Hezekiah’s Revival

~ The Restoration of Temple Worship and the Feast of Passover ~

Introduction  ~  King Hezekiah was raised up by God to rule at a crucial time in history.  He began his reign at the age of 25 and reigned until he was 54.  He did right in the sight of the Lord.

Great Cleansing  ~  “And they gathered their brethren, sanctified themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.  Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the Lord to the court of the house of the Lord.  And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook Kidron.  Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord.  So they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.  Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, ‘We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles.  Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the Lord’” (2 Chronicles 29:15-19).  …  

Great Sacrifices  ~  … “Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.  And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah.  Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.  So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar.  Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar.  They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.  Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.  And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel” (2 Chronicles 29:20-24).

Great Hindrances  ~  “So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them.  Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 30:10-11). …  

Great Unity  ~  … “Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord.  Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month” (2 Chronicles 30:12-13).

Great Joy  ~  “The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah.  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” (2 Chronicles 30:26).

Great Blessing  ~  “Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven” (2 Chronicles 30:27).  

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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Hezekiah

 

~ Do You Know the Meaning of Hezekiah 7:36? ~

Introduction  ~  There are three or four Hezekiahs in Scripture. The one of whom we have the most complete record is the Godly king of Judah born about 726 b.c. Sometimes when I am in a mischievous mood during a Bible study, I will mention something as being found in Hezekiah 7:26 and then watch how many individuals look for that imaginary Biblical book. The name Hezekiah means “whom Jehovah has strengthened” (Yahweh has strengthened, Jehovah is strength, strength of Jehovah, strength of the Lord, etc.). Consider Hezekiah, the king of Judah: 

Biblical References  ~  2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32, and Isaiah 36-39.

Mixed  Genealogy  ~  Like you and me Hezekiah had good and bad ancestors. His great-grandfather was King Uzziah—one of Judah’s good kings (2 Chronicles 26:4). Hezekiah was born in 726 b.c. (2 Kings 18:1-2;  2 Chronicles 29:1).  His father was Ahaz, an ungodly man and bad king. His mother Abijah was the daughter of Zechariah.

practical lessons:  First, we need to recognize the great importance and lasting effect we, as parents, will have on future generations. Second, we need to realize that we can determine our own destiny—rather than being controlled by the past.  Someone has put it this way, God has children—but no grandchildren! Each of us must make our own decision regarding entering into God’s family. While Hezekiah did not have a Godly role model for a dad, he made Godliness a priority in his own life. Third, Hezekiah’s ability to overcome his background provides a lesson in the grace of God.

Good Friends  ~  Hezekiah chose to make good associations. The prophet Isaiah was one of his confidants, but it was not without ridicule from others (Isaiah 28:14). Isaiah, one of the more eloquent prophets, gave Hezekiah needed support and assistance in his work for Jehovah.

practical lesson:  This is often overlooked, but the choice of friends and associates can have a crucial impact regarding our ongoing spiritual success. God never intended us to be Lone Ranger Christians.    

Godly King  ~  He became Judah’s twelfth king at the age of 25 (2 Kings 18:2) as the successor to his ungodly father Ahaz. Hezekiah went on to reign in Jerusalem for 29 years (2 Kings 18:2, 2 Chronicles 29:1). Immediately after beginning his reign he reestablished the worship of God and repaired the places of worship. He made sure the Lord’s leaders were provided for. Hezekiah followed the example of his great-grandfather, King Uzziah, and because he was faithful to God he was one of the greatest kings of Judah. “And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 18:3a).

The Scripture summarizes King Hezekiah’s life and rule as a great and good king. “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him” (2 Kings 18:5-7).

practical lesson:  The Temple had to be cleansed before people could bring acceptable worship to God. Today we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and we need to seek to purify our lives with God’s help through the work of the Spirit. A clear conscience is necessary for meaningful worship. 

