April 20 - II Chronicles 29-32
Hezekiah was a great and godly king for God's people. There are many lessons for us from his life. I am sure as you read this passage you will see many things that I do not take time to mention. That is how the Bible speaks to us. God uses it to speak to our individual needs. If you are reading this blog on a regular basis, I hope it is a blessing to you, but please read the Bible passage, too, and not just the blog. God wants to speak to you directly through His word.
Hezekiah began his reign by restoring the worship in the Temple. The first thing that had to be done was to clean the building and take out all of the trash that had accumulated over the years. Even though it was a small building, and there were many people to clean it up, it took a full eight days to finish. All of this filth and trash was the result of years of neglect and apathy. God's people had not been busy worshiping God. They had been busy with other things. Now, before they could start over, they had to remove the waste. This happens today in church buildings. The hardest thing for many churches to keep up to date is the maintenance of the building and property. A tour of the building reveals a lot of stuff that should not be there. However, it also happens in our lives. We need to clean out the junk that has come in before we can really do God's will. I encourage you to spend some time looking at your church building and your life. I hope you will do what it takes to get them clean and make them useful to God.
After the cleaning, there was a great revival. Hezekiah even called on the northern tribes to join them in the Passover. Many of them laughed at his call, but some joined in. The people gave themselves fully to God. There was a time of great joy and singing. The people realized what they had been missing. The priests and levites were sanctified. The people brought their tithes so there was plenty of money for God's servants to minister for Him. It was a wonderful time of commitment. Hezekiah was able to do all of this because he followed the Lord with all his heart. Are you lacking joy? Is there something missing in your life? Seek the Lord with all of your heart! He will come to you, and restore your joy.
Finally, God sent one angel to defeat the Assyrian army. The angel came after Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and cried out to God. God's resources are available to us when we pray. He will do His will in our lives as we seek Him. Prayer is not about us. It is about Him. Hezekiah forgot that for a while, but he humbled himself. We forget that sometimes, and we need to humble ourselves before the Lord, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 33-36.
Hezekiah began his reign by restoring the worship in the Temple. The first thing that had to be done was to clean the building and take out all of the trash that had accumulated over the years. Even though it was a small building, and there were many people to clean it up, it took a full eight days to finish. All of this filth and trash was the result of years of neglect and apathy. God's people had not been busy worshiping God. They had been busy with other things. Now, before they could start over, they had to remove the waste. This happens today in church buildings. The hardest thing for many churches to keep up to date is the maintenance of the building and property. A tour of the building reveals a lot of stuff that should not be there. However, it also happens in our lives. We need to clean out the junk that has come in before we can really do God's will. I encourage you to spend some time looking at your church building and your life. I hope you will do what it takes to get them clean and make them useful to God.
After the cleaning, there was a great revival. Hezekiah even called on the northern tribes to join them in the Passover. Many of them laughed at his call, but some joined in. The people gave themselves fully to God. There was a time of great joy and singing. The people realized what they had been missing. The priests and levites were sanctified. The people brought their tithes so there was plenty of money for God's servants to minister for Him. It was a wonderful time of commitment. Hezekiah was able to do all of this because he followed the Lord with all his heart. Are you lacking joy? Is there something missing in your life? Seek the Lord with all of your heart! He will come to you, and restore your joy.
Finally, God sent one angel to defeat the Assyrian army. The angel came after Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and cried out to God. God's resources are available to us when we pray. He will do His will in our lives as we seek Him. Prayer is not about us. It is about Him. Hezekiah forgot that for a while, but he humbled himself. We forget that sometimes, and we need to humble ourselves before the Lord, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 33-36.