2 Chronicles 25:5-13
Not one of us likes to make a bad decision and “mess up.” We usually try to do things well, think things through, and make informed choices. This is especially true when it comes to decisions involving money. But as careful as we might be, there are still times when our decision just doesn’t pan out. Those tires didn’t get the mileage you thought they would. That wash machine broke down after just three years. You find out you could have purchased the same lawn mower for $75 less at a different store. And so it goes.
Now, we certainly aren’t advocating that we can be careless with money. Good stewardship is characterized by thoughtful giving and wise budgeting. But in a broken world (which includes ourselves), it doesn’t always work out.
Amaziah, king of Judah, found that out the hard way. Amaziah was going to war with Edom, so he mustered his own troops. Evidently he didn’t think they alone were enough so he hired 100,000 warriors from Israel for 100 talents of silver. A talent is about 75 pounds so we’re talking about 7500 pounds of silver! At today’s exchange rate (as of this writing), that would be over $1,800,000. A tidy sum!
Well, the Lord was not pleased with Amaziah’s plan, namely the hiring of the soldiers from Israel. So he sent a prophet to Amaziah who told him not to let the army of Israel go with him to this war because “the Lord is not with Israel.” The word was that if he took them along God would bring him down before the enemy.
Amaziah was quite ready to send the men from Israel away, but he had this question - “What about the 100 talents of silver?” God’s reply through the prophet is profound: “The Lord has much more to give you than this.” Wow! So Amaziah made a bad choice about Israel, and the Lord says not to worry! He is able to bless with much more than those 100 talents of silver. His resources are endless. What a great lesson! What a comforting lesson for us.