Successful Warrior  ~  A key example was his war with the Philistines which occurred early in his rule. He recovered cities which his father had lost (2 Chronicles 28:18-19) and took some of the Philistines’ own cities. “He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city” (2 Kings 18:8).

practical lesson:  We need to be effective soldiers for Jesus Christ and no soldier would intentionally enter into battle without proper equipment. The Christian needs to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11, see vs. 10-18). 

Spiritual Reformer  ~  “Hezekiah removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel… For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments… The Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook” (2 Kings 18:7a, also see 2 Chronicles 29:2-36). 

practical lesson:  God wants to be first in our lives! The first priority of the Godly King Hezekiah was to open up the Temple doors and re-establish worship. His days ended in peace and prosperity. We also must put first things first.

Innovative Builder  ~  Consider three of his great civil engineering projects.

[1] Hezekiah’s work at the citadel (Millo) of repairing, strengthening, and lengthening the walls (2 Chronicles 32:5).

[2] The most memorable project was what has been nicknamed Hezekiah’s Tunnel, a water flume about 1,700’ long through solid rock (2 Kings 20:20). This tunnel takes water from the Spring of Gihon outside the protective city walls through the hillside to within the city to the Pool of Siloam. The water in Hezekiah’s tunnel flows under Jerusalem and was built to secure a water supply during the impending attack by the Assyrians.  Hezekiah’s workmen worked from both ends and met in the middle. Yours truly has been privileged to walk through this impressive tunnel in waist-deep water.

[3] The Pool of Siloam Reservoir was another of his projects which increased the reserve water supply. Many will recognize the name as the place where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9:6-11). 

practical lesson:  Knowledge, including knowledge about theology and doctrine, is good but its purpose is for application—effect on our daily living. As children of God we need to be “thoroughly equipped for good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  

Man of Prayer  ~  There are at least three very significant positive answers to the prayers of Hezekiah. 

[1]  Hezekiah prayed that God would deliver Hezekiah and his people (Isaiah 37:15-20), and “Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh” (Isaiah 37:36-37). 

[2]  Toward the end of his reign when Hezekiah was very sick the prophet Isaiah informed him that he would die. It was at a time that his kingdom was continuing in a dangerous position because of the Assyrians. Hezekiah had no heir and prayed that his life might be spared (2 Kings 20:1-6, 2 Chronicles 32:24, Isaiah 38:1-2). He was granted a 15-year extension of life (Isaiah 38:5) and died a natural death peacefully.

[3]  As part of the previous listed item God also provided a sign for Hezekiah as evidence that the promise would be fulfilled. The sign consisted of the sun's shadow moving backward ten degrees in the sundial of Ahaz (2 Kings 20:8-11, Isaiah 38:7-8). This is one of the most remarkable miracles in all of Scripture.

practical lesson:  God answers prayer.

Summary  ~  We can learn a lot from the Godly, but human, King Hezekiah. What are the most meaningful aspects of his life to you? Are there some specific things you can apply to your life?

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Lemons into Lemonade

~ The Christian View of Trials ~

This is a Guest Blog by Chris Goppert which appeared in the U.K. publication The Voice where it was entitled “Drawing Strength from the Right Sources: Suffering for the Child of God Benefits the Soul.” It contains thought-provoking truth: 

Suffering that does not result from discipline for a known sin can be profitable for the believer and glorify­ing to God.

·         Joseph in Prison ~ “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

·         Hezekiah's Illness ~ “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind your back” (Isaiah 38:17).

·         Paul's “Thorn in the Flesh” ~ “To keep me from becoming conceited... there was given me a thorn in my flesh... to torment me” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

·         Paul's Imprisonment ~ “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12-14).

·         The Man Born Blind ~ “‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life’” (John 9:1-3).

Trials allow maturity to develop fully—“Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

For forty-nine years Charles Simeon served as the minister of Trinity Church in Cambridge, England. A friend once asked Simeon how he endured opposition to his ministry. Pastor Simeon replied: “My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the re­membrance that our holy Head has summoned all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently, we shall soon be partakers of His vic­tory.” (see also 2 Corinthians 1:7)

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW