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, “The LORD has much more to give you than this.”
— 2 Chronicles 25:9
During the reign of Amaziah, king of Judah, he prepared to go to war against the kingdom of Edom. Knowing that his numbers were not sufficient, he hired 100,000 mighty men from Israel for 100 talents of silver.
This was a significant sum. To put it in modern terms, one talent was a measure of weight, with one talent of silver equating to approximately 3,000 shekels. Those 3,000 shekels equate to roughly 12,000 days of labor — just over 32 years of wages. In other words, the king paid 100 times the equivalent of a full 32-year salary to enlist these 100,000 men for his campaign against Edom. That’s over 3200 years of Labor.
This is important context, because we are then told that a man of God came to the king to inform him that the Lord had not approved his campaign.
This is where our text picks up. The king was understandably troubled by the hefty price he had already paid. Seeing that God had not backed his campaign, he knew he would suffer a significant loss — and so he brought his concern before the man of God.
The man of God’s response was simple and direct: the Lord is able to give you much more than this. And we must remember that the this the man of God is referencing is the equivalent of 3200 years of hard labor in wages.
The Cost of Obedience
When we view this situation through the eyes of the king, we can understand why he was so distraught at the prospect of losing so much.
Unfortunately, this situation is not unique to King Amaziah. We too often find ourselves in a place where respecting, honoring, and obeying the commandments of God comes at a price. It may not be as steep as 3200 years of wages, but it is something we value — something that weighs on our hearts. Sometimes it is something we have to give up, or a comfort zone we must leave behind. Sometimes it means surrendering a freedom we have enjoyed, or parting with something precious to us.
In whatever form it takes, there are moments when, just like King Amaziah, we question the cost that obedience to God requires of us.
The Lord Has Much More to Give
It is in precisely those moments that we need to hear the words of the man of God to the king — that the Lord is able to give us much more than this.
When we come to truly understand that our God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and perfectly good — and that His will is perfect and right — only then can we begin to see the true value of what we are being asked to surrender. When we lift our eyes from the things of this world and look instead to God in His abundance, richness, and glory, we will be able to see what we stand to gain by yielding to His will.
This is the heart of what Paul writes to the Philippians:
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:19
And it echoes what Jesus Himself says:
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
— Mark 8:36
What we stand to lose by not yielding to the will of God is our very souls. It is therefore vital that we continually remind ourselves to rest upon the finished work of Jesus Christ — to trust in His guidance and leading, and to know that whatever we feel we are losing, we stand to gain infinitely more.
Seeing With Eyes of Faith
May the Lord grant us a lens through which we can see the true value of our submission to God — compared to anything this world has to offer.
Amen.
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