The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 306

Vers. 1--4.-The accession of Amaziah. I. THE TITLE HE BAD TO TEE THRONE. 'l'he son of Joash, most likely the eldest. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. Whether she, like her husband, had declined into idolatry cannot be told. IL TEE REIGN EE ENJOYED ON THE THRONE. Twenty-nine years-eleven years less than his father reigned. Eighteen years older than Joash when he obtained the crown, he was only seven years older when he put it off. Clearly idolatry in those days was not conducive to longevity. III. TEE CHARACTER HE MAINTAINED ON TEE THRONE, Mixed. 1. Good. "He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord," as his father did while ,Jehoiada lived (eh. x.x.i'I'. 2); i.e. he abandoned idolatry and became a worshipper of Jehovah. 2. Not perfect. "Not with a perfect heart," as it should have been (1 Kings viii. 61), after the examples of Asa (eh. xv. 17; 1 Kings xv. 14) and David (2 Kings xiv. 3; Ps. ci. 2). His return to the worship of Jehovah was probably (1) dictated by fear, occasioned by the recollection of his father's untimely and violent death; hence (2) deficient in extent, the high places not being removed (2 Kings xiv. 4); and (3) destitute of permanence-in fact, dropped when he felt himself secure upon his throne (ver. 11). IV. TEE AC,'TS HE PEnFOl!MED FROM THE 'l"ERONE. Two. 1. A deed of vengeance. "He slew his servants that had killed the king his father." (1) Justice demanded this. If his father deserved to die, which seems indisputable, it is not clear that Zabad and Jehozabad ha.d a right to be his executioners. (2) Filial piety approved this. Under the Law it was the next kinsman's duty to avenge the blood of a slain relative (Deut. xix. 12). Amaziah would have proved himself an unnatural son had he spared any longer than he could help the assassins of bis father. (3) Prudence recommended this. Doubtless Amaziah feared that some da.y the fate of Joash would be his, if these men lived. 2. An exercise of clemency. "He slew not their children." (1) Consider- ing what the La.w of Moses said (Deut. x.x.iv. 16), this was right; (2) remembering the uni venial practice of the Orient, it was merciful; (3) if they were young children when the wicked deed was done, it was humane as well as right. LEs,;oNs. 1. The vanity of earthly glory-even kings must die. 2. The imperfec- tion of human goodness-the best of men but men at the best. 3. 'l'he impossibility of escaping for ever the due reward of one's evil deeds, excep~ by r~pe~tance and faith in Jesw; Christ. 4. 'l'he beauty of clemency in all, but especially m kings. 1'Earthly power doth then show likest God's when mercy seasons justice"(' Merchant of Venice,' act iv. sc. 1).-W. Vers. 5-13.-A campaign against the Edomites. I. WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. (Vers. 5, 6.) 1. The army 171:ustered. ".A.maz~h gathered J uda_h together; " i.e. collected for review, probably m Jerusalem, all 1n the southern kmgdom w~o were capable of bearing arms. 2. The army organized. "He made t~em captains over tboUBands, and captains ove~ hundreds, according to the ho~s~s of the11· fathe_~~• through- oat all Judah and Benjamm." Compare Samuel's pred1ct1on (1 Sam, vm. 12), and on. xxv. 1-28.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 307 ----------------------------- ----- Mo~os' pro.ctice (Numb. xxxi. 14; Dent. i. 15). Order and subordination indispensable to the efficiency of a host. Since the days of Jehoiada (eh. xxiii. 1; 2 Kings xi. 15) the o.rmy had probably become disorganized. 3. The a;rmy numbered. "And he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men-a considero.bly smaller force than .A.ea led out against Zerah (eh. xiv. 8), or than Jehoshaphat possessed (eh. xvii. 14--18), The explanation is, either that only the flower of .A.maziah's troops, the picked men of the army, were numbered, or the force had been diminished by the disastrous wars of the preceding reigns. What is next stated renders this probable. 