Squandered Opportunites (Hezekiah Part 5)

What's happening: Hezekiah is a good king of Judah who follows God. Because of that, God blesses and protects him. For example, when the cruel Assyrian tyrant Sennacherib came to attack and capture Jerusalem, God kill all 185,000 of Sennacherib's soldiers before they had a chance to start the siege!

"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,“Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly." ~2 Kings 20:1-3

Can you relate? Have you ever done all that you know is right, but trouble still comes to you? That's what happened to Hezekiah. Let's study this part of his life and see what lessons we can learn! Do you still have your Bible? Good! You'll want to keep it open to 2 Kings 20 for today. We'll be reading quite a bit from that chapter!

So in summary, Hezekiah became deathly sick. What's more, Isaiah the prophet came and told him that he would die. That's not good news! Hezekiah "wept bitterly" before God, and prayed some very earnest prayers. Then Isaiah came back with some good news:

Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him:“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. ~v. 4-6

Then Isaiah directed some servants, or perhaps it was Hezekiah's doctor, to prepare a poultice of figs. After this was applied to Hezekiah's boil, the king asked Isaiah what would be the sign that he would recover. Isaiah gave Hezekiah a choice: either the nearby sundial could advance forward ten steps, or it could go back ten steps.

After contemplating the matter, Hezekiah decided to have the sundial go back ten steps. Because, it was common for the sundial to advance ten steps. But it was another matter all together for it to go back ten steps.

Evidently, it wasn't the sundial near Hezekiah that went back ten steps. From what I've learned, sundials everywhere went back ten steps. Or at least the one in Babylon. There some acute observers noticed the strange fact. Soon thereafter the king's son sent some messengers on their way to Hezekiah. They were not only to bring letters and a gift to Hezekiah (they had heard about his illness), but also to learn about the strange sundial phenomenon.

Now, knowing Hezekiah, one could predict pretty well what would happen: the envoys from Babylon come to Hezekiah, he accepts the gift, and tells them all about the God of Heaven. They are astonished and amazed, and go home with a new respect for Hezekiah's God.

But, unfortunately, no. That's not how Hezekiah acted. When the Babylonians arrived, Hezekiah didn't even mention his God. Instead, he showed them absolutely all the glory, riches, and wealth that he had ever acquired through the years. In the words of Hezekiah, when he was conversing with Isaiah who was reprimanding him for this, the king said:

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” ~v. 15

Guess what the Babylonians had their eye on when they came to ransack Jerusalem a few years later? You got it! All of that wealth....

Hezekiah's showing all his wealth off was truly the catalyst for the Babylonians invading, capturing, and destroying Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26 points out that Hezekiah was very proud at this point, and did not appreciate the miraculous sign (the sundial) given him. While he did repent of his sins later, the damage was still done.

So how can we apply this story to our own lives? I think that there's at least one significant lesson that we can learn. That is, when God brings witnessing opportunities your way, don't talk about and show off all your wealth. Just think what a grand opportunity Hezekiah had to help these heathen people learn about the true God! From my reading, it seems like the main reason they came was because the sundial went back ten steps. And as I said before...what opportunities Hezekiah had! What possibilities for good! But Hezekiah was proud, and did not talk about God at all while the Babylonian envoys were with him.

And that's my challenge to you for this week. When God brings witnessing opportunities your way, don't squander them. Don't show off all your wealth. Instead, talk about your awesome God!

When God Delivers (Hezekiah Part 4)

What's happening: Hezekiah is a good king of Judah who does what God wants. Because of that, God blesses him. 

You still have your Bibles with you? If not, go get one! We'll be using them a lot today...OK, turn to 2 Chronicles 32:1--

After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. 

"After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done". Wow. Hezekiah hadn't messed up a bit, and still troubles came. Kinda sounds like what happens today, doesn't it? We what we're supposed to, we follow God, but then BOOM! Something bad happens. But as we'll see in this story, God doesn't leave us, even in the bad times. That's the awesome wonderful good news!

Hezekiah was 39 when Sennacherib threatened his kingdom. Before the mighty tyrant arrived, however, Hezekiah consulted with his advisers and military staff. Through a general consensus they decided to block off at the water from the springs outside Jerusalem; this way the Assyrians couldn't have that pleasure while at Jerusalem. Hezekiah also had Jerusalem's entire wall strengthened and rebuilt, and many weapons and shields fabricated as well. Hezekiah used his time wisely and did what he should in the time that he had. And before the Assyrians actually arrived, Hezekiah gave this speech to his people:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” ~ v. 7-8

Wow! Isn't that amazing? I honestly think that we need to be reminded of this fact a bit more today, in our own battles against our own Sennacheribs...

