"Full of Himself"

Scripture Passage

2 Kings 14:1-14; 2 Chronicles 25:1-24; 2 Kings 13:12-13; 2 Kings 14:15-16; 2 Kings 14:23-27; 2 Chronicles 25:25-28; 2 Kings 14:17-22; 2 Kings 15:1-5; 2 Chronicles 26:1-21; Jonah 1-4:11

Scripture Focus

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! This made the LORD very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, “Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?’
But the king interrupted him and said, “Since when have I made you the king’s counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!” (2 Chronicles 25:14-16 NLT)

Observation

It’s “full of himself” day in the Scriptures. Today’s reading opens with the story of King Amaziah of Judah. Amaziah started well.  Specifically, after hiring mercenary troops from Israel to attack Edom, Amaziah was rebuked by the man of God to dismiss the “hired guns”, and to trust in the Lord both for victory in battle *and* for the replenishment of the money wasted hiring foot soldiers now dismissed. Amaziah responded to that challenge, and God gave Judah a great victory over the Edomites.

Amaziah must have gotten bonked on the head in battle, however, as he began to pay homage to the false gods of the very nation he’d just defeated. Again the man of God delivered the obvious challenge—“Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?” This time, however, Amaziah rebuked the man of God, persisted in his journey down “Stupid Street,” and ended up suffering defeat at the hand of the Israelites, who had tried desperately to deflect Amaziah’s challenge towards war.

Next comes the story of Uzziah, who enjoyed early success, “but when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall” (2 Chronicles 26:15 NLT).

Finally, we meet Jonah—so full of himself he can’t perceive God’s love for the people of Nineveh. Though God does a great work among the Ninevites, the book of Jonah closes with Jonah angry and pouting. What’s up with that?

The Biblical reality is this: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5 NIV). Early success becomes lasting success only when the heart stays humble and the spirit stays willing—willing to listen and act in submission to the one whose place is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21 NIV).  So that's where I want to be—humble and willing, so that every success becomes a lasting success!