2 Chronicles 25:9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?… I. HOW COMMONLY THE QUESTION IS URGED, "What shall we do for the hundred talents?" We are not of those who would make light of the sacrifices which must be made by such as would live godly in Christ Jesus. Christ speaks of a "yoke," of "taking up the cross," of "forsaking all," of "cutting off the right hand," of "plucking out the right eye." So that the parallel is most exact between the circumstances of ourselves and those of Amaziah. 1. Consider the case of the young who are urged to the remembering of their Creator and the setting of their affections on things above. If by entreaty and warning we prevail on them to hesitate ere they launch on a course of disobedience to God's commands, the thought of all we ask them to surrender comes upon them with great power, and they feel as though it were unreasonable to summon them to such a sacrifice. And therefore their speech is virtually, "What shall we do for the hundred talents?" 2. Take again the case of the tradesman whose interest seems to demand the profanation of the Sabbath. In asking him to close his shop on the day that perhaps procures him more profit than can be wrung from all the rest of the week, you ask him to make what on mere human principles is scarcely a credible sacrifice. II. HOW SUFFICIENT AN ANSWER THERE IS IN THE STATEMENT, "The Lord is able to give thee much more than this." It is the apparent conflict between interest and duty which often induces disobedience to God. Duty and interest can never be really opposed. The righteousness of God's moral government requires that whatever He has made it our duty should also be our interest to perform. But still there is an apparent conflict. This world would cease to be a place of probation if it were always manifest that duty and interest lie in the same direction. When tempted to do wrong for the sake of present advantage, let us magnify the remunerating power of God. If David could say, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee," no text can be more suitable than this one for the talisman of the merchant as he prosecutes the enterprises of commerce, "The Lord is able to give thee much more than this." (Henry Melvill, B.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. |
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