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The Thistle and the Cedar - The Book of 2 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And Joash king of Israel sent to
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  Speaker 1: Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in
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  Speaker 1: Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying,
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  Speaker 1: Give thy daughter to my son, to wife. And there
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  Speaker 1: passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and
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  Speaker 1: trod down the thistle. 2 Chronicles 25 18 With continued
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  Speaker 1: victory and blessing, Lord, I acknowledge that my greatest concern
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  Speaker 1: will be that of protecting myself from getting prideful and
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  Speaker 1: complacent when it comes to my devotion. When moments arise
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  Speaker 1: and my desired outcome doesn't come how I think it should,
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  Speaker 1: steer my mind back to the fact that you are
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  Speaker 1: in control and you know what is best for me.
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  Speaker 1: Right now, I silence all thoughts that would have me
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  Speaker 1: turn to a false idol created by a man like Amaziah.
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  Speaker 1: I denounce any ungodly actions that would cause me to
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  Speaker 1: stray from the path of my purpose and calling. When
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  Speaker 1: I place my expectation on you, Lord, help me to
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  Speaker 1: be quick to realize that your ways are above mine,
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  Speaker 1: and that as I wait in the midst of my disappointment,
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  Speaker 1: your perfect character will provide exceedingly above and beyond what
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  Speaker 1: I can imagine. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: making prayer a priority in your day. To learn more
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: The Thistle and the Cedar. In our last story, we
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: met the prophet Jonah, who refused to obey God's calling
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: because of his prejudice against Nineveh. However, God used Jonah's
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  Speaker 2: life as a lesson. A lesson in caring about the lost.
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  Speaker 2: A lesson about humility and responding to the voice of God.
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  Speaker 2: A lesson on what truly matters. Now, we revisit the
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  Speaker 2: tragic story of Kings. In this story, King Amaziah assumes
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  Speaker 2: the throne of Judah. Although he begins his reign righteously,
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  Speaker 2: doubt and bitterness consumes him. Eventually, he raises his sword
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  Speaker 2: against an enemy too formidable for him. Inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of 2 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we
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  Speaker 3: saw how God spared Nineveh from destruction after they repented
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  Speaker 3: from evil and turned their hearts to the one true God. Jonah,
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  Speaker 3: who had reluctantly delivered God's word to this pagan city,
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  Speaker 3: was angered by God's mercy toward them. But God used
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  Speaker 3: a plant and a worm to show Jonah that the
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  Speaker 3: thousands of souls in Nineveh were actually precious to God.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll return to Judah to hear of the reign
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  Speaker 3: of King Amaziah. He starts off well, but soon turns
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  Speaker 3: away from God to doubts, resentment, and pride. His pride
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  Speaker 3: would ultimately lead to his demise as he engaged an
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  Speaker 3: enemy far too powerful to defeat. So, once again, let's
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  Speaker 3: listen to God's Word.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: King Joash of Judah returned to the dust, as is
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  Speaker 2: the way of all men. However, his demise was more
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  Speaker 2: brutal than most. He was assassinated by his own officers
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  Speaker 2: on the road to Sila. His blood covered the streets,
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  Speaker 2: and his reign ended in shame. His son was twenty-five
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: at the time, and was soon after named king of Judah.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Amaziah was a young man, but filled with promise. He
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  Speaker 2: began his reign with ambition to break the cycle of
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  Speaker 2: his forefathers. He pursued God. He uplifted the poor and needy,
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  Speaker 2: and he established justice in the land of Judah. He
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  Speaker 2: did what was right in the sight of God. But
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  Speaker 2: there was still a lingering apathy resting at the bottom
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  Speaker 2: of Amaziah's heart. Something kept him from truly pursuing God
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  Speaker 2: as David once did. Amaziah knew that his father had
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  Speaker 2: been assassinated by the officers of Judah. Without warning, Amaziah
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  Speaker 2: sent men to ambush them and kill each man who
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  Speaker 2: played a part in killing his father. An eye for
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  Speaker 2: an eye, Amaziah thought. It was the custom for many
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  Speaker 2: kings to kill the families of traitors as well. But
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  Speaker 2: Amaziah refused to enact that sort of cruelty. He knew
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  Speaker 2: what was commanded of God in the law, saying, Fathers
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  Speaker 2: shall not die because of their children, nor children because
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  Speaker 2: of their fathers. But everyone is punished for their own sins.
