While the story begins with the wars of Amaziah, King of Judah, he suffers severe losses. They came at the hands of Israel. The Lord gives the northern kingdom one last chance to turn. The parallel passage is 2 Kings 14 and part of 15. After reaching its nadir, Judah also rises from the ashes to prosperity under Uzziah.
2 Chronicles 25:1-4 -- In 796 BC, Amaziah takes the throne of Judah. His reign is described as half-way faithful in the beginning. He fails to assert his authority to break down the paganized shrines to Jehovah on the high places, but it appears he clamped down on the pagan worship of the Princes of Judah. Upon settling all the legal requirements to actually reign, he immediately executes his father's murders. However, it is noted he strictly follows the Law of Moses in not executing their entire households, something common in those times.
25:5-10 -- Right away, Amaziah took a military census, and reorganized, then mustered the forces. His army was far reduced from former times. This should indicate a general decline in population, as well. The massive forces under such as Asa (ch. 14:1ff) with his 580,000 represents a healthy population of at least 2 million. 125 years later we have Amaziah's 300,000 troops, just over half. It is noted the primary weapons were heavy spear and shield. Raiding the royal treasury, he hired another 100,000 from Ephraim. His plans were to reconquer Edom, which had been free for some 50 years. No doubt this was also in retribution for the hideous act described by Obadiah. Amaziah promptly received a visit from a prophet. He was warned that whatever he planned should not include pagans from his northern neighbor. If he brought them along, God would not prosper any military action. Without them, God would surely deliver victory. When Amaziah asked about the money already spent, the prophet assured him Jehovah could easily replace it, and more beside. The Ephraimite troops were dismissed, and took it as a grave insult.
25:11-13 -- After making sure the troops were fully equipped and supplied, Amaziah marched to the southern end of the Dead Sea, the Valley of Salt. There he met and defeated the army of Edom. During the mop up that followed, he took their capital, Selah, today known as Petra. Edom lost 10,000 casualties in battle, and another 10,000 in execution. They were thrown from a cliff. The victory is according to the prophet's promise from the Lord, but the executions were probably excessive. Meanwhile, the mercenaries from Ephraim decided to conduct their own war, and raided the cities of northwestern Benjamin (this "Samaria" is clearly not the capital of Israel). They murdered and plundered disgracefully.
25:14-16 -- The idols captured from Edom were probably made of precious materials. Instead of stripping them down for the treasure, they were left intact like trophies, and eventually became a spiritual snare. Amaziah made them his own household gods, the same gods that had no power to prevent his victory over Edom. When a prophet pointed this out to him, the king ordered him to shut up, lest he be killed. The prophet's final words were to note he realized the Lord had already judged Amaziah, and there was no going back.
25:17-28 -- Amaziah was feeling powerful after his victory over Edom. He decided to challenge Joash of Israel, no doubt as retribution for what the mercenaries of Ephraim had done. His message demanded that Joash appear before him as tributary, or face him in battle. Joash responded by warning him of his arrogance. Having dispatched the great armies of Syria, the military power of Israel was well proven. Amaziah was warned his glory over Edom would be lost by his over-reaching. Amaziah insisted, it is noted because the Lord had determined to judge him, and set the battlefield in Beth-shemesh, down in the Valley of Sorek. The two kings did indeed meet face to face, but the battle went to Israel. The army of Judah disbanded in defeat.
Having captured Amaziah, Joash dragged him up Mount Zion, and made him watch while the troops of Israel tore down the entire northern end of the wall of Jerusalem. Symbolically, this declared the city open to her northern neighbors, to come and go as they pleased. Joash plundered the palace and Temple, as well. He also took hostages, including Obed-edom, the family of Levitical porters and singers. A few years later (782 BC), Joash died. His son, Jeroboam II, already having served some years as co-regent, became king in his place, and was very prosperous. Amaziah lived another 15 years, until 767 BC. However, the text is a bit fuzzy here. A plot arose against the king in reaction to his paganism, and reached fever pitch with the humiliating loss to Israel. His son, Azariah, had been made co-regent as early as 790 BC, starting when he was 16 years old. This was rather irregular, and indicates the urgency of the rulers to dump Amaziah, and places all his actions in a short, six-year time frame. The nature of the plot forced Amaziah to flee, into a sort of forced retirement, in the city of Lachish, far southwest of Jerusalem, but straight west of Hebron, on the main road to Egypt. Amaziah must have stirred up trouble eventually, as the conspirators sent assassins to finish him and haul his body back home to the royal cemetery.
26:1-5 -- We are introduced to Azariah by his other name, Uzziah. Both names mean approximately the same thing: "Jehovah is his Help." We are told that upon entering his co-regency at age 16, the princes and nobles stopped paying any attention to his father. Once Amaziah was entombed, Uzziah went to work. His first notable act was to restore Eloth, part of the mining and shipping complex formerly known as Ezion-geber, down on the Gulf of Aqaba. This would bring trade, prosperity, and a resultant population growth. It is noted with his reign beginning at his co-regency, he ruled 52 years, one of the longest careers. As a young lad, while the priest Zechariah still lived (ch. 24:20ff), Uzziah began seeking the Lord, and his career prospered as long as that continued. His only failing was leaving the paganized shrines to Jehovah, called high places.
26:6-15 -- Uzziah was a very able ruler. He reasserted Judah's power over the Philistines, destroying the walls around their chief cities and building garrisons with supporting villages near those conquered cities. The Philistine allies, nomadic tribes out in the southern wilderness, were also pacified. Even the Ammonites paid tribute to Judah. Jerusalem was rebuilt and fortified with corner towers. He also built towered forts in the southern wilderness, dug lots of wells, and kept his own cattle there and in the Ammonite plateaus east of the Jordan, which had been lost to Israel previously. He even planted his own vineyards in Carmel, south of Hebron. We are told he loved farming. His army was better organized than most before it, with a large cadre of 2600 noble warriors commanding as many as 307,500 conscripts. Uzziah was the first we know of who provided armor for his conscripts, as well as a wide array of weapons. If that were not enough, he hired engineers to build primitive catapults and ballistae (launching giant arrows) for the towers of Jerusalem.
26:16-23 -- Sadly, all this went to his head. Uzziah must have thought himself the equal of David, for he went into the Temple to burn incense like a priest. The Sons of Kohath, Keepers of the Temple, led by their chief with the same name as the King (but consistently called Azariah), did their duty precisely in guarding the Holy Place from unfit men. The Kohathites were probably outfitted as guards, and this large company of 80 were not to be taken lightly. They blocked Uzziah from the Altar of Incense, and the confrontation was ugly. They ordered him to leave, as only consecrated priests and Levites could even enter the Temple, much less burn incense. As Uzziah's anger flared, so did God's wrath, in the form of leprosy that replaced his red angry skin with white, beginning prominently with his forehead. They they immediately hustled him out, as this made his presence downright defiling. They need not have pushed, for in his sudden apprehension of fear, he ran from the Temple courts. From that day, he was forced to live alone in separate quarters, never to enter the Temple plaza again. His son Jotham took up co-regency in public royal duties, in 750 BC.
Uzziah lived another decade. We note at the end of his reign in 740 BC, a young relative, traditionally believed a half-brother of King Amaziah, was called to be a prophet: Isaiah.
[ Return to Lesson Index ]
[ <- - Previous Lesson ]
[ --> Next Lesson ]
Ed Hurst
09 April 2005
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)