to watch for Post Partum Depression. My son gets 8 weeks off to help her and George settle in.
Sisters, be blessed and seek God’s, Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s wisdom first. Have a great weekend.
I am humbled and grateful for the warning I found in these verses. Not only to guard against pride, but how to recognize it where it likes to hide in the issues of my life. Amaziah is a portrait of the results of idolatry (which is pride – worshipping myself over God) I know I have pride/idolatry where I trust in my own strength vs 5, where I put my trust in and give my treasure to resources/relationships of this world that the Lord is not in vs7, where I answer before I hear vs16, where I am unreachable vs16, where I refuse good counsel that I know is from the Lord and am arrogant vs16, where I seek wrong counsel vs17, where I pick fights with my family instead of fighting the real enemy vs17, where I am over confident in my own abilities vs17, where I am easily swayed to evil because of offense/anger vs20, where I am hard hearted vs20.
Lord, thank you for your mercy! Work in me a whole heart so I can give it back to you. Remind me of the traits of a worshipper that Uzziah held to at the start and keep me faithful: humble, teachable, seeking You, seeking good counsel, walking in the fear of the Lord, digging wells of worship, planting good seed in good soil, depending on Your strength, fighting the enemy and not flesh and blood, obedient, not fighting alone but in community with Your armor and at Your direction, trusting in You to give me the strength to overcome and giving You the glory.
It amazes me how many of these kings started well but finished poorly. I know the whole point Beverly makes is that each story is not a moral lesson for me, but I can’t help but feel humbled and warned.
Wow what a good devotional today! I pray for humility. How often do I do a good job on something and become prideful? To think it was from self. So very thankful that we have the real hero of the story!
Uhg these kings are KILLING ME!!!!!! ;) I get so excited about their direction and then BAM! They side-step themselves right into destruction… God definitely shows His grace and mercy that He even allows them the opportunity to lead in the first place…
As a way to help keep my mind attentive to what Beverly, the commentator today, stated about the Bible being for us but not about us, I have started every devotional-time with the prayer that God will open my eyes and ears to read His word and gain understanding and wisdom as to why He felt it valuable to include and preserve those passages in the first place. I pray He will allow me to understand His heart behind them and see HIM through the people, events, outcomes of all of it. I have to say, it’s been so great… He is definitely faithful to do it each time and my understanding of His truth feels so much more impactful :)
Happy weekend, friends!
@Sarah D- May God give you wisdom in your pursuit of this relationship. May He help you see His will clearly in these conversations :)
@Dorothy – congrats! May baby George grow strong and be well cared for!I
@Taylor- thinking of you. Know that you are covered in prayer by us Shes, even when you aren’t writing here. God is with you and He will continue to help you and show you the way you should go. <3
@Victoria E- May the Lord help you conquer fear and believe He is with you and your little one. He is a better protector than even our own hands. He is near your son and always living in intercession. May you trust and be obedient to the Lord, whatever the cost. God bless you!
Love you ladies. May we continue to grow in wisdom and truth, each one of us.
Everyone’s comments are great! Keep me from pride is a daily prayer because if we think we aren’t proud then we are. Help us to have a truly humble heart, wholeheartedly submitted to you Lord!
Amen
I keep learning in this study that pride and stubbornness is a chokehold on our lives. These kings lived in a time when God was doing miracles evident in peoples lives and they still turned from Him. Makes me pray hard about the hardness and pride in my own heart.
16 But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar. – 2 Chronicles 26:16 oh how I do this- Lord help me to remember You are the source of my strength and success! Amen sisters- praying you all have a wonderful spring weekend!!
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
Thank you, BEVERLY BERRUS, for this beautiful devotional!
Have a wonderful restful weekend, Shes!
Yes we have to remember it is a heart change. Lord please keep changing my heart. Please pray for my daughter and their youth group as they head to Mexico today to do a mission trip and build houses for 3 families. Pray that hearts are changed and they know God deeper and stronger when they come home. As well as for safety while they are there and as they travel by bus from Oregon to Mexico.
Dorothy-So excited for you! Congratulations! Nothing is better than a little grandbaby! We have 4 (by marriage for me), and they are all growing up fast! I miss them bunches, they are up north. I love when you talk about your parent’s steadfast faith and it’s impact on you! That is what I try to do for my grandchildren!
Lord, I open my heart to you today- reveal Yourself to me, reveal Your Truth to me Lord. I need you today. I desire humility, show me YOUR way!
