daily bible readings

Sometimes believers can be hard hearted and blind to the realities of the Lord. How and why this happens may remain a mystery until the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. 

Amaziah fell into this very trap. God had powerfully defeated the enemy before him, even after he had dismissed the 100,000 men he had hired from the norther tribes. They killed 10,000 men of Seir in battle and captured 10,000 more who were summarily executed by being driven off a cliff. God had won a decisive victory.

But, Amaziah proved to be hard hearted. 2 Chronicles 25:14–15 reports his hard heartedness. “When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15 The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?””

For some inexplicable reason, Amaziah chose to keep the gods of the people of Seir and rather than destroying them, he chose to bow down to them and to offer sacrifices to them. Not only did he choose to bow down to a series of dumb and mute statues, it was the very same dumb and mute statues that could not save the men of Seir from defeat. Ancient Near Eastern lore dictates that the battle is won by the greater and more powerful god, not the army. Amaziah’s God had won a decisive victory and Amaziah, somewhat astoundingly, chose to bow down to the defeated gods. For some inexplicable reason, he chose to worship the vanquished not the victor.

It’s heart breaking when Christians, likewise, remain hard hearted and obstinate regarding their sins. While we may not bow down to statues and idols, we can easily fall into the habit of engaging in sinful activities or thoughts with the erroneous belief that this particular action or thought will bless us or make us more whole and fulfilled. Even when rebuked by the Lord, we find it easy to self-justify our actions so that we can return to our sinfulness.

But, God does not take too kindly to obstinate, unrepentant sin in Christian lives. God works through other believers, through circumstance and through direct intervention to bring repentance and a change of heart. God works in us to mould us and make us to be holy and righteous in Christ. In fact, Ephesians 1:4–5 tells us that  God “chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

The antidote to hardheartedness is twofold. We need to remain abundantly in God’s grace. As Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Remaining in grace occurs as we indulge ourselves in the Word, in fellowship and in deep committed prayerfulness. Secondly, we need to be fed constantly by the Word. As we immerse ourselves in the Word. We will more easily spot the lies of the evil one and the temptations to find fulfilment in satan’s counterfeits will be recognised and rejected quickly. 

If you find yourself currently being hard hearted towards God and engaging in sinful activities, drop to your knees and plead with the Lord to grant you a repentant heart and a change of lifestyle. Pray fervently that the grace of God would overwhelm you and teach you to “say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” (Titus 2:11-12). 

Prayer:

Adoration:

• Adore the Lord for His holiness and righteousness.
• Adore God that His holiness demands and necessitates our holiness.

Confession:

• Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness

Thanks:

• Thank God that through the blood of Jesus, He has washed you clean and has filled you with the Holy Spirit so that you can live a life of goodliness in all things.
• Thank God that you are loved by God, blessed by Him and precious to Him.

Supplication:

• Pray that the staff at ChristLife would be refreshed and renewed on their day off.
• Pray that the grace of God would strengthen and equip those who are struggling with temptation to fight the good fight and to be victorious in Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1. As you peruse Chapter 25, what sins did Amaziah commit?
2. What did he do that was righteous?
3. What would your assessment of Amaziah be?
4. Can you explain why Amaziah bowed down to the foreign gods he captured after his God-given victory?