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  Speaker 2: Only a few months into Amaziah's reign, there was a
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  Speaker 2: threat coming in from the nation of Seir. Amaziah was
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  Speaker 2: proactive in responding to this threat. He gathered every elder
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  Speaker 2: from each tribe of Judah to strategize. From them he
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  Speaker 2: had 300,000 mighty men, young men from Judah who were
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  Speaker 2: eager to fight and defend their country. To further add
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  Speaker 2: to his massive army, he hired 100,000 mercenaries from Israel
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  Speaker 2: to bolster his army. Amaziah was preparing his men for battle.
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  Speaker 2: The camp was bustling with activity. The sound of iron
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  Speaker 2: being forged and swords being sharpened filled the camp as
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  Speaker 2: Amaziah walked through. As he was picking up his armor,
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  Speaker 2: a man of God interrupted him. The man looked at
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  Speaker 2: the king with wise and understanding eyes. The man smiled
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  Speaker 2: as he gestured for the king to sit. Amaziah respected
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  Speaker 2: the prophets of God, so was intent on hearing what
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  Speaker 2: he had to say. My king, you do not need
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  Speaker 2: the extra mercenaries from Israel. They have rejected the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and God is in the process of refining them.
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  Speaker 4: The king's face was grim at hearing those words.
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  Speaker 2: He knew he needed more men to win the upcoming battle.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet sensed this and encouraged the king further.
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  Speaker 4: Do not be afraid.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think God will send you into your demise?
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  Speaker 2: Surely he is with you before your enemy. The king
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  Speaker 2: was not entirely reassured. What of the money I already
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  Speaker 2: paid them?
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  Speaker 4: Should I just waste that? Does not the Lord own
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  Speaker 4: all things?
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  Speaker 2: He can give you much more than one hundred talents
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  Speaker 2: in return for your faithfulness.
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  Speaker 4: The prophet responded.
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  Speaker 2: So the king did as the prophet asked. He sent
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  Speaker 2: away the mercenaries back to Israel. But he was met
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  Speaker 2: with great anger and conflict from the Israelites. They returned
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  Speaker 2: home with a deep anger in their hearts.
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  Speaker 4: Yet the Lord blessed Amaziah's faithfulness.
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  Speaker 2: He marched into battle, short one hundred thousand men, but
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  Speaker 2: filled with courage from God. Amaziah lifted up his sword
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  Speaker 2: and rode into battle with his men behind him. The
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  Speaker 2: warriors of Seir ran towards them, and the two armies
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  Speaker 2: collided with steel and bone. Amaziah's young arms slashed through
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  Speaker 2: the enemy forces. Blood filled the valley of salt and
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  Speaker 2: poured out like a stream.
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  Speaker 4: Over ten thousand men fell at the hand.
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  Speaker 2: Of Judah before the people of Seir surrendered. Another ten
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  Speaker 2: thousand were captured alive and brought to the edge of
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  Speaker 2: a mountain. With decisive force.
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  Speaker 4: The men were pushed over to their doom.
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  Speaker 2: Their skulls cracked on the rocks below. Amaziah and his
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  Speaker 2: men cheered in victory. Their war cries filled the air
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  Speaker 2: and echoed for all the surrounding nations to hear. Joy
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  Speaker 2: filled their hearts as they ventured back to Judah. A
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  Speaker 2: tired smile was on Amaziah's face as he rode back
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  Speaker 2: with elation. However, his smile grew dim when he saw
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  Speaker 2: smoke rising from the distance. Amaziah and his men rode
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  Speaker 2: quickly towards the smoke and saw flames rising from the
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  Speaker 2: outer cities of Judah. The men's hearts began to break
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  Speaker 2: as they saw every city from Samaria to Beth Horon
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  Speaker 2: struck down. Three thousand people had been killed at the
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  Speaker 2: hands of the Israeli mercenaries.
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  Speaker 4: Amaziah's heart was broken.
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  Speaker 2: A subtle bitterness swelled up in his heart towards God.
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  Speaker 2: He had sent the men away with the promise that
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  Speaker 2: God would bless him. But here he stood among the
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  Speaker 2: burnt cities of Judah. God had not met his expectations.
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  Speaker 2: And although Amaziah would not say so outwardly, his heart
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  Speaker 2: was calloused towards him. Amaziah sat in the storehouse where
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  Speaker 2: all the spoils of war sat. In their victory against Seir,
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  Speaker 2: they had collected their idols and false gods. Amaziah stared
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  Speaker 2: at the carved images before him. They were gods made
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  Speaker 2: from man. They were gods of carnal pleasures and selfish desires.
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  Speaker 2: They were easy gods to obey, since they allowed men
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  Speaker 2: and women to give in to their own selfish pleasures.
