The Idol of Pride

4/7/26 Bible Thought (2 Kings 14)

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Main Idea: Pride is a form of idolatry that takes glory that is due to God alone.

A Look at the Text:

In today’s text, the focus shifts from the nation of Israel and King Jehoash (Joash) back to Judah with a new Judean king—Amaziah. He was a king who began well. He had a heart for Yahweh like David, although he didn’t get rid of the illegitimate worship on the high places. However, like every other king, we are reminded of the need for a greater king because he fell significantly short.

After a great victory over Edom, the Chronicler recounts that Amaziah brought Edomite idols home with him (2 Chr. 25:14). The tragic irony of this is that God gave him great success over the Edomites, so why would he choose to follow their inept gods? They didn’t save their own people, so what advantage would they bring to Judah?

For this sin, Amaziah stood under God’s judgment. With a hardened heart, he made war on Israel in the north, although he was certainly the underdog in the fight. As a result, Jerusalem was sacked, part of the walls was torn down, and treasures were taken from the Lord’s house.

God was willing to sacrifice His own honor with Judah’s defeat rather than to honor a king who had fallen to idolatry and pride.

Bringing it Home:

God desires to have no competition in the hearts of His people. Whether it be idol gods or even the idol of self. The Israelite king, Jehoash (Joash), didn’t want to fight and told Amaziah, “Be content with your glory…” (2 Kings 10:14), but what he had wasn’t enough.

In pride, he thought he was the source of their victory in the desert of Edom, when really it was due to the gracious kindness of God who delivered him.

He presumptuously believed that he would be capable of taking Israelite territory too, even though, truthfully, he wasn’t the one taking the territory at all. None of his success was the result of his military might, but it was all to the credit of the ever-present Lord of Hosts.

Let us never lose sight of the fact that God is the source of all blessedness in our lives. Pride credits self with victories that are God-given. Pride inflates self as being the giver, when we are honestly the receiver. In the end, pride is a form of idolatry, putting self as a rival to God.

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Challenge:

Do I ever unwittingly take credit for that which God has done in my life?