Some people just don't know when to leave well enough alone. Feeling smug in a recent success they want more, aiming for the jugular when they should have held still. Like the lyrics from the song Kenny Rogers made famous, they need to know when to walk away, and know when to run.
Feeling confident in his victory against Edom, Amaziah, king of Judah, decides to incite war with Jehoash, the king of Israel. Jehoash, displaying far more sense than the southern king, replies with both wisdom and diplomacy. Using an illustration, he attempts to counsel Amaziah to give up this foolish notion and stay home. Bible scholar Russell Dilday describes the little story this way: "The thistle, imagining himself to be equal with the cedar, presumptuously suggested a marriage alliance between them. The difference between the two was made obvious when a wild beast passed through and crushed the thistle underfoot. Of course the beast was powerless to injure the cedar."
Jehoash is trying to spare Amaziah from facing a battle that not only he will lose, but which will bring disaster on the people of Judah as well. Sometimes we don't pause to realize how our actions will impact others. We rush ahead without thinking how we won't be the only casualty of war.
With great accomplishment comes great danger. Being cocky and overly confident can be to our peril. Solomon expressed it this way in Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." I think it's true that most people handle failure better than they do success. Albert Einstein, one of the greatest and well known scientists of all times once said, "Try not to be a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."
Don't misunderstand. It's not that success in itself is bad, it just needs to be handled and lived out with humility. Success should be, and needs to be celebrated, but it cannot be coveted. The bottom line is that any achievement we reach is ultimately from the hand of God. Asaph writes in Psalm 75:5 that it is the Lord who chooses who will rise and who will fall.
Success has the potential to harm relationships. When our son was in public school, Report Card Days were always anticipated with great rejoicing! Christopher worked hard and his marks reflected his efforts. Before he left for school on these mornings, even prior to knowing any final grade, a restaurant was always chosen for our dinner celebration. We would also remind Christopher not to look at his results until he arrived home. He could pull the report out far enough to make certain the correct one was in his envelope (we learned that one by experience), but he was not to remove it, discuss or compare it with his peers. It is too easy to brag and play the "better than" game. If you don't have access to the pawns, you can't be a player. This protected Chris from comparison, and I believe aided in keeping his spirit humble.
Success most often has a cost, and for Amaziah, his rash rush into war resulted in defeat, destruction, disbursement and duress. When we digest success well, we will understand the truth in what God cautioned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:9-10, and never be found saying, "I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy." Instead we will "Remember the LORD your God. He is the One who gives you power to be successful..."
Let's avoid running ahead and being the cause of needless battles. There is enough trouble in this world without stirring up more on our own. Sometimes the best advice is to just stay home!