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  Speaker 2: Amaziah got up from his seat and picked up one
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  Speaker 2: of the idols. He held it in his hand.
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  Speaker 4: He was drawn to it.
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  Speaker 2: A deep-seated bitterness in his heart boiled over. Amaziah placed
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  Speaker 2: the carved image on an altar nearby. Amaziah was caught
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  Speaker 2: in the cycle of his forefather Solomon. The lewd and
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  Speaker 2: exotic idols enticed him. Foreign philosophy and pagan worship wrapped
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  Speaker 2: him up like a woman of the night. He was
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  Speaker 2: lordy and intoxicated by the rush of idol worship.
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  Speaker 4: All the while, God's heart broke.
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  Speaker 2: At his servant's downfall. The Lord sent another prophet to
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  Speaker 2: speak truth to the king. The prophet came to the
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  Speaker 2: throne room of Amaziah. He was not his normal self.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet could see a hidden weariness in his eyes.
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  Speaker 2: He began to show symptoms of madness. My king, the
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  Speaker 2: prophet said quietly, why have you run after the gods
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  Speaker 2: of people that clearly care very little for their own?
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  Speaker 4: They are not compassionate or merciful.
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  Speaker 2: They gladly sacrifice their own and... The king raised his
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  Speaker 2: hand to silence the prophet. He stood from his throne
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  Speaker 2: and stepped down towards him. The look in his eyes
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  Speaker 2: sent a chill down the prophet's spine.
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  Speaker 4: Am I mistaken?
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  Speaker 2: Have you somehow been appointed as the royal counselor without
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  Speaker 2: my knowledge?
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  Speaker 4: He asked.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet opened his mouth to respond, but was abruptly
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  Speaker 2: interrupted again. Stop, the king shouted, before you are struck down.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet was flustered at first, but then stood upright.
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  Speaker 2: He was a child and servant of the living God.
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  Speaker 2: He would not be intimidated by a mentally and emotionally
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  Speaker 2: unstable king. The prophet began to depart, but said one
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  Speaker 2: final thing as he left. God is determined to thwart
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  Speaker 2: you before you corrupt the rest of Judah. God will
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  Speaker 2: destroy you for not listening to my counsel. The king
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  Speaker 2: slumped back in his throne, determined to regain control of
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  Speaker 2: his emotions. Amaziah was feeling bold after his victory over
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  Speaker 2: Seir and decided to march against the neighboring nation of
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  Speaker 2: Israel as revenge for his fallen cities. Amaziah was beginning
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  Speaker 2: to be consumed with pride. Just as the ancient people
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  Speaker 2: who built the Tower of Babel, Amaziah began to overreach
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  Speaker 2: in search of power. Let us meet face to face,
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  Speaker 2: Amaziah sent to King Joash. This was a bold challenge,
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  Speaker 2: for Israel under Jehoahaz had amassed a great army, greater
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  Speaker 2: than that of Judah. King Joash calmly replied to the
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  Speaker 2: new king with a story. A small thistle in Lebanon
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  Speaker 2: sent word to a mighty cedar, saying, Let us marry
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  Speaker 2: our son and.
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  Speaker 4: Daughter as equals.
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  Speaker 2: But a wild beast passed by and destroyed the tiny thistle.
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  Speaker 2: Its small leaves and frail twigs were crushed under its foot,
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  Speaker 2: but the beast could not crush the strong cedar. The
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  Speaker 2: king of Israel's words were strong and wise. In his
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  Speaker 2: letter he laid out a warning for the young king
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  Speaker 2: of Judah. The letter continued, saying, Your heart is filled
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  Speaker 2: with pride after your defeat over Seir. But you should
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  Speaker 2: stay at home. Why are you provoking evil against yourself?
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  Speaker 2: Joash's words only fueled Amaziah's anger. Though he was not
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  Speaker 2: aware of it, God was laying a trap for Amaziah.
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  Speaker 2: He would allow the young king to walk right into
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  Speaker 2: the consequence.
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  Speaker 4: Of his own pride.
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  Speaker 2: The two kings rode out against one another. They met
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  Speaker 2: at the valley of Beth Shemesh, on the outskirts of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Amaziah raised his sword and ran into battle with his
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  Speaker 2: men at his side. He was confident, brave, and filled
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  Speaker 2: with the pride of youth.
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  Speaker 4: He should have stayed home.
