Duty First, Cost Second: The Right Order of Questions

Amaziah's fatal error was not that he counted the cost—he was wise to do so—but that he counted it at the wrong time. When the prophet of Elohim commanded him to dismiss his Israelite mercenaries, the king's immediate protest was not 'Is this right?' but 'What about the hundred talents of silver I have already paid?' He made consequences his first question when they should have been his second.…