July 19, 2 Kings 18:1‐8, 2 Chronicles 29‐31, Psalm 48
2 Kings 18:1-8 King Hezekiah reigns in Judah. Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz, the previous King of Judah that did massive evil in the sight of the Lord. Here is the highlights: “…And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah… He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.” A great summary and we find out a lot more from the Chronicler…
2 Chronicles 29 The Chronicler gives us a lot more detail into the life and deeds of Hezekiah, and how God blessed him. As soon as he became King, he began to repair the Temple of the Lord. He got the Levites back into service, and the priests as well - pointing all the people back to God. They made a covenant with Yahweh to obey Him and have His wrath turned away from them. God used Hezekiah to turn His people back to Him. After the Temple was restored, Hezekiah reinstituted Temple worship, how God wanted it to be. He got the people of Judah together and they all worshiped the Lord under the direction of the Levites. “Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.”
2 Chronicles 30 Hezekiah then gets the people to celebrate the Passover. He invites all of Israel to return to God and not be like their faithless fathers. He told all of Israel that if they returned to God, God would be gracious to them. It seemed as though many of the Israelites laughed at him, but some came to celebrate God with Judah. Hezekiah spoke boldly to the people and encouraged them to be obedient. They gave praise & rejoiced in God. They did a massive sacrifice unto the Lord and “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.”
2 Chronicles 31 Now Hezekiah organized the priests. He had the Temple repaired, the Levites in order, and Passover celebrated. Now, the Priests…God was beginning to restore Judah and the people from Judah, under the priests, “…went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all…” Hezekiah got the priests and the Levites into divisions and had the people bring in contributions. The people brought so much in that there was a huge heap of a pile! God blessed the people for doing this. They brought it all into the Temple. “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”
Psalm 48 was written to rejoice when we are attacked and we have God as our defender. I think this one lines up with 2 Chronicles 32 (where Assyria attacks Judah and God prevails), but it is on today’s reading. We are to lean on and cry out to God and we will see God’s power in action. God will make our enemies flee because it is His purposes that prevail.
To sum it all up:
- It is never too late to repent and turn back to God. Regardless of what you have done - he is open arms and gracious to forgive.
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