Hezekiah

The opening verse of today's reading stated that Hezekiah reopened and repaired the temple. I had to refresh my memory on what had happened to bring Hezekiah to that place. So in case you have also lost track of what all these kings and kingdoms were up to...here are the Cliff's notes. Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz, who was an evil king in Judah, not Israel. Ahaz had instituted idolatry, closed the temple, and raided the temple of it's valuables in order to pay the Assyrian army for their protection against some of Judah's enemies. By the time Hezekiah reopened the temple, it had been closed 16 years. Hezekiah was not like his father. He restored monotheism by not only reopening the temple, but also reinstating the observance of the Passover and destroying pagan shrines and altars. During that first Passover celebration, the people brought so many sacrifices that the priests could not take care of the offerings and had to enlist the support of the Levites. There was evidently so great a demand that they had to accept the help of those who were not properly cleansed for the ceremony. I like what Hezekiah said about that," May the Lord, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony". The next verse says that the "Lord listened to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people. So perhaps these were Levites who were ceremonially unclean due to physical ailments such as rashes and discharges (ah, to be back in Leviticus again...). At any rate, the cool thing about that verse to me, was that it affirms that God looks at the heart, not the behavior. How many times have we seen people annihilated by God for seemingly inocuous infractions like offering "unauthorized fire" or for steadying the cart carrying the ark of the covenant? And yet these people who were neither "clean" nor priests, were allowed by God to serve in the temple. The only difference can be in the hearts of the men themselves.

Had Hezekiah not stepped in when he did, the wrath of God would surely have turned against Judah much sooner. But verses 1 and 21 of the 31st chapter of 2 Chronicles, describe a man who did what was good and pleasing in the sight of God and as a result, was very successful. According to an article I read, there is archaeological evidence for significant population growth and advancement of the culture during Hezekiah's reign. God has said many times in His word, that He desires to bless us if we will just obey. Hezekiah is a great example.

Tomorrow's reading: Proverbs 25:1-29:27