The Arithmetic of Faith: God's Plus and Minus Text: 2 Chronicles 25:5-13
Introduction: The Folly of Pragmatic Alliances
We live in an age that worships at the altar of pragmatism. The chief question is not "Is it righteous?" but rather "Does it work?" Men measure strength by counting heads, tallying weapons, and calculating financial returns. This is the wisdom of the world, and it is a damnable folly. The story of King Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25 is a sharp and necessary rebuke to this kind of thinking. It is a divine lesson in the arithmetic of faith, where subtraction can mean multiplication, and where adding to your strength can be the very thing that guarantees your defeat.
Amaziah begins his reign with a measure of faithfulness. He does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, though we are told his heart is not wholly true. And here, as he prepares for a necessary war against Edom, he acts as any sensible, worldly king would. He musters his own troops, a respectable 300,000 men from Judah and Benjamin. But then, looking at the numbers, he decides he needs an edge. He needs more certainty, a greater guarantee of success. So he looks north to the apostate kingdom of Israel, and for a hundred talents of silver, he hires 100,000 of their mercenaries. From a purely military and strategic standpoint, this was a shrewd move. He increased his force by a third. He added seasoned warriors to his ranks. It was practical. It was sensible. It was an act of utter faithlessness.
This is the constant temptation for the people of God. We look at the task before us, whether it is raising our children, running a business, planting a church, or fighting a cultural battle, and we are tempted to think that God's resources are not quite enough. We feel the need to supplement His power with a little worldly savvy. We make alliances with those who do not share our covenant commitments because they bring numbers, or money, or influence to the table. We yoke ourselves with unbelievers, thinking we can use their strength for our righteous cause, forgetting that such a yoke always, always chokes the life out of faith. God comes to Amaziah, and to us, with a hard command: trust me alone. My power is not a line item in your budget of resources. It is the entire equation.
This passage forces us to confront a foundational question: Do we believe that God has the power to help and to cause to stumble? Do we really believe it? Or do we believe that God helps those who help themselves to ungodly alliances? Amaziah is brought to a moment of decision, a crisis of faith that is measured in 100 talents of silver. His choice, and the consequences that follow, are a stark lesson for the church in every age.
The Text
Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go out for military duty, able to handle spear and large shield. And he hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor out of Israel for one hundred 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 Yahweh is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will cause you to stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cause to stumble.” Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “Yahweh has much more to give you than this.” Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned home in burning anger. Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir. The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all split open. But the troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much plunder.
(2 Chronicles 25:5-13 LSB)
Carnal Calculation (v. 5-6)
We begin with Amaziah's very reasonable, very worldly preparation for war.
"Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go out for military duty, able to handle spear and large shield. And he hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver." (2 Chronicles 25:5-6)
There is nothing inherently sinful in mustering an army. Organizing the nation for its defense is the duty of a king. He is orderly. He respects the patriarchal structure of the nation, appointing commanders "according to their fathers' households." He counts his men and finds a formidable force of 300,000. These are "choice men," able-bodied and equipped for battle. So far, so good. This is responsible governance.
But the next step reveals the subtle unbelief in his heart. 300,000 is a good number, but 400,000 is a better one. His trust is not in the Lord of Hosts, but in the hosts themselves. So he turns to Israel. We must remember who Israel is at this point in history. The kingdom had split, and the northern ten tribes, often designated by their leading tribe Ephraim, had institutionalized idolatry. They had set up golden calves at Dan and Bethel. They had rejected the Levitical priesthood and the temple in Jerusalem. They were, in a word, apostate. They were under the covenant curse.
To hire them was not just a military decision; it was a spiritual compromise of the highest order. It was an act of fellowship with darkness. Amaziah was saying, in effect, "The God of Judah is not quite sufficient for this task. I need the help of men with whom God is not pleased." He was trying to add the strength of God's enemies to his own in order to accomplish God's will. This is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. It is a fool's errand. He pays them one hundred talents of silver, a significant sum, treating the ungodly as a commodity to be purchased for his own ends. This is the logic of pragmatism: the ends justify the means. But God is never honored by disobedient means, no matter how noble the stated end.
Prophetic Confrontation (v. 7-8)
Just as the king is about to march out with his combined, compromised army, God intervenes. He sends a prophet, an unnamed "man of God."
"But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will cause you to stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cause to stumble.”" (2 Chronicles 25:7-8)
The prophet's message is direct and devastating to the king's plans. The reason for the prohibition is theological, not strategic: "for Yahweh is not with Israel." This is the only calculation that matters. It doesn't matter if they are mighty men of valor. It doesn't matter if there are 100,000 of them. If God is not with them, they are not an asset; they are a liability. They are a spiritual contagion. To march with them is to march under a banner of divine displeasure.
