My Thoughts on Amaziah's, Joash's Son's Lapse Into Idolatry and Arrogance
The story of Amaziah, the successor, and son of Joash can be found in 2nd Kings 13-14 and 2nd Chronicles 25-26. What can be read by Amaziah in both 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles is that he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD but he didn't do it with his whole heart. David was called a man after God's own heart in spite of his mistakes. Solomon is referred to as half-heart. The mother of Amaziah is mentioned because she may have been a good influence. Amaziah soon had his father's murderers arrested and put to death but slew not the children. We can read much good at first but later, like his father Joash, he ended up from revival to ruin.
We can read this absurd incident in 2nd Chronicles 26:14-16:
14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. 15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? 16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.
It really amazes me how Amaziah who had led the campaign against Edom, who brought down the gods of Edom, had ended up into idolatry with the gods of Edom. Apparently, this is a demonic influence and behind every idol is a demon. I can't be too certain about this reason but this would be a satanic attack of sorts. Deuteronomy 32:16-17 reveals that behind every false god is a demonic force or a demon behind it. No demons, no demonic force. Amaziah must've been directly influenced by demons which caused him to burn incense and bow down to the idols at Seir. He should've thrown them off the cliff but maybe, just maybe, he gave in to peer pressure like his father Joash did. Maybe, he did it to try and satisfy his own peers or the family of the Edomites. The Bible doesn't tell us the reason. Regardless, he was under satanic influence. He didn't guard his heart and he ended up carrying the idols that he should've burned at Edom.
Now, we see similar mistakes between Amaziah and his father Joash. Joash had a good start and a bad end. The same happened to Amaziah. A prophet was sent to warn both kings of allowing idolatry to flourish. Both kings rejected the warnings of the respective prophets sent to them. Both of them died in a conspiracy. Joash was killed on his deathbed by his two servants Zabad and Jehozabad - both who were half-Ammonite and half-Moabite, descendants of Lot. Amaziah was slain in Lachish also by his own servants as a result of his actions. What would be interesting to know is that Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah were omitted from Matthew's genealogy possibly due to the relations with the wicked Ahab.
I believe this would have a serious ripple effect. Amaziah deciding to absurdly burn incense to the idols of Edom would have drastic consequences. If Athaliah's reign as queen from the time of Jehoram her husband to her sole reign was bad - the consequences continued also due to Amaziah's foolish actions. Although Amaziah was succeeded by two more godly kings Uzziah and Jotham - yet the two didn't take extra care in the affairs of the Temple. Eventually, Amaziah's great-grandson Ahaz became a very wicked king but was succeeded by Hezekiah a righteous king. Yet Hezekiah would also sire Manasseh who had a wicked reign but later repented. This would make me think of the mistakes of the great kings who sired terrible sons.
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