The Price of Obedience: A Lesson from King Amaziah
2 Chronicles 25:9
And Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give thee much more than this."
How often do we, with undying commitment, stay on our sinking ships simply because we built them with our own lumber, labor, and lucre? Sometimes we feel as if the materials, manpower, and money we invest into something should automatically guarantee a successful outcome. We feel this way because we become emotionally attached and committed to our purchasing decisions, and want to believe that we made good choices. It is hard for us to admit that we’ve made a bad investment. It hurts our pride, as well as our pockets! However, if we are wise, we will know when it is our time to chalk it up as a loss and move on, unless we continue to lose even more of our hard-earned dollars on a bad deal.
In today’s text, King Amaziah had spent 100 talents of silver to hire an army with which to go into battle with his enemy. The problem was, he didn’t consult The Lord first! Had he done so, he would not have spent that money in the first place. He later found out by the prophet that God did not want him fighting that battle. Now, to put it in perspective, it is estimated that 1 talent of silver (approximately 75 lbs.) in today’s market would be worth about 1.25 million dollars. And King Amaziah had spent that times 100! Do the math; that’s $125,000,000.00 (one hundred twenty five million dollars)! No wonder he was worried about his investment going to waste! However, the more important issue here was not money, but obedience, for had he not listened to the man of God, he and all of his army would have gone into battle and lost the battle, the money, AND their lives!
Furthermore, look what God’s man told the king; “The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.” Dear friend, it is only an illusion to think that what God asks us to lose will actually cost us anything! The truth is, what we “lose” for The Lord when we obey Him, is only an investment into His Kingdom, for which He will return a handsome profit! And while we’re worried about our losses, God looks at them as investments of faith sure to yield a dividend.
Now, will YOU obey Him?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give thee much more than this."
How often do we, with undying commitment, stay on our sinking ships simply because we built them with our own lumber, labor, and lucre? Sometimes we feel as if the materials, manpower, and money we invest into something should automatically guarantee a successful outcome. We feel this way because we become emotionally attached and committed to our purchasing decisions, and want to believe that we made good choices. It is hard for us to admit that we’ve made a bad investment. It hurts our pride, as well as our pockets! However, if we are wise, we will know when it is our time to chalk it up as a loss and move on, unless we continue to lose even more of our hard-earned dollars on a bad deal.
In today’s text, King Amaziah had spent 100 talents of silver to hire an army with which to go into battle with his enemy. The problem was, he didn’t consult The Lord first! Had he done so, he would not have spent that money in the first place. He later found out by the prophet that God did not want him fighting that battle. Now, to put it in perspective, it is estimated that 1 talent of silver (approximately 75 lbs.) in today’s market would be worth about 1.25 million dollars. And King Amaziah had spent that times 100! Do the math; that’s $125,000,000.00 (one hundred twenty five million dollars)! No wonder he was worried about his investment going to waste! However, the more important issue here was not money, but obedience, for had he not listened to the man of God, he and all of his army would have gone into battle and lost the battle, the money, AND their lives!
Furthermore, look what God’s man told the king; “The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.” Dear friend, it is only an illusion to think that what God asks us to lose will actually cost us anything! The truth is, what we “lose” for The Lord when we obey Him, is only an investment into His Kingdom, for which He will return a handsome profit! And while we’re worried about our losses, God looks at them as investments of faith sure to yield a dividend.
Now, will YOU obey Him?
~ Pastor Gary Caudill