2 Chronicles 25
In 2 Chronicles 25:5–13, King Amaziah of Judah found himself facing a dilemma. With a war against Edom looming on the horizon, he had mustered all his fighting forces. However, only 300,000 soldiers answered his call—a mere fraction of what the armies of Judah had once boasted (2 Chronicles 17:14–18). He knew an army of this size could not stand against Edom. So, desperate for reinforcements, Amaziah went to the northern kingdom of Israel and hired 100,000 of their soldiers as mercenaries.
Those mercenaries, however, were not cheap; Amaziah paid for them 100 talents of silver. For reference, Solomon, the wealthiest king of Israel ever, had an annual income of 666 talents of gold (2 Chronicles 9:13). Though silver was of course less valuable than gold, that provides a rough benchmark for the cost. Amaziah had put a lot into this trade. Not to mention, relations between Israel and Judah were rocky at best, so it was nothing short of a miracle they had been able to agree to this cooperation at all. This was a massive trade between nations, and Amaziah was really committed now.
However, a prophet soon brought troubling news. “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel” (2 Chronicles 25:7 ESV). This was a really difficult request. If Amaziah sent those soldiers home, he would not be getting his silver back. This was probably the largest financial investment of his life, and God was asking him to throw it away. If Amaziah wanted to obey God, he would now lose almost everything.
On the one hand, this was a test of Amaziah’s faith. 300,000 soldiers was not nearly enough to defeat Edom, but with God, it would be more than enough. The prophet went on to say, “For God has power to help or to cast down” (v. 8). If they trusted God, they would win; if they did not, they would lose. However, this dilemma was about more than just faith. Amaziah asked the prophet, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” (v. 9). God was asking Amaziah to throw away 100 talents of silver. What’s more, those Israelite soldiers would be furious for being promised a job, then sent home empty. A significant portion of their wages came from the plunder after a battle, so, if they weren’t allowed to fight, they were being robbed of half their paycheck. Amaziah knew what 100,000 angry soldiers could do.
His hesitation was very understandable. The cost of following God was now astronomical. But the prophet’s message did not end there. “The man of God answered, ‘The LORD is able to give you much more than this’” (v. 9). In essence, the prophet’s message was this: “One hundred talents of silver? That’s nothing. You are serving the Almighty God, the Lord of heaven and earth!. You don’t think He can give you so much more than that?” Whatever Amaziah had to leave behind to follow God, it was worth it. Why? Because he would receive so much more—not only in terms of money or military success, but because being in a relationship with the living God was worth so much more than any price he could pay.
Faced with that challenge, Amaziah stepped out in faith. “Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger” (v. 10). Just like that, 100 talents of silver were gone forever, and, as expected, the soldiers were not happy with this. However, Amaziah “took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt,” where God gave him the victory over the Edomite army (v. 11).
Amaziah went all in for God. He left behind the alliance with Israel and 100 talents of silver. But he found God. He stepped out in faith, and God was waiting to catch him. Amaziah put his relationship with God before money, victory, and alliances—because that relationship was worth any price that could be paid. “The LORD is able to give you much more than this” (v. 9). Amaziah believed that promise, and he paid a great price to follow God, but that price was more than worth it.
Notice how the battle narrative ends. Verse 13, “But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.” The passage doesn’t end on a happy note. Amaziah knew the men of Israel would be angry at being sent back… and they were. They raided his towns, killed three thousand innocent people, and took plunder. Amaziah obeyed God, and there was a cost. God didn’t tell him there would be a cost, but then shelter him from it. Amaziah genuinely faced the consequences of following God. He did suffer for making the right decision. However, what he received in exchange—a relationship with the living God—was infinitely more valuable.
There will be a cost for anyone who wants to follow God. Luke 14:26–33, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
We are called to leave much more behind than Amaziah. We must bear our cross daily. We must be willing to lose our closest relationships, and even our own life. We must forsake all we have. The cost of following Jesus is everything. It’s not that we will lose everything, but that we must be willing to lose everything. When we follow Christ, He becomes our entire life; everything else is a distant second.
Amaziah was asked to give up one hundred talents of silver. We don’t know what will be asked of us, but God wants us to be prepared for that day. If He takes away our money, our job, and our house, will we still follow Him? What if He takes away our relationships, our friends, and family? What if He takes away our health? Any of those could be the cost God asks of us. Will we still follow Him? Of course, for all our sake, I pray He doesn’t ask that of us. But if He does, what will be our choice? What are we willing to sacrifice to obtain the Gospel?
The prophet’s words are even more true for us. “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.” We leave everything, but in the Gospel, we find even more. Paul says in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Paul was willing to pay any price, because he knew the value of what he was receiving in exchange. Everything in the world—all the riches, the glory, the power, the status, the pleasure—they were nothing, not even the slightest speck, compared to knowing Jesus.
We must leave everything behind for the Gospel, but we are given so much more. Jesus says that, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). The Gospel is a treasure so great, so surpassing all value, that without hesitation the man sold all he had—and he did it with joy. This is the very treasure that each of us have been given. Whatever sacrifices we are called to make, we know it is worth it without question.
Finally, we must remember how the passage ends. Amaziah was told that a price would have to be paid…and it was. It was not merely a thought experiment for him, and it will not be so for us either. We don’t know what it will be, but there will be a cost for each of us. But whenever we are asked to give something up for the Gospel, God says to us, “I am able to give you much more than that.” We leave everything, but we find more than everything. We find Jesus.