Good morning! It’s almost like groundhog day, right. Here we go again, they believe and follow, then they get arrogant. Repeat. So- what is the devotional going to say today that can be different?! lol.
But- I love that line “The narratives in 2 Chronicles exist to show us how human nature’s tendency to pridefully do the wrong thing again and again, even when shown that it results in destruction. It begs the question, “Who will spare us from such endless cycles of pride and destruction?” Hallelujah, What a Saviour, King Jesus!!
Phil Wickham has a song “King Jesus” that I love! SO GOOD. An anthem to the saviour of our soul, the king of Light, our only hope!
Oh pride…you are the root of so much sin and heartache and pain. Thank you God! Thank you Jesus!
Thank you all for your prayers! Praying for your son @Victoria E, @Rebecca W for your sons interview, @Dorothy so glad that the delivery went well! Praying for you all. Thankful for Friday! I am going on another date tonight with the same guy I’ve been dating! Would love your prayers for a safe drive and a good conversation together. Praying the Lord would direct our steps to if he wants us in a relationship.
This is SUCH a helpful perspective for me. Thank you so much…
It’s frustrating to see these kings wander away from God. It’s easy while reading these accounts to think about how stupid they are and how we would know and do better. But…. Pride. I do the same things continually. I forget Who and start relying on self. I get a puffed up chest when things go ‘right’ and think I have some hand in it. Lord, humble my prideful heart.
Amen!
Pride – what a sneaky, slithering sin. “Don’t get the big head” – I have heard that all my life and I say to myself, Oh I won’t. What I need to do is pray – for wisdom, humility, guidance and to be able to see myself as I really am.
Thank you CEE GEE, RHONDA J, AZ WALKER, REBECCA W, VICTORIA E and others who prayed for my safe travels yesterday. Thankfully no problems although it was a long, stressful day as I don’t do a lot of long distance driving (or much of any other driving really).
REBECCA W – for your son’s interview and SARAH D – for your interview. May the Lord be with you both, that each of you would have peace and clarity through the process to know whether it’s a good fit for you, and that the decision makers will see your best selves.
VICTORIA E – praying for the daycare transition! No children of my own but I cried a river of tears when my nieces each put their children in daycare at 3 months. They all did fine and are thriving.
DOROTHY – congrats, Grandma! Scary and exciting – praying mom and baby are doing well.
LISA CHAPEK – Amen to yesterday’s post
Amen. Thank you Jesus for Your Blood and sacrifice at the Cross for our Grace and Mercy. In King Jesus’s name, Amrn
It’s so clear from OT narrative that humanity’s biggest problem is never external- our problem is a HEART problem! Lord Jesus, destroy pride in me by the work of your Spirit!!!
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I couldn’t help being reminded as I read the Scriptures about King Uzziah and Beverly’s devotional. I encourage everyone to go to YouTube and type in R C Sproul Holiness of God and the series should come up. This teaching is based on the book of Isaiah. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.””
He says that Isaiah truly saw God rightly and himself rightly. It is a powerful series of messages. I heard that Chuck Colsen, founder of Prison Fellowship ministry that also does Angel Tree, was on his face after hearing the message. I would put the link, but I’m not sure if it always goes through. Praying for you all!
“Pride keeps us from wholehearted devotion, but King Jesus’s redemption frees us from its power, making Him the real hero of the Bible’s story.”
So true. Lord, thank You for Your long-suffering love.
DOROTHY – congratulations to Andrew and Danaile!
REBECCA W – praying yuor son’s interview goes well.
VICTORIA E – praying for your peace of mind.
SEARCHING – what wonderful news about Shannon’s mom! Thanks for the update. Praying for yoyr friend’s upcoming appt
Amen
Who will save us from our own pride and destruction? Thank you Jesus for coming to save us from ourselves! No matter how hard we/they tried, sin entered in. But God has been seeking to reconcile us to Himself since the garden. Help us Jesus to seek you first.
@Dorothy, prayers for a healthy grandbaby! Celebrate this new life! Congratulations
@victoriaE- prayers for peace as you entrust your baby to daycare. May he thrive.
Yes, it‘s so easy to come to a moral conclusion after reading these stories. Thanks for the reminder that we don’t manage it either to live a godly life. We all need Jesus. He is our only chance.
Super refreshing to read the devotional’s reminder that the story/stories of the Bible is not about us. What a great reminder and encouragement to keep our eyes off our selves and on to Christ.