Hezekiah's Example - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 29:5-6,

"Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord's dwelling place and turned their backs on him."

Hezekiah was one of the wonderful kings of Judah. At the start of his reign as king, he took steps to turn the nation from the sinful idolatry his father, King Ahaz had reintroduced to Judah, back to God. This is reflected in his cleansing the temple and reestablishing the nation's worship there.

I note that Hezekiah's approach reflects much of what we read in the Scriptures of those who turn, (or return) to the Lord:

First, Hezekiah determined to get himself and the nation right with the Lord, "Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us." Verse 10.

Secondly, he stopped or ended what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, "Remove all defilement from the sanctuary." Verse 5.

Thirdly, he unabashedly confessed the sin the nation had been engaged in, "Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord's dwelling place and turned their backs on him." Verse 6.

And, fourthly, engaged and immersed the nation in the pursuit of the Lord through worship, "So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished." Verse 35b.

I can't help but see a pattern here for all of us when the need of getting right with God exists:

-- Make the determination to get right with the Lord.

-- Turn from sin.

-- Confess that sin to identify and acknowledge it.

-- Begin to live a life of the worship of our loving heavenly Father!

We can learn a lot from old King Hezekiah!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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