2 Chronicles 25:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was
Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
yet not with a whole heart. 3 And as soon as the royal power
was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father.
NOTE: I don't think
the lack of a "whole heart" was related to the delay in justice
against his servants who had killed the king. I do find it interesting that he
waited until "the royal power was firmly his." Even though executing
justice was the right thing to do--though one can debate whether a trial was
performed or if the punishment was too strict given his Father's actions--he
waited until taking action. In other words, there is a time for certain actions
and there is a time to wait. This is a well-known worldly philosophy as well as
one Solomon mentions in Ecclesiastes. The important point is that not only
should we take action that is prudent but we must wisely execute those actions
at the appropriate time. That does sound a little like "scheming,"
but I believe if it is done openly, with prayer, and with the right heart, it
would be an acceptable course of action. There is one danger in taking this as
an application. This particular piece of prose relates a historical event, not
a teaching of scripture. And while the author provides moral commentary, it
does not provide it for all actions. Therefore, one could not teach this
concept, only point to it as an example of some other didactic portion of
scripture.
PRAYER: Father, I
pray for you to lead and guide me. Help me to only take actions consistent with
your leading. I don't want to scheme.
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