But Not Wholeheartedly

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father [Joash] the king. (2 Chronicles 25:1a-3, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “But not wholeheartedly.” An all too familiar refrain.

What was right – “Yet [Amaziah] did not put their [the officials who murdered Joash] sons to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: ‘Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sins.'” (2 Chronicles 25:4, NIV 1984). So Amaziah had some semblance of understanding of, and obedience to, God’s laws and decrees.

But not wholeheartedly – “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. 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?'” (2 Chronicles 25:14-15, NIV 1984). But he did not listen, breaking the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Deuteronomy 5:7, NIV 1984).

Other events – “As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.” (2 Chronicles 25:26-27, NIV 1984). Presumably there were other things Amaziah “did [that] was right” before “[turning] away from following the Lord.” But once he did turn, it appears to have been complete.

My Advice – Following the Lord wholeheartedly is hard for us all. Yet that is what we are commanded to do. Among many others. “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'” (Mark 12:28-31, NIV 1984).

But we could never keep the two greatest, much less any of the others. Not wholeheartedly, not even close. As a result, “each [of us] is to die for [our] own sins.” An eternal death. But “thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV 1984).

Christ died for us – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8-9, NIV 1984).

Now no condemnation – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” (Romans 8:1-3, NIV 1984).

“Indescribable gift?” Yes indeed!