This man of God, an unnamed prophet, warned King Amaziah not to form an alliance with the king of Israel to fight together against the Edomites, because God was not with Israel due to their continued idol worship. In fact, God told him that if he used Israel to help him, they would be defeated. However, if they relied on God alone, He would give them victory. God was telling them not to be unequally yoked with their fellow tribesmen in the north who were not walking with God. The New Testament also warns against this: \u201cDo not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness\u201d (2 Cor. 6:14)?<\/p>\n
The danger of being unequally yoked is the influence and control it can have on us. We must guard against being so connected with unbelievers that we might be either influenced, or worse, controlled, by the unbeliever. This Old Testament story illustrates the danger of joining forces with the world and expecting God to honor it. Of course this doesn’t mean we retreat into hiding, avoiding all contact with unbelievers. If we did that, how could we go into all the world and preach the gospel? We believe God wants us to be constantly building quality relationships with unbelievers, not for business partnerships, close personal relationships, or marriage relationships, but so that we might share His love with them.<\/p>\n
“LORD, we want to be influenced and controlled by You today. Lead us and influence us to good, we ask in Jesus’ name.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Chronicles 25 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0Amaziah\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>twenty and five years old\u00a0when\u00a0<\/em>he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother\u2019s name\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And he did\u00a0that which was\u00a0<\/em>right in the sight of the\u00a0LORD, but not with a perfect heart. 3<\/sup>\u00a0Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.\u00a0\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0But he slew not their children, but\u00a0did\u00a0<\/em>as\u00a0it is\u00a0<\/em>written in the law in the book of Moses, where the\u00a0LORD\u00a0commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin. 5<\/sup> Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of\u00a0their\u00a0<\/em>fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice\u00a0men, able\u00a0<\/em>to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>not with Israel,\u00a0to wit, with\u00a0<\/em>all the children of Ephraim.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0But if thou wilt go, do\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The\u00a0LORD\u00a0is able to give thee much more than this.\u00a0\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0Then Amaziah separated them,\u00a0to wit\u00a0<\/em>, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.\u00a011<\/sup> And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And\u00a0other\u00a0<\/em>ten thousand\u00a0left<\/em>alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces. 13<\/sup>\u00a0But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.\u00a0 14<\/sup>\u00a0Now 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\u00a0to be\u00a0<\/em>his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0Wherefore the anger of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was 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?\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that\u00a0the king\u00a0<\/em>said unto him, Art thou made of the king\u2019s 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.\u00a0 17<\/sup>\u00a0Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>in Lebanon sent to the cedar that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to\u00a0thine\u00a0<\/em>hurt, that thou shouldest fall,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>thou, and Judah with thee?\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0But Amaziah would not hear; for it\u00a0came\u00a0<\/em>of God, that he might deliver them into the hand\u00a0of their enemies\u00a0<\/em>, because they sought after the gods of Edom.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face,\u00a0both\u00a0<\/em>he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which\u00a0belongeth\u00a0<\/em>to Judah.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.\u00a0\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.\u00a0\u00a024<\/sup>And\u00a0he took\u00a0<\/em>all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king\u2019s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. 25<\/sup>\u00a0And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold,\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27<\/sup>\u00a0Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the\u00a0LORD\u00a0they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This man of God, an unnamed prophet, warned King Amaziah not to form an alliance with the king of Israel to fight together against the Edomites, because God was not with Israel due to their continued idol worship. In fact, God told him that if he used Israel to help him, they would be defeated. 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