When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them!
I came across this nugget today in my bible reading. Normally, during my annual trek through the bible, Chronicles is like having a tooth pulled. Ever. Day. But this year, I've found more and more truths as I read the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah. In this particular passage, Amaziah goes to war with Edom. He originally is going to use mercenaries he's hired from Israel but the Lord tells him to trust Him and go to war without the hired guns. He does this and has a great victory in Edom, killing 10,000 on the field of battle and another 10,000 by execution. As a side note, he has these second 10,000 cast off the side of a cliff which is both brutal and wins points for originality.
The problem is after his great, God given victory, Amaziah brings back the gods of Edom and begins to worship them. He even cops an attitude with the prophet who comes to warm him that God isn't pleased with this particular turn of events. Needless to say, he's on the road to downfall from here.
The issue that struck me was that Amaziah followed God and walked in His way right up until the moment he had success. Success is intoxicating. It makes you feel good. The key to remember is that our success, ANY success, is from God. Whether it's within the church, the marketplace or any other venue, God is the one who blesses us.
Success is awesome. God is more awesome. Don't let success go to your head.
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