HEZEKIAH: FIRST AMONG THE KINGS OF JUDAH!

Today’s Old Testament reading includes 2 Chronicles 29, which introduces us to the reign of King Hezekiah, the 12th king of Judah. His father was King Ahaz, described as an evil king who walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. Ahaz’s reign was marked by military defeat at the hands of Judah’s enemies and by his own faithlessness to the Lord. He went so far has closing the Temple of the Lord and encouraging the people of Judah to worship the gods of the peoples around them. Imagine those final years of Ahaz’s reign: the temple doors were shut and worship to the Lord was prohibited! The priests and Levites were kept from performing their daily tasks. Instead, they had to endure the pagan altars set up in Jerusalem and the cities of Judah by Ahaz.

Hezekiah acted in stark contrast to his evil father. After he became king, Hezekiah immediately ordered the doors to the temple be reopened and the temple cleansed. He directed the priests and Levites to consecrate themselves for service in the temple! Verses 20 – 36 describe how Hezekiah restored worship in the temple. The priests again offered their burnt offerings, and the Levites performed the song of the Lord with the instruments of David! The chapter concludes with this summary: “Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people…” (29:35a-36a)

2 Kings 18:5 says this of King Hezekiah: “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.” His zeal for the Lord resulted in renewed worship for the Lord and revival for God’s people during his reign. While he had his own faults toward the end of his life, he is Judah’s best example of a king who remained loyal to the Lord in the midst of an immoral culture. He remains an example for all who desire to stay in close fellowship with God during times of trouble.