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Amaziah was the King of Judah who challenged King Jehoash of Israel to war.
Jehoash warned him against the idea but he was bent on going to battle, he was eventually defeated and later assassinated by his own people.
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: “Come, meet me face to face.” 2 KINGS 14:8
When King Amaziah of Judah challenged King Jehoash of Israel to battle, he definitely bit off more than he could chew. But it seems as if this followed the general character of Amaziah, who had a habit of
acting without fully thinking through the situation.
Amaziah had taken over the throne of Judah when his father was assassinated by his own officials (2 Kings 12:19–21). Amaziah appears to have started out strong, because the Bible describes him as doing “right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Kings 14:1–3). But his commitment was not wholehearted, because he allowed the pagan shrines to remain in the land.Perhaps in a rush to amass enough troops to fight Edom, Amaziah rashly hired mercenaries from Israel to add to the troops that came from Judah. When a prophet warned him not to use mercenaries from Israel to fight the battle, Amaziah simply dismissed them and headed off to war with Edom. In the meantime, the mercenaries, no doubt angry that they would not share in any spoils of victory, attacked several Judean
towns.
Amaziah defeated the Edomites, but he also brought back their gods and worshipped them. The battle victory must have gone to his head, too, because he soon challenged King Jehoash of Israel to battle. Despite Jehoash’s warnings, Amaziah would not back down, and Jehoash thoroughly defeated him, even destroying part of Jerusalem’s wall and
looting the temple (2 Kings 14:8–14).
In the end, Amaziah was assassinated by his own people from Jerusalem, just as his father had been (2 Kings 14:18–20).
Amaziah’s defeat at the hands of Jehoash should have come as no surprise. Jehoash proved himself to be an able military leader by defeating the Arameans in three separate battles to recover Israelite towns that they had taken (2 Kings 13:25).Amaziah was a king of Judah who reigned in the 9th century BCE. He was the son of Joash and became king at the age of 25.
According to the Bible, Amaziah was a good king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but he also had some flaws.One of Amaziah’s accomplishments was that he defeated the Edomites, who had been a thorn in Judah’s side for a long time. He also strengthened the army and the fortifications of Jerusalem.
However, he also made the mistake of hiring mercenary soldiers from Israel to help him fight against a rebellion in the northern kingdom of Israel. This led to a defeat by the Israelites and a loss of territory for Judah.Another mistake Amaziah made was that he was overconfident in his own abilities and defied a prophecy from a prophet of God, which led to his downfall. He was eventually overthrown by his own subjects and assassinated.
Despite his flaws, Amaziah is remembered as one of the better kings of Judah and his reign is considered a time of relative stability and prosperity for the kingdom
Bible verses about Amaziah
“Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.” – 2 Chronicles 25:1
“Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.” – 2 Chronicles 25:2
“But after Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them.” – 2 Chronicles 25:14
“For the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, ‘Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?'” – 2 Chronicles 25:15
“And as he spoke, the king said to him, ‘Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?’ So the prophet stopped but said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.'” – 2 Chronicles 25:16“Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, ‘Come, let us look one another in the face.’ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, ‘The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, “Give your daughter to my son for a wife”; and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.'” – 2 Chronicles 25:17-18
“And Amaziah said to the man of God, ‘But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?’ The man of God answered, ‘The Lord is able to give you much more than this.’ So Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home.” – 2 Chronicles 25:9-10
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