First things first !

Hezekiah was a very remarkable king. After David, he was perhaps the most righteous and faithful king that ever reigned in Judah. He did remarkable acts of service to the Lord particularly by purifying the land of the idolatry and restoring the worship of the one true God. But to appreciate his actions, we must know what he inherited from his father Ahaz.

Without a doubt, King Ahaz was the worst king Judah ever had. Ahaz walked in the way of the kings of Israel and worshipped molded images. He burned his children in the fire according to the abominations of the nations and burned incense on high places (2 Chron. 28:2-4). Ahaz took silver and gold from the house of the Lord and sent to Tiglath Pilaser seeking his help against the King of Syria. Ahaz built a new Altar in Jerusalem like the one he saw in Damascus and he himself sacrificed on it (2 Kings 16:8-12). In the time of his distress, Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord. Ahaz finally shuts up the doors of the house of the LORD (2 Chron. 28:22-24).

When Judah was in this state of apostasy, Hezekiah became king of Judah.

Hezekiah was a purpose driven man. His actions on day one stand testimony for that. Hezekiah reopened the doors of the temple on the first day of the first month of the first year of his reign (2 Chron. 29:3,17) and he cleansed the Lord’s house. He then went on to observe Passover celebrations! We read about Hezekiah’s prayers at the time of the Passover, the invasion of Sennacherib and his sickness and we are amazed at the Lord immediately answering them. But we have to focus on what Hezekiah did first when God gave him the opportunity!

First things first.

God has graciously given us one more Lenten season. Let us look within and recognize the idols we have set-up in our hearts. We cannot come to Church on time but we always go to the office on time. We spend liberally when we go restaurants with family and friends but when someone asks for a contribution to a ministry, we complain that they are only after our money. We spend time watching movies but when someone calls us for a time of prayer or for some religious activity, we complain that we have NO time!

My friend, first let us cleanse our hearts and install true worship of our Lord and Saviour. This, I believe, is the first step before our prayers can be answered!

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 13th February 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 14th February 2018

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