The prophet then lays out the stark reality of God's sovereignty. The language is almost sarcastic. "Go ahead, if you insist. Be strong. Fight hard. Do your best." But the outcome is already determined: "yet God will cause you to stumble before the enemy." This is a crucial doctrine that modern, man-centered evangelicalism has largely forgotten. God is not a passive spectator hoping for the best. He is the decisive actor on the field of battle. The prophet declares that "God has power to help and to cause to stumble." Victory and defeat are both in His hands. He can give victory to a small, weak army that trusts Him, and He can trip up a massive, powerful army that defies Him. To add the 100,000 Israelites was not to add strength; it was to import the stumbling block of God's judgment directly into his own camp.
The Cost of Obedience (v. 9-10)
Amaziah hears the word of the Lord, and his immediate reaction is not spiritual, but financial. He is a pragmatist to the core.
"Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “Yahweh has much more to give you than this.” Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned home in burning anger." (2 Chronicles 25:9-10)
The king's first thought is for his sunk costs. "I've already paid them. What about the money?" This is the cry of every man who has invested heavily in a sinful course of action and is called to repent. Repentance is often expensive. It costs us our pride, our plans, and sometimes, our possessions. Amaziah is counting the silver, but the prophet calls him to count the Lord's resources.
The man of God's reply is glorious: "Yahweh has much more to give you than this." This is the heart of faith. God is not a cosmic debtor. You cannot out-give God. Any loss incurred in the course of obedience is an investment in the bank of heaven, which pays dividends beyond all earthly calculation. The hundred talents were a pittance compared to the victory, blessing, and fellowship with God that lay on the other side of obedience.
To his credit, Amaziah listens. He makes the right choice. He dismisses the mercenaries. This was not an easy thing to do. It was a public reversal. It was financially costly. And it had immediate, negative consequences. The hired troops from Israel were not happy. Their "anger burned against Judah." They had been hired for a fight and the promise of plunder, and now they were being sent home empty-handed. Their rage would have consequences, as we see in the final verse of our text. Obedience to God does not guarantee a life free from trouble. In fact, it often invites it. But it is always, without exception, the path of blessing.
The Fruit of Faith (v. 11-13)
Having made the costly decision to trust God alone, Amaziah now goes to war with his smaller, purer army. The results are decisive.
"Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir. The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all split open." (2 Chronicles 25:11-12)
Notice where Amaziah's strength now comes from. It is not from his hired troops, but from the Lord. "Amaziah strengthened himself" means he took courage in God's promise. He acted in faith. And God gave him a resounding victory. He didn't need the 100,000 faithless Israelites. His 300,000 covenant men were more than enough, because Yahweh was with them. The victory was total and severe, a graphic depiction of the consequences of standing against God's people when they are walking in obedience.
But the story has a bitter postscript. The consequences of Amaziah's initial sin of hiring the mercenaries still had to be paid.
"But the troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much plunder." (2 Chronicles 25:13)
While Amaziah was winning a great victory in the south, the furious mercenaries he had dismissed were rampaging through the northern towns of Judah, killing and looting. This is a sober reminder that sin has consequences that are not always erased by repentance. Forgiveness is immediate, but the earthly fallout can remain. Had Amaziah trusted God from the beginning, he would have had his victory over Edom without the tragic loss of 3,000 of his own people. His initial compromise, though repented of, still brought suffering and death to his kingdom. It was a costly lesson in the folly of unholy alliances.
Conclusion: Trusting the Lord of Hosts
The story of Amaziah is our story. We are constantly faced with the choice between carnal calculation and covenantal faith. The world, the flesh, and the devil are always whispering in our ear that God's ways are insufficient, that we need to supplement His power with worldly methods. They tell us to hire the mercenaries, to make the ungodly alliance, to compromise "just a little" for the sake of a greater good.
The church today is riddled with this kind of thinking. We partner with secular organizations that hate the gospel because they have resources. We adopt worldly marketing techniques to grow our churches, watering down the message to make it more palatable. We elect politicians who are hostile to God's law because we think they can protect us. We are acting like Amaziah, hiring the armies of Ephraim because we have forgotten that God has the power to help and to cause to stumble.
The message of the man of God rings down through the centuries to us. "Yahweh is not with them." Do not yoke yourself to them. It does not matter what apparent strength they bring. If God is not in it, it is a stumbling block waiting to happen. And when we, like Amaziah, look at the cost of disentangling ourselves from these compromises, the Lord's answer is the same: "Yahweh has much more to give you than this."
What is the silver of this world compared to the riches of His grace? What is the approval of men compared to the "well done" of the Master? What is a temporary, pragmatic victory compared to the eternal weight of glory that comes from faithful obedience?
Let us learn the arithmetic of faith. Let us learn that it is better to go into battle with Gideon's 300 and have God on our side, than with a million men whom God opposes. Let us trust not in chariots or horses, or in hired mercenaries, but in the name of Yahweh our God. For He alone has the power to help, and He alone has the power to cause to stumble.