The Thornbush Pretension Text: 2 Chronicles 25:17-28
Introduction: The Intoxication of a Little Victory
There are few things more dangerous to a man's soul than a small taste of success after a long season of doing things more or less the right way. A man can be walking in a commendable fashion, seeking the Lord, obeying His commands, and then God grants him a victory. And in the flush of that victory, in the adrenaline of that moment, a poison begins to work its way into his heart. That poison is pride, and it has a way of making a man utterly blind and deaf to all reason, all counsel, and all common sense. He becomes intoxicated with himself.
This is the story of Amaziah, king of Judah. It is a textbook case of what the book of Proverbs warns us about repeatedly: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Amaziah starts off well, as we saw in the first part of this chapter. He does what is right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart. He musters his army, heeds the word of a prophet to dismiss his idolatrous Israelite mercenaries, and trusts God. God, in turn, grants him a stunning victory over the Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
But what does he do with this victory? Does he give glory to God? Does he humble himself and thank the Lord of Hosts who gave him the battle? No. He does two things that reveal the rotten core of his heart. First, he brings back the idols of the defeated Edomites and sets them up as his own gods to worship. This is not just foolish; it is breathtakingly insane. It is like a man winning a fight and then immediately hiring his defeated opponent's trainer. Second, with his heart puffed up like a strutting peacock, he picks a fight with a man far stronger than he is. This is where our text picks up the story, and it is a story of pride, provocation, and predictable ruin.
We must pay close attention, because the spiritual disease that afflicted Amaziah is endemic to the human heart. We are all tempted to take credit for God's blessings, to let success go to our heads, and to think we are something when we are nothing. This passage is a stark warning against the kind of folly that sprouts from a heart lifted up by pride.
The Text
Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. You said, ‘Behold, you have struck down Edom.’ And your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?” But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. Then Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits. And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. Then they carried him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
(2 Chronicles 25:17-28 LSB)
The Foolish Challenge (v. 17)
We begin with Amaziah's disastrous decision.
"Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, 'Come, let us face each other.'" (2 Chronicles 25:17)
Notice the first phrase: "Amaziah... took counsel." This is a bit of grim irony from the chronicler. With whom did he take counsel? Clearly not with the prophet of God who had counseled him wisely before his battle with Edom. He had rejected that prophet's warning about his new idolatry. No, this was the counsel of his own puffed-up heart, the counsel of flatterers, the counsel of fools. He is angry because the Israelite mercenaries he had dismissed had raided some of Judah's cities on their way home. While he had a legitimate grievance, his response is entirely out of proportion. He doesn't seek restitution; he seeks a showdown.
His challenge, "Come, let us face each other," is a euphemism for war. It is a macho taunt. It's the language of the schoolyard bully, not a king responsible for the lives of his people. His recent victory has gone to his head. He has forgotten that it was God who gave him victory over Edom, and now he thinks he is a military genius in his own right. He has started to believe his own press clippings. This is what pride does. It rewrites history, airbrushing God out of the picture and putting a giant, flattering portrait of ourselves in His place.
The Wise Rebuke (v. 18-19)
Joash, the king of Israel, though a wicked king in God's eyes, responds with a sharp and insightful parable. It is a mark of God's common grace that even a pagan can sometimes see the situation more clearly than a pride-blinded child of the covenant.
"And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, 'The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, "Give your daughter to my son as a wife." But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. You said, "Behold, you have struck down Edom." And your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?'" (2 Chronicles 25:18-19)
The parable is a masterpiece of mockery. The thornbush is Amaziah, king of Judah. The cedar is Joash, king of Israel. Lebanon was famous for its mighty cedars. The thornbush, a scrubby, worthless plant, gets one little victory and immediately thinks it is on the same level as the cedar. It has delusions of grandeur. The thornbush's proposal to the cedar for a royal marriage is a picture of absurd presumption. "You and I are equals," says the thornbush. "Let's make an alliance."
But the story doesn't even allow for the cedar to respond. The whole affair is so insignificant that a random wild animal simply passes by and crushes the thornbush without a second thought. Joash is telling Amaziah, "You are not even in my league. This fight you are picking is beneath me. I will destroy you as an afterthought."
Joash then diagnoses the root of the problem with surgical precision: "your heart has lifted you up to boast." This is the biblical definition of pride. It is a heart that has become inflated, puffed up, arrogant. And what is the result? Boasting. And what is the wise counsel? "Now stay at home." In other words, "Calm down. Know your place. Don't pick a fight you can't win. Why are you asking for trouble?" Joash warns him that this path leads to calamity, not just for him, but for his entire kingdom. Pride is never a private sin; its consequences always spill over onto others.
Sovereign Deafness (v. 20)
Here we come to one of the most theologically profound verses in the passage. Amaziah rejects the wise counsel, and the chronicler tells us why.
