Lessons on Amaziah (1)—The Power to Help Is From God - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.
2 Chronicles 25:7-8

Lessons on Amaziah (1)—The Power to Help Is From God
Amaziah goes to war. While preparing, he counts 300,000 men among the people. But it seems that numbers were important for him, and that he sought deliverance in it, and so he hires 100,000 mighty men from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. But the Lord sends him a prophet with a clear and simple message: God is not with Israel because of their sins. If you go, go alone: God has power to help and to cast down. Yes, but what about the silver? "The Lord is able to give you much more than this" (2 Chr. 25:9). And so, Amaziah sends back the men of Israel, goes to war, and wins.

By this experience, Amaziah learns very practically that it is God who gives victory and riches; that if they are with God and obey His word, He is with them. And the important principle of association is also brought forward: they could not associate themselves with those whom the Lord was not with. This is why, in order to have the victory, they had to send back the men of Israel.

This was a gracious lesson from the Lord. Amaziah was around ten to twelve years old when Jehoiada died and his father Joash forsook the Lord. This was a bad influence at an important age. And so, the Lord gave him a good practical lesson to speak to his heart. Would he learn from it?

Are we not like Amaziah? Do we not feel stronger and more capable of doing great things for God when we are many? But even with a hundred people, what is the use of being more if all are powerless apart from God? We have a hard time understanding that God alone is sufficient: the power to help comes from God! Is there a spiritual battle before us today where we need help? Let us go to the Lord and seek His help: He alone has power to help!

Alexandre Leclerc