November 2, 2023

Pride Before a Downfall

2 Kings 13-14

Paul Gittemeier
Thursday's Devo

November 2, 2023

Thursday's Devo

November 2, 2023

Thursday's Devo

November 2, 2023

Thursday's Devo

November 2, 2023

Big Idea

Forgetting God's Word is the first step away from faithfulness.

Key Verse | 2 Kings 14:3-4

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

2 Kings 13-14

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. 3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly. 6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked 1 13:6 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew he walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.) 7 For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash 2 13:10 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Jehoahaz) as in verses 9, 1214; also verse 25 the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. 12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The Death of Elisha

14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

1 In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. 4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father. 6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”

7 He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash 3 14:8 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Jehoahaz) as in 13:9, 1214; also verses 9, 1116 the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. 10 You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, 4 14:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. 26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

[1] 13:6 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew he walked
[2] 13:10 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Jehoahaz) as in verses 9, 12–14; also verse 25
[3] 14:8 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Jehoahaz) as in 13:9, 12–14; also verses 9, 11–16
[4] 14:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

"We're talking all things 2 Kings 13:21 on today's podcast episode!"

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Dive Deeper | 2 Kings 13-14

Amaziah's reign started off pretty well at the ripe old age of 26. He kept his people focused on God's altars, gave attention to God's Word and brought justice to the conspirators who murdered his father. Soon thereafter, God gave him a major victory over a centuries-old enemy, the Edomites. Nice trajectory, but, alas, godly kings (and godly people) make foolish miscalculations when they believe their own press releases. 

Attitudes Have Consequences.

Amaziah's name means "the Lord is my strength." But because of his early successes, he began looking inward rather than to God for guidance, strength, and importance. Thus begins his slow walk down the path of destruction. Idols gain importance, he succumbs to self-reliance, turns his back on God, and then loses his treasure, reign, and freedom. Eventually, his own people rebel and assassinate him.

Pride blinds. 

Throughout history, nations (and people) have fallen because of their inability to recognize that the reasons for prior successes change: allegiances shift, strengths wane, information comes to light, opposition materializes, or pride rears its ugly head. Pride-creep occurs subtly and is easy to miss if we're not informed, aware and surrounded by truth-tellers whom we've given permission to speak into our lives. God lists pride among the most despicable of sins: "the lust of the flesh" (seeking wrong pleasures), "the lust of the eyes" (seeking wrong possessions), and "the pride of life" (seeking wrong power) (1 John 2:16).

Sooooo . . .

Here are four pride-detectors I find useful:

  • Am I seeking the approval of man or of God? (Galatians 1:10)
  • Do I have a haughty heart? (Proverbs 18:12)
  • Am I thinking more highly of myself than I should? Am I using sober judgment? (Romans 12:3)
  • Am I sidestepping that which I know to be good, true, and honorable? (Revelation 2:4)   

If Only Amaziah Had Known What We Know.

I can't stop likening Amaziah to the housebuilder in Matthew 7:25-27. The story ends with seven of the most chilling words in the Bible: "and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:27b). May these words resonate with us and guide us, but may they never be used when speaking of us.

Amen.

This month's memory verse

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Discussion Questions

1. 2 Chronicles 25:2b describes Amaziah: "And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD yet not with a whole heart." This would be a terrible epitaph! Are there any areas in your life in which these words could be said of you?

2. Choices can influence you, your family, or those around you for years to come. Are there any choices you're contemplating currently?  Who is helping you clearly evaluate them?

3. There is one throne in our lives, and every day we get to pick who occupies it. Who is sitting on yours today?

4. Whether in my walk with the Lord, relationships with others, or other facets of my life, when I assume previous success will result in present or future success, I'm setting myself up to fail or to have a "learning experience." Are you appropriately evaluating your life before God? Who is helping you see yourself soberly and clearly?

And now for the first time ever on The Journey—Dad Jokes!

