Day 195 – Hezekiah (Southern King 29 years)

Quite lengthy passages today, but they are not tricky to understand.

Let’s take stock about what happened yesterday.

Imagine for a moment that you had lived in Israel during their exile. Your parents had told you stories – maybe they even thought them as fables – from long ago when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and they were rescued by God, through the leadership of Moses, through the 40 years in the wilderness until the magic moment when they entered the promise land with Joshua. The days of the judges, of battles won, and of prosperity. And maybe even stories of the great kings, like David.

And now, in an idol-strewn land, with a history of awful kings ignoring God’s word despite it being clearly delivered through prophet after prophet, you’re being forcefully removed from the land by the Assyrian army.

Your home gone. You’ll likely never return to it. Your friends are scattered, or killed. Your hopes and dreams are dashed. The minor annoyances of homework and annoying brothers have been replaced with a dreadful realisation of a life of chains and slave labour for the rest of your days.

Imagine all that you’ve ever known is gone, in the blink of an eye. Coronavirus doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?

This happened. It’s real, actual history that we’re reading. The unrepentant sin of the people, for generation after generation, had led to the punishment that they deserved from God. How galling it must have been for them to consider the opportunities, time after time, that God had given them to repent, which they never ever took.

I know that when it comes to sin in my life, there are areas which I know are wrong, and I hear God’s prompting voice warning me away from it. It’s a message I need to hear again and again sometimes, because like the Israelites, my heart can be hardened towards God. I don’t take the chances I should! But God is still giving me chances, time after time, to come back to Him. Every chance I get to turn is one given to me by God through grace.

That grace shows its fullness in Jesus, for those who trust in Him. It’s a wonderful message that shows God never stopped loving his people – even when they were being carted off to Assyria. As we’ll read through the next few weeks, the line of David continued to hold in Judah, even during their exile. That line would lead to a greater saviour than anyone could have foreseen.

It’s a wonderful message of love. When you read through these (perhaps difficult) passages and wonder why we need to learn about all these kings and history, keep in mind the bigger picture not just of judgement, but of love, forgiveness, redemption and finally salvation. We’re not just reading history – we’re reading about God’s concern for humankind, ourselves included.

On the topic of grace, let’s see how Hezekiah gets on in today’s passages.

• Hezekiah is the king of Judah now, and reigned for 29 years. Is he described as a good or bad king? We’re going to read about him for three studies this week, as there is a lot of information about him in the bible. Make sure you have a good understand today to help you tomorrow.
• How did Hezekiah’s actions show he followed God? Do your actions show that you follow God?
• What did Hezekiah request the Levites to do in 2 Chronicles 29? Imagine you were alive at the time. Do you think it would have been exciting to see the re-dedication of the temple? Do you think everyone else would be excited, or not?
• What feast did Hezekiah reinstate in 2 Chronicles 30? Do you remember the reason for the Passover feast? Why do you think this feast had not been kept properly in the years before Hezekiah?
• Did you notice that Hezekiah sent messages to both Judah and Israel? He wrote to those who were able to remain, and perhaps to many who had recently come in from Assyria.
• How did Hezekiah encourage the people and the priests? Did all the people humble themselves when they received the messages about the Passover? Some joined in the Passover, but others didn’t. What did the people who didn’t come do to the messengers?
• How do you think you could encourage people in a similar way to Hezekiah’s encouragement in 2 Chronicles 30:6-9?
• 2 Chronicles 30:17-20 are really interesting verses. They describe many of the people who came to celebrate the Passover, especially those from the north, as not following the rules of the Passover properly, such as doing the proper cleaning rituals. Instead of being angry, Hezekiah prayed for the Lord to pardon everyone for not doing it correctly. Hezekiah – and God – saw their hearts instead. The people were seeking God, and that was so good that the details they got wrong didn’t matter at that moment. What an open and welcoming attitude! Churches should have their arms open wide to anyone who comes looking to hear the good news about Jesus, whomever they are, whatever they look like, and whatever they have got wrong. I hope you can be play your part in a church that celebrates anyone who comes to God and loves their hearts.