The man whose name means “the strength of God” goes it alone and arranges his own demolition.
Amaziah seems to be writing us a manual on The Top Ten Blunders of Unsuccessful People. It was a bad idea to seek the help of men rather than God by hiring the Israelites. Now “Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home” (2 Chron 25:10). But these fellows wanted the clash more than the cash! So if they couldn’t fight with Judah, they’d fight against them. To satisfy their bloodlust, “they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil” (v 13). Making plans without checking in with heaven is sure to be disastrous. This happened while Amaziah’s troops were occupied with fighting Edom. They defeated the foe in the Valley of Salt, not far from the fabled Sodom. But then, in defiance of the rules of military justice, they murdered 10,000 prisoners of war in a most despicable way. “Judah…brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down” to their deaths (v 12). Yet that’s just what the world does to people. Fickle fame and fleeting fortune push them right to the top, only to push them over to make room for someone else. After all this, the king made the most foolish mistake of all. “Amaziah…brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them” (v 14). This was a popular practice among pagans. Recall the Philistines with the ark in the house of Dagon or Nebuchadnezzar with the temple treasures. Which god didn’t matter to them, since all their idols were dumb. But Amaziah, what are you thinking? Worshiping the gods that did nothing for the enemy? A winner king (because God helped him) worshiping loser gods. What a contradiction!