Following the Super Bowl this year, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, I savored the moment. Over the next several days I listened to commentators, read lots of articles, and watched the game again (without the commercials). As a long-time Chiefs fan I drank it in.

One thing I did not do was switch sides and suddenly become an Eagles fan.

Amaziah, king of Judah, won a marvelous military victory over the Edomites. God clearly intervened in the nation’s favor. Then Amaziah switched sides:

After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshipped them, making offerings to them.

No one switches allegiances in this way. Understandably, the Lord grew angry. Amaziah eventually lost his treasure, his position as king, and his life due to his foolish actions.

Something shiny in these gods caught Amaziah’s eye. Thanks to a newly inflated ego, Amaziah thought he might bend these gods to his will and put their powers to his use. He found gods he could control. In doing so, he flipped off the one true God who controlled the world around Amaziah.

The Lord controls the world around you and me as well. Sidestep the allure of shiny, pretty gods. Dance with who brung you.

There’s no need to switch sides.

2 Chronicles 25 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by matthew deltoro