1/28 Hezekiah
So much praiseworthy in this man that it’s hard to know where to begin! He is a great example of how a horrible and Godless parent, such as he had in his father, is not enough to prevent him from a life of obedience. His prioritizing the ridding Jerusalem of idols and reopening the temple above building up the city walls and restocking armaments in preparation for the coming assault—stands as a parallel to David’s seeking God’s will before going to battle. There is wisdom in knowing that without God we stand defenseless regardless of the size of our walls or armaments or bank accounts (or hands). And there is something quite wonderful in Hezekiah’s holy outrage in response to the sacrelige of insulting the living God, his shaking at the horror of the commander’s words. He is a great model to today’s timid church which stands largely silent in the face of God’s being demeaned by the world. Ultimately, Hezekiah’s example of unwavering faith, rewarded by the overnight defeat of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers while the Israelis slept, ought to motivate any believer to go all in. I liked the Proverbs 3:5 promise from Thursday on this topic. How many of our problems can be traced to a less than Hezekiah-like appropriation of its truths? How many to trusting in the Lord with only part of our heart (and in self or other things wth the rest); how many to leaning our own understanding rather than God’s word; how many to giving ourselves credit or simply taking blessings for granted rather than acknowledging Him? It is no wonder our paths meander as they do! May we all be more like this Godly example of faith this year and always, I pray. Blessings, brothers. I wish I could be with you tonight.
- I pray we can all stand up for our God, if we do he will stand up for us. We miss you on Monday's Norm
- When we see all around us stress and trauma we know that when we turn to God and say that we are trying to trust him all is at peace because he is the prince of peace