When the Assyrian force finally came to Jerusalem, the field commander (the guy in charge; Sennacherib was at another city currently) got straight to the quick and delivered an insulting speech, part of which I will quote below:

“This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?...Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!” ~ v. 10, 15

Basically, the field commander just told Hezekiah's people that their God was worth nothing. In the part that I didn't quote, the field commander listed off a whole bunch of countries and gods that his master had conquered. So in essence he was saying, "What makes you think you're so different?" in a very haughty way.

OK...keep your finger in 2 Chronicles 32, now let's flip to Isaiah 36 right now. Believe it or not, the book of Isaiah covers in pretty good detail the story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib! In v. 4-10 the field commander delievers another speech, totally attacking the God of Heaven. Hezekiah's three representatives ask the field commander to speak to them in Aramaic, but he refuses. Evidently, although Aramaic was the language used for business, not everyone knew it. Hebrew was the commonly used language by everyone. And the field commander was speaking in Hebrew. Oh, and when asked, he refused to speak in Aramaic. He said that it wasn't just for Hezekiah that these threats were prepared; they were also to frighten and scare the people of Jerusalem as well.

So after that little incident, the field commander starts up his fiery tongue once again, and basically tells the people to not listen to Hezekiah, or to let him deceive or mislead them. Of course, he backs it up with plenty of proof and reasons; it's an interesting read but too long to put in here. However, I highly recommend it!

But all told, Sennacherib and his field commander had gone a step too far. It was time for the real God to step in.

Abundantly Blessed (Hezekiah Part 3)

What's happening: Hezekiah is a good king. He re-established the temple services, and also held the Passover.

If you remember from a few weeks back, I believe I mentioned how the priests could no longer serve their roles when the temple was closed. Thus they had to procure regular work. Hezekiah changed all that when he called the priests back to their original calling, serving in the temple. They did, but they also needed a way to support themselves.

That's where the other Israelites came into play. The Israelites would give a tenth--a tithe--of all they had to the priests, who would live off of that. The priests were now reinstated in the temple, and now Hezekiah gave the order to resume giving tithes to the priests, too. This way the priests could continue to serve in the temple and yet still live!

Oh yeah...do you have your Bibles with you? Why don't you go get one right now? I'll be posting the really crucial passages in this article, but I can't include everything. Plus when you are holding a paper version, God may speak to you through a verse that I haven't posted on here. You got it? OK...turn to 2 Chronicles 31. That's where we'll be spending most of our time today. Let's look at v. 5-8:

"As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the LORD their God, and they piled them in heaps. They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the LORD and blessed his people Israel."

Wow. Before studying and doing research for this devotional, I had had no clue that this story existed. Kinda reminds me of what the Israelites' ancestors did back in the day of Moses. When they were asked to bring supplies for the tabernacle, the Israelites alive then gave way more than enough. (see Exodus 35:20-29 for details on that).

But back to Hezekiah. The Israelites brought so much to the priests that the priests couldn't use it all! The supplies, foods, etc. all piled into heaps everywhere. The priests told Hezekiah about this, and when told, Hezekiah gave the order to build storerooms to hold all the supplies. Conaniah and his brother Shimei were in charge of the storerooms, and supervised the distribution of the foods and other supplies to all of the priestly family. According to Scripture, everyone over the age of twenty got their fair share of the supplies; how big one's family was was also taken into consideration.

"This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered."
~2 Chronicles 31:20-21

Hezekiah followed God, and God blessed him for that. When Hezekiah fought the Philistines, he won. When he purged Judah of the high places, Ashtorah poles, and other idols, he was successful (see 2 Kings 18). In other words,

"Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel...And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." ~2 Kings 18:5,7

In what ways can you follow God today?

Scorning or Rejoicing? (Hezekiah Part 2)

What's Happening: Hezekiah is a good, godly king of Judah. His very first action as king is to call the priests together and have them clean out and purify God's temple. (The temple had fallen into disuse by the previous ungodly kings.)

Ready to learn more about Hezekiah? Then let's get back into the Bible! Open your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 30. That's where we'll be spending most of our time today.

Last week we discussed how Hezekiah had purified the temple and reinstated its services. But that wasn't enough; he also wanted to reinstate the Passover. So the king and his officials wrote up a letter, inviting anyone in Judah or Israel to come to the Passover at Jerusalem. The letter went as follows:

 “People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
~ 2 Chronicles 30:6-10

The couriers met with mild success in their mission; some men from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun were persuaded to attend the Passover feast. But, unfortunately, despite the very tender and pleading letter that Hezekiah had written, most of the Israelites scorned the message. They ridiculed the couriers, and most definitely didn't come to Jerusalem for the Passover. Sad, very, very sad. Hold that thought, because we'll be coming back to it in a minute!

