Change is about the heart

Chronicles and Kings

I keep returning to the books of Chronicles. Back in November I spoke about how the books of Chronicles retell the stories of the bible from Adam and Eve through the reins of the Kings of Israel and Judah

That Chronicles focus on the History - What went wrong in the past? What went right? What was the result

Through first chronicles the book explores all of these issues, giving us insights and opinions about Israel's history offering us a faith based view on what has happened rather than a purely historical one.

I keep coming back to this book for two reasons.

Firstly it is packed with so much wisdom that is relevant for us today.

The second reason is that it is hard going.

Hard books

Let’s face it some books of the bible are just hard going.

Leviticus is packed with laws, rules, and expectations. after a while, my eyes glaze over.

Deuteronomy repeats some of Leviticus and adds more. it’s a tough read

Isaiah has great moments with frequent allusions to Jesus. Yet it’s also long and plodding for me to read.

Lamentations is , formatted not unlike a funeral dirge. This is not my preferred genre.

Chronicles is not hard to read in it’s style, but you really need to keep a another bible open at Kings 1 & 2 to get the most out of it to understand what each of the characters was up to as Chronicles compares their rules with that of David

There is so much in these books that is set then but is relevant for now and as the great philosopher Lucille Ball puts it “In life, all good things come hard but wisdom is the hardest to come by”

Setting

I want to have a look at one of the Kings covered in Chronicles, his name is Amaziah but before we do we need a little context.

You will remember Moses lead the people out of Egypt, bumbled around in the dessert for 40 years before Joshua led the people into the promised land. You will know that the people were lead by judges before demanding a king and being ruled by Saul, King David and King Solomon.

After the death of Solomon, the tribes of Israel split into two rival kingdoms, which were often at war. The descendants of David continued to reign over the southern kingdom of Judah, but the northern kingdom Israel was plagued by coups and short-lived dynasties. Neither kingdom was as powerful as the united kingdom of David and Solomon had been.

Amaziah

Amaziah was a king of Judah. Son of Joash, ; his reign coincided with those of the Israelite kings Jehoash and Jeroboam II.

Amaziah is one of the eight kings of Judah to receive a positive assessment in the books of Chronicles. Though his reign didn’t end well.

We read about Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25 and 2 kings 14

Kings introduces Amaziah like this

2 Kings 14:1–6 CSB

1 In the second year of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done. 4 Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had killed his father the king. 6 However, he did not put the children of the killers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where the Lord commanded, “Fathers are not to be put to death because of children, and children are not to be put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah stats his reign well. Keeping the law of Moses.

Through his rein we see a repeated pattern of Amaziah doing the right thing, Doing the wrong thing, being told he is doing the wrong thing, repenting, and repeating the cycle again. Amaziah’s life is a microcosm of the history of the Jewish people through the books of exodus, judges and kings.

The account of Amaziah’s reign is in 2 Chr 25 and 2 Kgs 14,

The Chronicler’s account of Amaziah’s life begins positively. He conducted one of the four censuses taken during the period of the divided monarchy (2 Chr 25:5), each of which was taken by a Judaean king who “did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh“:

• Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 17:12–19);

• Joash (2 Kgs 12:1–21; 2 Chr 24:1–27);

• Amaziah (2 Chr 25:5–10);

• Azariah/Uzziah (2 Chr 26:11–13).

Amaziah Did Good.

As a result of the census, Amaziah realised that his fighting forces were smaller that he thought necessary so he decided to hire an additional 100,000 fighting men from Israel (the other kingdom) to augment his own army of 300,000 troops in battle against Edom (2 Chr 25:6) rather than trust God for the victory - did wrong

A prophet of God confronts Amaziah and calls him to send these Israelite troops home (2 Chr 25:7–9). - he was told

Amaziah obeys, and the remaining troops are victorious over Edom. - Amaziah Did Good.

However, the dismissed Israelite troops “became very angry” and expressed their wrath by plundering and killing in the villages they passed through on their way back to Israel (2 Chr 25:11–13)

Amaziah although restored to God has to face up to the consequences of his actions.

The Chronicler’s depiction of Amaziah’s reign takes a decidedly negative turn following the victory against Edom. According to 2 Chronicles 25:14, Amaziah brought “brought the gods of the men of Seir and … worshiped them” (2 Chr 25:14 ESV). - Amaziah does bad

And yet God does not give up on Amaziah.

God sent a prophet to confront Amaziah for worshiping these pagan gods, - Amaziah is told

but Amaziah refused to listen and threatened to kill the prophet. - Amaziah is bad

The prophet warned him that God would destroy him for his idolatry and refusal to listen (2 Chr 25:15–16). - Amazih is told again - note how God still doesn’t give up on Amaziah.

Amaziah’s insist on fighting Israel (against Gods will) and loses, and is captured. - Consequences

2 Chronicles 25:20, tells us this was God’s punishment of Amaziah for his idolatry

The Chronicler then records that Amaziah was assassinated in Lachish after he “turned away from the Lord” (2 Chr 25:27a).

I find it interesting that despite the idolatry and ensuing punishment that characterised the latter half of Amaziah’s reign, the Chronicler nevertheless describes him as a king who “did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh” (2 Chr 26:4). Echoing the point we know so well, what we do does not disbar us from receiving grace from God.

In a nutshell, Amaziah starts of with great intentions keeping the law when it came to his Fathers Killers.

He stumbles along the way choosing the wrong set of people to fight with, but sides with God winning the battle of the Valley of Salt against Edom. He moves away from God and despite the warnings of a prophet does not return - His rule is over.

Chronicles recognise him as one of the better kings but in the end he fails, he fails with God.

David

I mentioned at the beginning that Chronicles compares the reign of each king to that of David.

