2 Ch. 25: Amazian' Disgrace

2 Chronicles 25:19 "You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?"

2 Chronicles 25 reads a lot like 2 Kings 14 (entry). There's a little more to the battle of Edom, where Amaziah is said to have slaughtered 10,000 people. Well, apparently, he drove them over a cliff, where they were dashed to pieces. Which is pleasant. 

But there's a little more revealed here about why Jehoash tells the story about the thistle and the cedar. Amaziah challenged Jehoash to a throwdown, but Jehoash is like "Don't drag me down with you." I didn't realize it at the time, but one of the reason's Jehoash avoided this useless conflict is because he saw that Amaziah had brought back the Gods from Seir and had been worshipping them as his own. 

It occurs to me...why would you worship a god of a nation you conquered? Wouldn't this "god" be able to protect said conquered nation, were it truly a deity?

Anywhodily-doodle, 2 Kings doesn't say as clearly that this whipping Jehoash dishes out on Amaziah and Judah is a result of this sin of idolatry, and God orchestrated this war as judgment on them. Amazing. So, can it then be said that God lets people get their way in their tantrums as his way of judging them? Be careful what you wish for...