Nevertheless, "[a] very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem" (v. 13) for the Passover. They helped finish up the cleansing of the Temple, and throwing the idol altars into the Kidron Valley dump. On the fourteenth day of the second month the Passover lamb was slaughtered. The priests gladly took up their positions and roles as prescribed in the law of Moses, and everyone in general rejoiced.

"Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their ancestors." (v. 22)

Hezekiah encouraged the people throughout the feast to serve the Lord faithfully, and when the Passover came to a close, everyone decided to extend it for an additional week! In the words of the Bible, they "celebrated joyfully." (v. 24)

There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place. (v. 26-27)

Did you really read that passage above? Did you catch what God did? God heard them. The people repented of their sins, and did their best to get right with God, to do what He wanted them to do. And God heard them. Wow. Wow. Wow! And just the same, God can hear you, too! Don't ever forget or doubt that!

The other lesson that I'd like to bring out of this story of the scorning/rejoicing thing that I talked about midway through this article. When Hezekiah sent his couriers out to spread the word about the upcoming Passover, most of the people ridiculed the message. They didn't come. That has got me thinking. Do we ridicule God's message, or His messengers sometimes? Don't pay any attention to God's Word? That's not supposed to be a rhetorical question, but it's not exactly an easy one to answer either. This week, try to more than ever respect and learn from God's Word, the Bible. You never know what God might be trying to tell you through it!

Our Bodies, God's Temples (Hezekiah Part 1)

As you probably well know by now, I have really been getting into studying the lives of the Biblical kings lately. I've been richly blessed as I've studied and written about Rehoboam, Asa, and Jehoshaphat. I sincerely hope and pray that you've been blessed, too! The next king that I'd like to talk about is Hezekiah. I know, I know, we've skipped over Joash, but maybe someday we'll get back to him! For the next few weeks I'd like to concentrate on Hezekiah and see what lessons we can learn. Here goes!

For starters, I'd like to point out that Hezekiah is eight generations down the line from Jehoshaphat. And while his grandfather was a godly man, his father Ahaz sure wasn't. Here's just a slice of what Ahaz did:

Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of his ancestors. ~ 2 Chronicles 28:24-25

By the way...why don't you grab your Bible and follow along? I'll be posting the crucial passages in this article, but there's nothing like holding God's Word in your hands and reading it for yourself. I won't go into detail, but basically Ahaz did everything in his power to not worship the one true God, and to promote the other false, idol "gods". Read more about that in 2 Chronicles 28!

As Hezekiah grew up, he had two examples to look to: his godly grandfather Jotham (see 2 Chronicles 27) or his very wicked father Ahaz. Hezekiah determined that when he became king, he would follow the one true God with all of his heart.

Hezekiah's chance came, too, when he was anointed king over Judah at age 25. Let's read what he did right after he became king:

"In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them." ~ 2 Chron. 29:3

"The first month of the first year of his reign". I don't know if you read between the lines there, but as plainly as possible the Bible is trying to say that getting Judah back on track with the one true God was Hezekiah's numero uno project!

As you just read a few moments ago, one of Ahaz's many treacheries was the fact that he totally closed down Jehovah's temple. Not only was that a slap in the face of God, but that put the priests out of work as well. If you remember, back in the days of Moses the priests were called to be the special people to care for God's temple and its services. That's all the priests did; when the temple was shut down the priests were out of work and had to procure menial, regular jobs. And, of course, the people who wanted to couldn't worship the one true God.

But when Hezekiah ascended the throne, he called the priests back to their true calling. Their first task was cleaning out the temple, and restoring everything to their original positions. For eight days the priests hauled the junk out of the temple and into the Kidron Valley dump. For the next eight days they consecrated the temple. Finally, after sixteen days, the priests reported to King Hezekiah that the temple was all cleaned out. It was ready to be used again.

The very next morning Hezekiah summoned all the city officials and citizens. They brought bulls, rams, lambs, and goats to sacrifice as sin and burnt offerings. The king and his people worshiped their God, praised him for His forgiveness, and dedicated themselves to His service once more. In fact, there were so many offerings that the priests couldn't handle it by themselves! Their fellow tribesmen, the Levites, came to the rescue and helped the priests execute all the animals. Everyone praised the Lord.

I've been reflecting on this story lately, and how we could apply its' lessons to our own lives today. And then it struck me: our bodies are God's temples, too! Check out 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. 

What do you fill God's temple (you) with? Is it stuff that you should put into it? That God would be happy with? Do you think about the books you read, the TV shows you watch, the websites you visit? Would you want to show Jesus all of that? In other words, are you going to act like Ahaz or Hezekiah? Will you desecrate God's temple that's in you, or will you glorify God with it?