  • Have you heard? They’re not making 12-inch rulers any longer.
  • The furniture salesman told me my new couch would seat four people without any problems. Where am I gonna find four people without any problems?
  • That guy that invented the knock-knock joke? He won the no-bell prize!
  • My son was chewing on electrical cords, and I had to ground him. He's doing better currently. And conducting himself properly.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Paul! Love your pride detectors! Also, love this from your devo citing self-reliance. - “Idols gain importance, he succumbs to self-reliance, turns his back on God, and then loses his treasure, reign, and freedom.” Q1. & Q3. “Yet not with a whole heart.” Boy is that a damning phrase. I’ll risk a synonymic phrase, “with a divided heart”. James might call it “double minded”. This leads me to wonder about what the cause is. There are so many dichotomies in the Bible that it’s hard to understand why a person would think that there is a buffet option; take what you like and leave what you don’t. And why do I act as if I think that? Are the choices really that hard? Is the “sacrifice” really that great? The admonition is to be IN the world but not OF it. For me, if I had to pick a definition of a divided heart that’s probably it. Q2. At 65 I seem to have more choices than ever. I have seen what happens when I rely on myself to make them. The small ones, yes. But they don’t have to get very big before I start making bad choices. Lots of prayer, CG counsel, journaling etc. Sometimes I can even just sit and listen. It’s not easy. Q4. Who helps me evaluate my life before God? At a certain level I can see on my own that I still fall far too short far too often. CG group helps as do just the CG guys. There is lots of reading and lots of worship music that can get me elevated. But then there’s the execution. Often times it’s tough to get that which is in my head to the place 18 inches away in my heart.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Thinking a lot about Elisha on contrast to Elijah. https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Elijah.html https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Elisha.html If I didn’t know what happened in sub sequent years and didn’t have any understanding of history, I’d guess that Elijah was taken out of the game after his failure of confidence and his seeming naval gazing in thinking that he was the last prophet alive. Yet it’s Elijah that appears with Moses at the transfiguration! The leads me to thinking a lot lately about what it means and looks like to be living out 1 John 2:15-17, i.e., fully surrendered, not doubled minded, eternally focused, fully dedicated, in the world but not of the world, dying to self etc. Elisha’s actions his calling seem to be a good model- “Elisha went back, slaughtered his oxen and burnt his equipment, gave the meat to the people, then followed Elijah as his servant. Elisha responded to the call immediately. He completely removed himself from his former life—essentially hosting a celebration and leaving himself no option to return to his oxen. Not only did Elisha leave his former life, he became a servant in his new life (1 Kings 19:21). “ To me, that looks like fully surrendered and sold out.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

From the notes on 2 Kings 2 The notes explained the different missions of each prophet- -Testimony against evil, and consequent suffering, mark the history of Elijah. -Power, and grace in using it for others, mark that of Elisha. "The ministry of Elisha stands in many respects in vivid contrast with that of Elijah. There is a gentleness about it which inevitably reminds us of that of the Messiah Himself in His day. Instead of suddenly appearing at critical moments, with thunder and flame, he seems to have moved about among the people, doing good wherever he came. Indeed, the ministries of Elijah and Elisha seem in many ways to suggest the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus." -“In their persons they symbolized two aspects of the divine power toward the people: Elijah was the divine judicial power opposing a rebellious people and containing wholesale violence; Elisha was the dispensing of divine blessing when people repented." -Both are seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose shadows, of course, they were. In one aspect of His history on earth, we see the suffering, driven, persecuted Witness; the world hating Him, because He testified that its works were evil; in another we see the powerful, gracious, ready friend of others, all that had sorrows or necessities getting healing and blessing from Him."
GJ

