2 Kings 18:1-37

Just when it appears that all hope for the children of Israel is gone, God demonstrates that He is able to provide a godly leader that truly walks in the ways of the Lord.  Hezekiah’s father was a wicked king and the king of Israel was also wicked and was taken into captivity during the beginning of his reign.  However, Hezekiah seems to have learned from the mistakes of his father and the king of Israel.  In a sea of evil and mediocre kings that rebelled against God or only served Him halfheartedly, Hezekiah stands out like a beacon of hope.  Apparently he saw the consequences of disobedience and tolerance of sin and by God’s grace he decided that the price was too high to pay so he walked in obedience to the Lord and His Word.  God continues to look for leaders today who will follow His Word and be courageous enough to defy the tide of sinfulness in the culture around them.

HEZEKIAH PRACTICED COMPLETE OBEDIENCE: We are so used to king after king that is described as doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord BUT they did not remove the high places.  Hezekiah stands in stark contrast to this line of kings because there is no “but” in God’s description of his reign.  He did remove the high places and even destroyed the snake that Moses had made because it had become an idol in Israel.  Hezekiah was not tolerant of sin and called the people to live in complete obedience to the Lord as he was striving to do.  This is the sign of a great leader.  He is courageous enough to do what he knows to be right and he does not capitulate to the culture that surrounds him.  God describes him as having been the greatest king of Israel of all time past, present and future.  True greatness is always marked by radical and complete obedience no matter what the circumstances or culture may be.  All of us should crave the approval of God that Hezekiah achieved but we must realize that in order to do so we must rise above the mediocrity that surrounds us fight the current of our culture to practice complete obedience.


HEZEKIAH FACED COMPLETE OBLITERATION: Hezekiah’s obedience was rewarded by military victory initially.  However, the king of Assyria that had just taken Israel into captivity came out against Judah.  Hezekiah tried to appease Assyria by stripping the gold and silver from the temple and sending it to the king of Assyria.  God does not appear to condemn or approve of this action, but we do see that it did not work because the Assyrian army still comes and surrounds the city of Jerusalem and threatens its complete destruction and annihilation.  The Assyrians try to discourage the people by openly defying Hezekiah and God.  This type of circumstance does not jive with the theology of many in today’s culture.  Many wrongly believe that the path of obedience is a path of ease and constant blessing from God.  The truth is that we live on a sin-cursed planet and in the midst of sinful men.  When we dare to defy the statuesque we will inevitably face staunch opposition.  We should expect this type of treatment and be prepared to stand firmly against it.  When his city and nation face complete obliteration, Hezekiah stands quietly by and tells his people to wait upon the Lord in silence.  We must constantly realize that God uses suffering in the lives of His children to conform them to His image and make them stronger.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more