Topic: Pick Your Battles [DCLM Daily Manna 14 September 2020 Devotional By Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: 2 Kings 14:8-16 (KJV)
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.
10 Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
11 But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
12 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
Key Verse: “Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?” (2 Kings 14:10).
MESSAGE:
According to the Free Dictionary, to “pick your battle” is an idiom which means choosing not to participate in minor, unimportant or overly difficult arguments, contests or confrontations. It is to save one’s strength instead, for things of greater importance or where one has a greater chance of success.
This is one truth that King Amaziah did not learn on time. With the help of God, Amaziah had defeated the Edomites, and now, without any provocation, challenged Jehoash, the king of Israel to battle. The king of Israel wisely counselled him to celebrate his success over Edom and be satisfied. He mortifies his pride by comparing himself to a cedar, a stately tree, and Amaziah to a thistle, a sorry weed. Israel was not comparable to Judah, so Amaziah should not court trouble. Jehoash showed him the folly of his challenge.
Amaziah did not listen, and as a result, he went to war with Israel. He lost woefully in the end. His army was routed and dispersed; he was captured by the king of Israel who entered Jerusalem and plundered the city, took away all that was valuable and returned to Samaria, laden with spoils.
Like Amaziah, many Christians suffer humiliating defeats from the Jehoashs of the world today because of pride and inability to pick their battles. In life, one of the main choices that we make every day is the choice of obedience. We can choose to obey God and listen to His commands or choose to disobey and do our own thing. Our choices are ours to make, but there are consequences to all our decisions.
Many battles await you as you go about your different activities today. Pick your battles with wisdom because it is not every battle that is worth fighting, especially when you know that God is not leading you ahead.
Thought For The Day: Your choices matter, choose wisely.
The Bible In One Year: Psalm 131-138
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