"But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom." (2 Chronicles 25:20)
This is a hard saying for modern evangelicals who have been raised on a diet of sentimental Arminianism. How can Amaziah's stubborn refusal to listen be "from God"? This verse teaches us about the nature of divine judgment and God's sovereignty over the sinful choices of men. God does not force Amaziah to be prideful. Amaziah is already prideful. His heart is already lifted up. His idolatry has already demonstrated his rebellion.
What God does here is a form of judicial hardening. Having been given the light of a prophet's warning, Amaziah chose idolatry. Having been given the sound counsel of an enemy king, he chooses folly. God's action here is to give Amaziah over to the sin he has already chosen. He removes restraint. He confirms him in his foolishness. As Romans 1 says, when men refuse to honor God, "God gave them up" to their own lusts and degrading passions. When a man is determined to drive his car off a cliff, God's judgment can consist of simply letting him do it.
The reason for this judgment is stated plainly: "because they had sought the gods of Edom." This is covenantal justice. The king had led the people into idolatry, and now God will use a pagan king from the north to discipline His unfaithful people. God is not the author of Amaziah's sin, but He is the sovereign orchestrator of the consequences. He weaves together the pride of Amaziah, the military might of Joash, and the prior sin of idolatry to accomplish His righteous purposes. All things serve His ends.
The Humiliating Defeat (v. 21-24)
The result is swift, predictable, and utterly humiliating.
"So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh... And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. Then Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah... and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem... And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God... and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria." (2 Chronicles 25:21-24)
The thornbush meets the wild beast, and the outcome is exactly as predicted. The army of Judah is routed. The king is captured. And the humiliation is total. Joash doesn't just defeat Amaziah; he parades him back to his own capital city, Jerusalem. He then demolishes a huge section of Jerusalem's defensive wall, a symbolic act of utter dominance. It's like saying, "I own you. I can walk in and out of your city whenever I please."
Then comes the looting. Joash plunders the house of God and the king's palace. The very treasures dedicated to Yahweh are carried off to the idolatrous northern kingdom. This is a direct consequence of Amaziah's sin. He bowed down to the gods of Edom, so God allows the treasures of His house to be carried off by idolaters from Israel. The punishment fits the crime. When we dishonor God, He has a way of removing the things in which we place our trust and security. Amaziah trusted in his military, his walls, and his wealth. God systematically strips all of it away.
The Inglorious End (v. 25-28)
The final verses summarize the pathetic remainder of Amaziah's life and his ignominious death.
"And Amaziah... lived fifteen years after the death of Joash... Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there." (2 Chronicles 25:25-28)
Amaziah lives for another fifteen years, but it is a life lived under a shadow. He is a king in name only, a vassal who has been thoroughly humbled. He lost the respect of his enemies, and more importantly, he lost the respect of his own people. His turning away from Yahweh was not a secret. It began with idolatry, was confirmed in pride, and resulted in national disaster. The people saw it.
And so, a conspiracy rises against him in his own capital. The man who puffed himself up is brought down by his own subjects. He who sought glory through military conquest ends his life as a fugitive, hunted down and killed in a provincial town. There is no honor in his death. He is simply dispatched, a failed and faithless king. The seeds of pride and idolatry, planted after his victory over Edom, have finally borne their bitter fruit.
Conclusion: From Thornbush to Cedar
The story of Amaziah is a cautionary tale written in large, bold letters. It teaches us that a little victory can be a greater spiritual danger than a great defeat. It warns us that the moment we begin to boast, we are standing on the edge of a cliff. It reminds us that idolatry is not just wrong, it is stupid. It makes us foolish and sets us up for a fall.
But the story also points us to the gospel. Amaziah is a picture of every man who trusts in his own strength. We have all had our "victory over Edom" moments, times when we have accomplished something and our hearts have been lifted up. We have all played the part of the thornbush, puffing ourselves up and pretending to be cedars. And the result, apart from grace, is always the same: we are trampled by the beasts of this life, we are defeated, and we are brought to ruin.
The good news is that there is a true Cedar of Lebanon, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true King who was not lifted up with pride, but rather humbled Himself, even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). He faced the wild beast of sin and death and was not trampled, but rather crushed its head. He is the one who did not stay at home to avoid trouble, but willingly provoked a calamity with the kingdom of darkness in order to rescue us.
Through faith in Him, we who are nothing more than thornbushes are grafted into Him, the true Cedar. Our foolish pride is exchanged for His perfect humility. Our pathetic weakness is exchanged for His infinite strength. The pattern of Amaziah is pride leading to destruction. The pattern of the gospel is the humility of Christ leading to our exaltation. Therefore, let us heed the warning. When God grants a victory, let us be quick to give Him the glory. Let us boast, not in ourselves, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to us, and we to the world (Galatians 6:14).