 We're going to continue now in a time of giving, and again in 2nd Corinthians, if you would turn to chapter 25 and look with me at verses 5 to 10. 2nd Corinthians, I'm sorry, 2nd Chronicles, I'm completely rattled now. 25, 5 to 10. In our order of worship, we have a call to worship, call to repentance, and call to giving out of one book each week, and this week, 2nd Chronicles. So verses 5 to 10. Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds according to their fathers' houses throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from 20 years old and above and found them to be 300,000 choice men able to go to war who could handle spear and shield. He also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him saying, O King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, not with any of the children of Ephraim. But if you go, be gone, be strong in battle, even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to overthrow. Then Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give you much more than this. So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim to go back home. Therefore, their anger was greatly aroused against Judah and they returned home in great anger. The issue raised in this story is of yet another wayward king and the danger of half-hearted devotion. And half-hearted devotion may even be giving him too much credit. It's probably better to describe it as heartless obedience. We see at the start of this chapter in verse 2, this issue is explicitly stated. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart. And by verse 14 we read this. Now it was so after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites that he brought the gods of the people of Seer, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. He is ruined. We see several indications that Amaziah is not fully committed to God in our passage today. The first one, in preparing for war against the Edomites to regain control over them, he hired 100,000 mercenaries from Israel because he did not think he could win a victory with the 300,000 men of his own army. Men described in verse 5 as choice men able to go to war who could handle spear and shield. So clearly he's relying on numbers of men rather than on God in his battles. And that's precisely what the unnamed prophet, the man of God, says to Amaziah at the end of verse 8, for God has power to help and to overthrow. The second indication, this power of God is especially relevant because the prophet also has said that God is opposed to Israel itself. As we read in verse 7, the Lord is not with Israel. And Amaziah surely knew these men of Israel had become idolatrous. But there's a third indication here, and that was Amaziah's concern for his money. Clearly a greater concern than he had for honoring God. He already had paid each of them 100 talents. One estimate of the value in today's dollars, 3 million, who knows exactly, but a lot of money. In verse 9, we read that Amaziah's response to the prophet is not a humble acknowledgement of his sin and error. He said, But what shall we do about the 100 talents which I have given to the troops of Israel? And to this the prophet responds, The Lord is able to give you much more than this. As is often the case, we turn to Matthew Henry to just nail the lesson here for us. Henry said, This is an objection men often make against their duty. They are afraid of losing by it. What is it to trust in God but to be willing to venture the loss of anything for Him in confidence of the goodness of the security He gives us that we shall not lose by Him. But that whatever we part with for His sake shall be made up to us in kind or kindness. Our giving then is an expression of our trust in His kindness to us. Let's give now for His glory. Let's pray. Father in heaven we are so comforted that you are our Father, that you are good to us, that you meet our needs and more, that you provide blessing upon blessing to us because you love us. And for that we love you and give these tithes and offerings for your glory. Amen.