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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
This entire week I’ve felt led by the Holy Spirit to help us consider God’s perspective on FATHERHOOD, in the shadow of last weekend’s Father’s Day.
How well do you understand your family heritage and how YOU fit into the multi-generational story of your family? Could it be that you are the one God will use to dramatically change the story of your family for generations to come?
Today let’s look at this in the life of one young man in Bible history named king Hezekiah. You’ll find his story in 2 Chronicles 29-33, it’s really quite remarkable.
Hezekiah was born a prince in the royal line of King David. His father was king Ahaz, sadly one of the worst, most wicked kings, in Israel’s history. Here’s one summary statement of his life: “King Ahaz had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD…He gathered together the furnishings from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and took them away. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and set up idols on every street corner in Jerusalem.” (2 Chron. 28:19,24) King Ahaz actually prohibited worship of Almighty God in Jerusalem, can you believe that?!
Ahaz was so bad that when he died, the people were ashamed and did NOT bury him in the tombs of the kings but rather in a common cemetery. Ahaz had reigned 16 years, so when his son Hezekiah took the throne at age 25, he’d been a careful student of his father’s leadership and life. From his first day in office, king Hezekiah took immediate action to change almost everything. 2 Chronicles 29:1-11 is a powerful summary. In brief it says this: “Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the LORD…in the first month of the first year of his reign he opened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them. He brought together the priests and the Levites and said to them, ‘Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the Temple of the LORD. Remove all defilement. Our fathers were unfaithful, they did evil in the eyes of the LORD and forsook Him…they turned their backs on God… Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD our God… My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him and serve Him…”
What follows in that 29th chapter is simply remarkable my friends. It’s far beyond spring cleaning, it’s a total cleansing and restoration of the Temple, the city, and even the society! It seems clear the people were nearly desperate for new, God honoring, leadership, at every level of their society, and beginning with the king himself, a total transformation took place in very short order. But please remember what ignited the change? Hezekiah’s wicked dad king Ahaz died and the mantle of leadership was passed to Hezekiah, who took quick action to change the culture… of his family, of the political leadership, of their spiritual orientation and of the city as a whole!
What caused Hezekiah to be so determined to bring change so quickly when he had the chance? Perhaps it was his respect for his distant heritage. Hezekiah had been watching his father lead and consistently make wicked decisions. But I believe Hezekiah discovered and greatly valued his more distant heritage. Hezekiah had rejected the evil of his father and looked to what he knew of his grandfather and even great-grandfather, to find role models. Hezekiah’s grandfather Jotham had been king in Jerusalem for 16 years and the Bible says “King Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD His God.” (2 Chronicles 27:6)
Hezekiah’s great grandfather was king Uzziah. He was king in Jerusalem 52 years, and for most of that time the record says “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD…He sought God during the days of Zechariah who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as Uzziah sought the LORD, God gave him success.” (2 Chron. 26:4,5)
While Hezekiah may not have known his great grandfather king Uzziah personally, or remembered too much of his grandfather king Jotham, the records all spoke clearly and in great detail, and I’m sure the elderly people in Jerusalem remembered and described those better days to Hezekiah, as he was growing up watching his wicked dad King Ahaz. I suspect there was one voice in particular who spoke often to Hezekiah, the prophet Isaiah, who you may recall had his life changing encounter with God while in the Temple grieving the death of king Uzziah (Isaiah 6). That historic moment positioned Isaiah to be a voice of Godly reason for king Jotham and king Ahaz, even though Ahaz rejected Isaiah’s counsel.
The contrast with Hezekiah’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather could not have been greater, and Hezekiah evidently had a determination to lead Jerusalem back to their God fearing, God blessed values of the past. His success in this was so rapid and significant that it drew the attention of people far and wide, and 2 Chronicles 30 describes the glorious Passover festival that was held in this way: “The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced along with the priests and Levites and all who assembled from Israel, including the aliens who had come… there was great joy in Jerusalem for since the days of king Solomon, son of David king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
Go ahead, put yourself in this almost unbelievable, historic gathering of Jews from all over the world at that time, experiencing something that had not been seen in centuries! All because one man said ‘NO MORE’, he listened to wise advice from an old, Godly man (Isaiah) and led his family and his people back to God, rejecting the wickedness of his father’s era. As you read these chapters I think you’ll be captivated and thrilled to see how Godly leadership can change a culture! Listen to this summary statement of king Hezekiah at this time: “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… he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” (2 Chronicles 31:20,21)
And suddenly in these days of peace, prosperity, and spiritual revival, word came to king Hezekiah that a great army was advancing against Jerusalem. King Sennacherib had led his vicious Assyrian army to destroy scores of towns, small and large, conquering vast regions of surrounding nations, killing thousands of people and taking thousands more as captives. Now, this apparently unstoppable force had its focus set on Jerusalem. Hezekiah rallied the people with these words: “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.” (2 Chronicles 32:7,8)
What do you see here my friends? If you have the time and want to look more deeply into this remarkable event, the prophet Isaiah gives us his personal perspective for king Hezekiah called upon his friend and advisor Isaiah to join with him in seeking God’s guidance in the face of this huge threat, and together they went to the Temple to meet with God about this crisis. God saved the city of Jerusalem in a phenomenal, miraculous deliverance, leaving 185,000 Assyrian soldiers dead on the battlefield, with not one Hebrew casualty, and not even one shot fired! You’ll find this amazing account in Isaiah 36 & 37.
“So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. God took care of them on every side.” (2 Chron. 32:22)
Can you imagine being a resident of Jerusalem in this amazing time in history? Tomorrow we’re going to continue this remarkable story, for Hezekiah’s life takes a sudden turn. For today, I invite us to ponder what God had done in these few years in Hezekiah’s life and leadership at a strategic time in Israel’s history… and why? I wonder what God wants to show you as you look deeply into this amazing time in history and how God used one man to be a great catalyst for much needed change? What is God saying to you and me about our lives, our family heritage, our legacy, even our nation, and the strategicness of these days in 2020, and in history?
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapters: 2 Chronicles 29-33. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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