BIBLE CHARACTER: Willing Service

A Gem from the Old Testament…..

Amasiah the son of Zichri…. willingly offered himself unto the Lord.  (2 Chron.17:16 KJV)

Little gems can sometimes be discovered in unlikely places. One such gem is found in 2 Chronicles 17 and concerns Amasiah the son of Zichri. Although the name Zichri is fairly common in Scripture (there appear to be twelve bearing this name), the individual in this verse is mentioned nowhere else. Similarly Amasiah is named in this one verse alone. What is the significance of these men?

Both Zichri and Amasiah lived during Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah, but Zichri is only named because of the statement concerning his son. Jehoshaphat started out well, sought the Lord and His ways and was thus blessed with an established kingdom (v.3-6). Being concerned that the law of the Lord should be taught in the land, he appointed Levites and priests to travel throughout all the cities of Judah instructing the people (v.7-9). Great blessing resulted, and the nation found itself in a secure position (v.10). “Mighty men of valour” filled the ranks of his armies led by such worthies as Adnah and Jehohanan, who commanded 300,000 and 280,000 respectively (v.14-15). Next in responsibility was Amasiah who led 200,000 “mighty men of valour” (v.16).

OUTSTANDING

The outstanding feature about Amasiah was not the size of his regiment – because other captains commanded more. His role was not more important than others. The significant fact about this man is that he willingly offered himself to the Lord. Recognizing the godly leadership of Jehoshaphat in Judah and the valuable reform that had been introduced to bring the people nearer to their God, Amasiah willingly laid down his life in the service of the Lord. He wanted to play his part in establishing the kingdom of the Lord. This act of commitment was certainly true to the meaning of his own name – Jah has loaded. He knew the God-given responsibility that was his and made a ready response. How glad his father Zichri must have been!

Amasiah has passed from this life long ago but will be remembered eternally as a man who willingly offered himself unto the Lord. We all have only one life, and Amasiah’s commendation challenges us today. Will we offer ourselves willingly to the Lord as he did? There is hardly any finer way by which we could be remembered.