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  Speaker 2: Joash unleashed a fury unlike Amaziah had ever seen. A
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  Speaker 2: new wave of Israelite soldiers flooded the battlefield with every
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  Speaker 2: passing hour. Amaziah's brutish confidence was wiped away under the
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  Speaker 2: boot of Joash and his army. Amaziah saw King Joash
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  Speaker 2: fighting and pursued him. He ran with his sword high
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  Speaker 2: in the air. He was met with a swift kick
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  Speaker 2: to the chest and fell back. He dropped his sword,
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  Speaker 2: and before he could reach for it, he was kicked
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  Speaker 2: in the jaw.
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  Speaker 4: Amaziah writhed in pain.
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  Speaker 2: His mouth was filled with blood. Joash picked him up
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  Speaker 2: by his breastplate and threw.
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  Speaker 4: Him into a group of his guards. They beat him
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  Speaker 4: and tied him to a horse.
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  Speaker 2: The battle had been easily won, and every man of
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  Speaker 2: Judah fled back to his homes. Amaziah was taken into
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  Speaker 2: the heart of Judah. He was paraded around Jerusalem as
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  Speaker 2: a captive. Then Joash had his men destroy part of
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  Speaker 2: the wall of Jerusalem. The bricks crumbled to the floor
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  Speaker 2: along with Amaziah's dignity. Joash sent his men into the
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  Speaker 2: house of God and seized the gold and silver. He
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  Speaker 2: raided Amaziah's home and stole all his treasure. Lastly, Joash
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  Speaker 2: took captives. Women and children were carted away like cattle.
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  Speaker 2: The king of Judah crumbled to his knees. Joash spat
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  Speaker 2: on the ground beside Amaziah and left him to soak
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  Speaker 2: in his own shame. After witnessing the king's shame, there
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  Speaker 2: was a conspiracy.
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  Speaker 4: To kill him.
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  Speaker 2: So Amaziah fled to Lachish and spent years hiding in exile. Eventually,
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  Speaker 2: he was found and put to death immediately. It was
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  Speaker 2: a shameful end to a shameful life. Amaziah allowed doubt
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  Speaker 2: to plague his mind. Instead of seeking God and his
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  Speaker 2: pain and questioning, he wrote him off and pursued other gods.
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  Speaker 2: His story is not unlike the story of mankind. For
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  Speaker 2: all of human history, man has struggled for closeness to God.
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  Speaker 2: They seek to understand him and are disappointed when he
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  Speaker 2: does not meet their expectations. One day, a true king
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  Speaker 2: would rise up to restore a close relationship between man
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  Speaker 2: and God. But for now, the struggle continues.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's passage following the death of Joash of Judah,
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  Speaker 3: who was killed by his own men as he traveled
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  Speaker 3: the road to Sila. His son Amaziah was young, only
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  Speaker 3: 25 when his father died, and he became king of Judah.
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  Speaker 3: It all started off well. Amaziah did many good things,
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  Speaker 3: seeking to do right in the eyes of the Lord
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  Speaker 3: and restore justice to the land. He sought to deal
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  Speaker 3: with the traitors who killed his father, and he put
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  Speaker 3: them to death. But rather than wipe out their entire families,
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  Speaker 3: including their children, Amaziah killed only the guilty, obeying God's law.
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  Speaker 3: There was truly great potential in this new king. But
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  Speaker 3: at the same time, a darkness in his heart held
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  Speaker 3: him back. Soon there was an enemy threatening the peace.
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  Speaker 3: The nation of Seir was preparing to attack. So he
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  Speaker 3: gathered the elders and assembled the troops. Then he hired
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  Speaker 3: soldiers from Israel, mercenaries to fight with them. It was
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  Speaker 3: a sound military strategy. But before they went to battle,
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  Speaker 3: one of God's prophets appeared to speak with the king.
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  Speaker 3: He delivered a word from the Lord, saying the king
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  Speaker 3: did not need the 100,000 mercenaries from Israel. Israel was
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  Speaker 3: a nation in turmoil, and God was not with them.
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  Speaker 3: Sometimes the plan that makes the most sense may not
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  Speaker 3: be the plan God has for you. Those may be
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  Speaker 3: confusing moments that cause you to wonder if God will
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  Speaker 3: still provide or protect. Surely Amaziah wondered the same. So
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  Speaker 3: the prophet assured him, saying in 2 Chronicles 25 and
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  Speaker 3: verse 8, But go, act, be strong for the battle.
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  Speaker 3: Why should you suppose that God will cast you down
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  Speaker 3: before the enemy? For God has power to help or
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  Speaker 3: to cast down. He was being told to trust in
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  Speaker 3: God's power, not his own, not Israel's army. Only trust
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  Speaker 3: God and be strong for the battle and obey him.