4. The a;rmy iMreased. "He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver" (£50,000, if the talent be valued at £500). II. PROPHETIC WARNINGS. (Vers. 7, 8.) The prophet's name is not given, but his admonition is : 1. A dissuasive. Against allowing Israel to accompany the army of Judah to battle. If the king's recollection of former alliance3 with the northern kingdom did not remind him of the unadvisedness of the course he was contemplating ( eh. xvi ii. 28; x.x. 35; x.xii. 5; 1 Kings xxii. 29; 2 Kings iii. 7), the earnestness of Jehovah's messenger might have startled him. 2. A reasM. Jehovah was not with Israel, not with any of the sons of Ephraim, because of their defection into idolatry. What had been true of Rehoboam (eh. xii. 5), what had been threatened to .A.sa (eh. xv. 2), what had been the case with Judah in the previous reign (eh. xxiv. 20), was the habitual and seemingly permanent condition of the northern people. They had forsaken God, and he had in tum forsaken them. To seek the help of Israel, therefore, was to seek help in a quarter where no help was, rather whence hnrt alone could proceed, It is hardly doubtful that the people of God err in asking the assistance of God's enemies for their schemes, whether those schemes be material such as church- building, or spiritual such as propagating the gospel, and whether that aid be in the form of money, influence, or men. The Jews who returned from Babylon would not accept assistance from the Samaritans in building their temple (Ezra iv. 3). Should the Church of Jesus Christ accept the aid of the unbelieving world? 3. An alterna- tive, or an exhortation. "If thou wilt go [i.e. with these northern allies], then go, do valiantly, be strong for the battle," i.e. do your best--the language of irony; or, according to another rendering (Ewald, Bertheau, Keil), "If thou wilt go, go alone, do valiantly, be strong for the battle." But in this case the force of the first clause is lost, a.s there was no question as to "going" or "not going" put before .A.maziah, but merely as to "going with" or "without Israel." 4. A threatening or a promise. "God shall cast thee down before the enemy," or "God shall (not) cru;t thee d•Jwn before the enemy," the word "not" being supplied. If .A.maziah went depending on the assistance of his mercenaries, he would lose the battle ; if he leR them behind and went forth with only his own forces, he would prove victorious. The great lesson Jehovah was constantly, by means of his prophets (Isa. xxvi. 3, 4; lvil. 13; Jer. xxxi.:s:. 18; xiii. 11; Na.h. i. 7) and the events of his providence, striving to impress upon Israel and Judah was that of exclusive reliance upon himself, as the only means of ensuring their safety and continued prosperity (eh. x.x. 20); the same lesson is urgently required by Christians (Rom. xv. 13; Eph. ii. 8). 5. An argument. " God bath power to help or to cast down "-to help his people without allies, as he helped Jehoshaphat (eh. xx. 22), .A.sa (cb. xiv.12), and A.bijah (eh. xiii. 15); or to cast down his people, even in Rpite of allies, as he did formerly with Joash (eh. xxiv. 24), with Jehoshaphat (1 Kings xxii. 36), and with Rehoboam (eh. xiii. 9), and afterwards with Aha.z (eh. xxviii. 16-19). III. KINGLY EXCUSES. (Ver. 9.) 1. Proposed. .A.maziah felt a difficulty about complying with the prophet's counsel. He might send back his allies to Joa.ah in Jezreel or Samaria; but what about his talents? These his royal brother would not be likely to return. He might go to battle without his hired troops, but who would give him his silver moneys? One hundred talents was a large sum to lose even for a king. .A.maziah was of Shylock's mind," You take my house when you do take the prop that doth sustain my house" (' Merchant of Venice,' act iv. sc. 1). Like the Jew who lamented more over the loss of his ducats-his "Christian ducats," " a sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, of double ducats . . . and jewels "-than the flight of his daughter, .A.maziah mourned less the idea of parting with his mercenaries than the fact  308 TIJE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [en. xxv. 1-28,