If you have read about King David you will know that he was in no means perfect. In many ways David’s life was similar to Amazihs, David starts well but success and power take it’s toll

You probably know his most notable failings of Adultery (though that really doe not convey what happens) and murder.

From his rooftop, David notices his attractive neighbour, Bathsheba, washing. He sends his men to take her back to the palace, he has sex with her, and she conceives. In an attempt to cover up the pregnancy, David recalls Bathsheba’s husband Uriah from the siege of Rabbah, but Uriah has too much integrity to sleep with his wife while the rest of the army and the ark are camping in tents. After David orchestrates Uriah’s death in battle, he assumes the disaster has been averted. But David doesn’t take God into account.

Like Amaziah’s story these actions, sexual abuse of power- murder displease God and a Prophet is sent to David. (Nathan).

David repents to God but there are still consequences.

2 Samuel 12:13–14 CSB

13 David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Then Nathan replied to David, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.”

From this incident discord within David’s family caused David’s son (Absalom) to sow the seeds that would effectively bring about the civil war that split the kingdom.

David and Amaziah led a life that followed the familiar pattern of doing the right thing, Doing the wrong thing, being told by God they were doing the wrong thing, repenting, and repeating the cycle again.

It is clear that that God cared about what each of them did.

It is clear both fell short of the plan that God had on their lives and God wanted to restore them sending people to help.

It is clear that both got it wrong repeatedly but one of them ended well the other captured, exiled and assinated.

Only one of them is recognised as the greatest earthly king ever.

Only one serves as the measure that all other kings were measured against, every one knows the name of David and the other . The other, is lost into obscurity.

Why is this?

All about the heart?

The answer is in the introduction to Amaziah in 2 Kings

2 Kings 14:3 CSB

3 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.

So what was it that David had that Amaziah did not - as far as I can see they both blew it, they were both repeat offenders.

1 sam. 13:14

1 Samuel 13:14 (CSB)

14 but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

The reason David is the hero and Amaziah was the also ran, is all about the state of their heart

We learn much of David’s character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David’s life was a portrait of success and failure, and the biblical record highlights the fact that David was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed toward God. He had a deep desire to follow God’s will and do “everything” God wanted him to do. He was a man after God’s own heart.

We will all blow it.

We are all capable of getting it wrong. Hopefully not as spectacularly as David but getting it wrong, blowing it. is part of being human, living in this world. Whether we get it wrong actively - choosing a path that puts us in a position away from God, or simply inactively drifting away we can all feel that there is no way back. That we have done so much, drifted too far for God to want us.

The reality is

Romans 8:38–39 CSB

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God will always welcome you back.

I’ve said it before, it dosen’t matter how many steps you take away from God - it takes one step to return.

God will always want you to become closer, even if we keep blowing it.

Get a heart Like Davids.

Part of being in a position where we are close to God, where we live in a position where we know we can come back, and better still are less likely to move away is to be more like David than Amaziah. To develop a heart after God’s own

What does that mean?

A heart of faith.

Part of why David is called a man after God’s own heart is that he had absolute faith in God. Nowhere in Scripture is this point better illustrated than in 1 Samuel 17 where David as a young shepherd boy fearlessly slew the Philistine, Goliath. Shortly before the duel, we see direct evidence of David’s faith when David says, “‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’” (verse 37). David was fully aware that God was in control of his life, and he had faith that God would deliver him from impending danger. How else would one venture into a potentially fatal situation with such calm and confidence? David knew early on in life that God was to be trusted and obeyed. As we see in Scripture, David’s faith pleased God, and God rewards David for his faithfulness.

A heart of obedience

Another reason David was a man after God’s own heart is that he absolutely loved God’s Law. Of the 150 psalms in the Bible, David is credited for writing over half of them. Writing at various and often troubling times in his life, David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God’s perfect Word. We find a beautiful example of this in Psalm 119:47–48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” It is not hard to see his complete adoration for God’s Word. Also notice how David “meditates” on God’s statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. We would do well to not only read God’s Word but also think about it throughout the day, for God loves us to think about Him. “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways” (Psalm 119:2–3). - We are not called to be legalistic but this points to obedience.

A heart of thanks

David was a man after God’s own heart in that he was truly thankful. “I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 26:6–7). David’s life was marked by seasons of great peace and prosperity as well as times of fear and despair. But through all of the seasons in his life, he never forgot to thank the Lord for everything that he had. It is truly one of David’s finest characteristics. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4, ESV). As followers of Jesus Christ, we would do well to follow David’s lead of offering praise through thanksgiving to our Lord.

A heart willing to repent.

After he sinned, David was truly repentant. David’s sin with Bathsheba is recorded in 2 Samuel 11:2–5. The mighty fall hard, and David’s fall included adultery, lying, and murder. He had sinned against God, and he admits it in 2 Samuel 12:13: “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’” But admitting our sin and asking for forgiveness is only half of the equation. The other half is repentance, and David did that as well. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance to God: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!" (Psalm 51:1–2).

A heart willing to be forgiven.

David was a man after God’s own heart because he demonstrated his faith and was committed to following the Lord. Yes, his faith was tested on a grand scale, and he failed at times. But after his sin he sought and received the Lord’s forgiveness. In the final analysis, David loved God’s Law and sought to follow it exactly. As a man after God’s own heart, David is a role model for all of us.

Sometime role models seem unachievable.

Fast forward a few thousand years.

Acts

Acts 16:11–15 CSB

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Let the holy spirit open your heart, let it be shaped by God’s love, God’s Grace, God’s discipline to be a heart that is full of faith, full of obedience, willing to repent and be forgiven and heart full of thanks. In short let God change your heart to one that is after his own.

Then you will always know there is a way back to God’s love.

Prayer