How could Amaziah do it? How in the world could he make such a ridiculously poor choice to bring back the gods of a people he just conquered (in lop-sided fashion) and decide to worship those gods? It just doesn't make sense! As I read it I'm shouting on the inside "don't do it Amaziah! Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?" This shows the power of ambition to blind and deceive even to the point of causing someone to do something counterproductive and self defeating. This is an important lesson in the frailty of the human ego. Left unchecked it can send a person into on-coming traffic for a sudden collision with destruction without warning. There are so many examples of this in the scripture.
This is also a glimpse into the culture of deity worship. How prevalent must this have been? I'm thinking the whole idea of idolatry must have been a lot like Hollywood and the powerful grip of the media today. The popularity of the practise must have been through the roof! So many gods to choose from! So many representations of those gods. So many cool and enticing places of worship which must have included fun, pleasures, and ego-enticing activities. It is really really AMAZING how many examples of this we find in the history of Israel. I think being so far removed from this culture, we tend to not fully understand the draw.
I suspect we have things in our lives and in the world around us which serve the same purpose. They appeal to the ego and enjoy such popular in our modern culture that we fail to question them see or them for what they are with the sober eyes of the Spirit.
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