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  Speaker 3: Echoes of the words God spoke to Joshua when he
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  Speaker 3: became the leader of God's people. But despite lingering doubts,
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  Speaker 3: Amaziah sent the mercenaries home. The Israelites were angry even
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: though they had already been paid. But Amaziah obeyed God
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  Speaker 3: and went without them. And just as God promised, he
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  Speaker 3: was with the king and gave him victory, even with
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  Speaker 3: a shorthanded army. The king and his men returned home
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  Speaker 3: confident and victorious, only to find that the Israelite warriors
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  Speaker 3: had attacked several cities, setting fires and killing more than
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  Speaker 3: 3,000 people. Why had God allowed this to happen, the
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  Speaker 3: king must have wondered. He had been obedient and yet
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  Speaker 3: disaster came. And so, because God didn't meet his expectations,
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  Speaker 3: Amaziah became angry at God. His anger turned to resentment.
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  Speaker 3: Obedience to God will always be the right path, but
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  Speaker 3: it will not always be a peaceful or easy path.
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  Speaker 3: Evil is still very real in the world, and until
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus returns, tragedies are going to happen, even
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  Speaker 3: to the most faithful followers of the Lord. In those moments,
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  Speaker 3: we can, like King David, rest in God's goodness and
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  Speaker 3: find comfort and healing in Him, or we can become
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  Speaker 3: bitter like Amaziah and give up on God. Amaziah, in
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  Speaker 3: his anger and hurt, decided he would rather trust in
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  Speaker 3: the idols that he could make, not the God who
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  Speaker 3: made him. These false gods gave him license to do
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  Speaker 3: as he pleased, because he felt that he could control
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  Speaker 3: his own little gods. But as all who give in
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  Speaker 3: to sin and idolatry and disobedience discover, Amaziah became controlled
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  Speaker 3: by the pleasure of the gods he bowed to. God
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  Speaker 3: sent a prophet to talk sense into the king, but
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  Speaker 3: he was too far gone. He would not listen. He
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  Speaker 3: was filled with pride, and in his arrogance, he decided
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  Speaker 3: he could face off against Israel and her army. King
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  Speaker 3: Joash of Israel received his challenge and refused. with a
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  Speaker 3: parable about a thistle that wanted to defeat a mighty cedar.
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  Speaker 3: In other words, he was warning Amaziah to back down.
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  Speaker 3: He was outmatched, overmatched. But Amaziah would not listen to reason,
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  Speaker 3: and God was giving him over to his pride. Defeat
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  Speaker 3: came swiftly to Judah as ways of Israelites overwhelmed them.
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  Speaker 3: Amaziah was taken captive and subjected to ridicule, paraded through
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  Speaker 3: his own capital as a prisoner. Humiliated, King Amaziah had
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  Speaker 3: to flee his kingdom to avoid being killed by his
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  Speaker 3: own people. But even then, rather than turn to God
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  Speaker 3: and repent, he clung to his idols, the false gods
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  Speaker 3: he could mold and understand but never could truly depend
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  Speaker 3: upon to save him. His life shows the tragic effects
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  Speaker 3: of pride and trying to force the hand of God
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  Speaker 3: to meet our expectations rather than trusting his plans and
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  Speaker 3: his destiny for our lives. Dear God, we know that
• 20:47
  Speaker 3: your ways are higher than our ways and why we
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  Speaker 3: do not always understand why you are doing what you do.
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  Speaker 3: We do know that you are God, that you are
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  Speaker 3: in control, that you are on the throne of our
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: lives when we trust in you. So Lord, we know
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  Speaker 3: that what you do is always good. It is always best.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: Download the Pray.com app and make prayer a priority along
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: with Bible study in your life. And if you enjoyed
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: this podcast, be sure and share it with someone you
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: know because it can truly make a difference in someone
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: else's life. And if you want more resources on how
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: you can know the Bible and live the Christian life,
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: contact me at jackgraham.org. That's jackgraham.org for many resources that
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: will help you in your walk with God. God bless you.
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
• 22:04
  Speaker 5: Welcome to the Prey News Podcast, where hope is our
• 22:06
  Speaker 5: only bias. Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories
• 22:11
  Speaker 5: happening in the news and offer a Christian perspective. We
• 22:14
  Speaker 5: won't shy away from the hard topics, and we won't
• 22:17
  Speaker 5: dilute the hopeful message of Christ. This is more than
• 22:21
  Speaker 5: a daily brief.
• 22:21
  Speaker 4: On the news.
• 22:22
  Speaker 5: It's a way to be informed and transformed. Listen to
• 22:26
  Speaker 5: Prey News on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
• 22:30
  Speaker 5: you get your podcasts.