Greg Jones

Happy Birthday Paul! Really appreciate you sharing that World Series birthday present with the rest of us. Ton of good stuff in the deeper dive. If I had to pick out one thing over some others it would be Throughout history, nations (and people) have fallen because of their inability to recognize that the reasons for prior successes change: allegiances shift, strengths wane, information comes to light, opposition materializes, or pride rears its ugly head. Pride-creep occurs subtly and is easy to miss if we're not informed, aware and surrounded by truth-tellers whom we've given permission to speak into our lives. There are different accounts of Amaziah’s reign in Kings and Chronicles, very different accounts. Chronicles has Amaziah bringing back the idols of Edom to be worshipped in Jerusalem, no mention of the people worshiping outside the temple on the high places. Kings has no mention of Amaziah’s idol worship. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. 2 Kings 14:3 “Yet not like David his father” (Kings) is equal to “Yet not with a whole heart”(Chronicles) But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 2 Kings 14:3-4 In the book of Kings for the kings of Judah the high places not being removed is always a sticking point but it doesn’t disqualify them from being a good king. And for the kings of Israel the golden calves of Jeroboam always equals did evil. Chronicles in the case Amaziah doesn’t make two distinctions. First not removing the high places the people worshipped isn’t mentioned. Second Chronicles adds an account of idol worship to explain a judgement but doesn’t identify Amaziah as an evil king of Judah which the book of Kings would have if it had recorded it. So what’s up with that? Is the Bible not true, or errant, as amateur Bible critics like to say. I don’t think so. Is it factual? I don’t think so but I don’t see where an ancient document has to be factual to be true or inerrant. I know it was written by real people to real people who had a shared story and was written for real purposes. Does Chronicles accuse Amaziah of literally bringing the gods of the men of Seir and setting them up as his gods and worshipping them? I don’t think so. Had he Kings would have had a different view of him. Is the author of Chronicles accusing him of worshipping Yahweh for the same reasons the men of Seir worshipped their gods? Yes. I believe something like that is the truth behind the contradictions. What’s well described in the deeper dive is being worked out by God’s people. And their story, their views of their successes and their views of their failures has been preserved for us. There is a time when temple centered worship is seen as central to the success of Judah as a nation. Then in exile there is a time when it isn’t. When I think of the people of Judah worshiping on all the high places outside of the temple I imagine Jesus on the Mount Olives. When I imagine some of the tensions described in the gospels I see a push for more temple centered worship as a push back. A temple affirming push back to the push back on the part of Jesus—It is written my house shall be called a house of prayer. Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46 Great devotional but I have one criticism. Too many dad jokes. After that fourth it’s time to put a socket in them…
SB

Sue Bohlin

SUPER devo, Paul, and thanks for the Dad Joke chuckle! Yet again we see the failure of a king to pull down the high places, which allowed the people to continue to worship their idols. Amaziah did pretty well, "except." The Spirit of God noted yet again this stubborn refusal of yet another king not to offend the people by tearing down the high places (which made his perfectly willing to offend God though). Reading this through the filter of years in re:gen ministry, I see why it's so important to not only submit to the discipleship process, but to keep working the steps to keep ourselves open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to tear down the idols He doesn't reveal (or that we aren't willing to see) at the beginning of this deeper walk with Jesus.
MS

Michael Scaman

Lot's of kings doing evil. The cream isn't always the only thing rising to the top. There are 2 Psalms recounting Israel's history and they are uncompementary, Psalms 78 and 106. God was faithful and his history of faithfulness is in Psalm 105 One generation singled out as a especially bad example was the generation savd in the Exodus . God said his soul loathed that generation. They forgot God's works and didn't know God's ways (although handed God's laws and say GOd's miracles, pillar of cloud and fire and ate manna 40 years) God brought them to the land and they still forgot God's works. While there were flashes of obedient they turned from God.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. No. 2. I want the best of everything, and I want the best for everyone. God helps me evaluate things, organize things, and do my best. 3. God. 4. I work with God like He works with me to evaluate life and to complete things. God’s values help ensure success in life because He helps each of us see the best in ourselves and the best in our opportunities.
KH

Kathy Hempel Cox

Great devo...thank you