Amaziah II Chronicles 25

II Chronicles 25:1 "Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. v2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart."

It gets a little confusing with the names. Some families go with 'A' and others with 'J', and so on. I expect it reflects the time and events. The list goes like this: Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah...
The difference in the first and last is the letter 'h' is replaced with the letter 'm'. You will also notice that sons with the same name were written about in later places. It is important to get the whole picture and know how the name fits in history.

v3 "Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father."

He went by the letter of the law but I am not sure he was justified in killing the servants, although not killing the children was what the law said. Joash was in rebellion against God.

Amaziah numbered the fighting men of Judah and also hired some from Israel which he was rebuked for because Israel was in rebellion.

v7 "But there came a man of God to him, saying O King, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim."

So Amaziah sent those he had hired home. They were not happy with him and attacked some cities on their way home taking spoil. Meanwhile Amaziah went out to battle.

v14 "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."

We know from our studies that this brings the wrath of God on him. It is hard to understand how these people could be so prone to worship idols after all the judgments brought on them for doing so. But modern man is no different in that they tend to go back to the same sin they were brought out of previously.

v22 "And Judah was put to the worse before Israel and they fled every man to his tent. v23 "And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. v24 And he took all the gold and the silver..."

Amaziah's kingdom was ruined. Notice that Joash of Israel had the same name as Joash (father of Amaziah) in Judah.

Next chapter King Uzziah.

Ecclesiastes 9:15 "Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man."

Amaziah turns from God to idols.