Restoration
by John Notgrass
If you surveyed 100 people to find their favorite books of the Bible, 1 and 2 Chronicles probably would not come in first. They probably would not appear on the list! I admit that wading through parts of Old Testament history is challenging. Making the effort, however, is rewarding, because the Chronicles, like the rest of Scripture, teach about God, about his power and compassion, and about his working in the world. These historical books also teach about faith, prayer, family, and obedience. One man in 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah, especially stands out as an example to those of us who want to follow God's ways.
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles provide a synopsis of Jewish history up to the Babylonian captivity. 1 Chronicles begins with genelogical lists from Adam to Saul, and the main narration begins with the death of Saul and David's full ascension to the throne. 2 Chronicles records the reigns of the faithful and unfaithful kings of Judah. Hezekiah was one of the good ones.
A Daunting Task
Hezekiah faced a daunting task. He needed to lead Judah back into faithful service to God. For over thirty years, the people had been living corruptly, and the past 16 years had been especially bad. Hezekiah's father Ahaz practiced a form of idolatry which included sacrificing his sons, and he generally promoted wickedness in Judah (2 Chr. 28:19). Because of his unfaithfulness, the Lord allowed the king of Aram to attack and capture many Jews. Ahaz faced war with Pekah king of Israel, who captured 200,000 Jewish women and children. Ahaz asked the king of Assyria to help him, but that king gave him trouble, too. In all of this, Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord and started worshiping the gods of Aram, the country that had defeated him. He closed the temple doors and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. He thought that maybe the gods of Aram would help him, too. However, they became the stumbling of Israel.
So it is today. The world is full of wickedness, of course, and the violence and corruption and loneliness we see should sadden us. What should sadden us even more is that the unclean practices of the world have steadily infiltrated the church. I have seen them in my own life. I wonder how many I haven't seen yet! Like you, I am tempted to indulge the lust of my eyes, the lust of my flesh, and the boastful pride of my life. I frequently fail, but God has called me to be holy as he is holy. Since I wish to please him, I cannot blindly accept the ways of the world or allow them to become my habits.
Making Changes
So what do we do? Do we throw up our hands and bemoan our status? No. As did Hezekiah, we should start reformation immediately, whenever we recognize unfaithfulness. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he began the process of restoring the temple (2 Chr. 29:3). He told the priests to consecrate themselves (29:5), and that is what we, as God's priests today, must continually do. We must rededicate ourselves to being holy as God is holy. We cannot obtain justification by our own efforts, and we should not seek the praise of men. We are seeking to glorify God and lead others to him.
As he chose the priests in Hezekiah's day, the Lord has chosen us to stand before him (29:11). We are a chosen generation and a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9). We have the opportunity to be the ministers of God, burning to him the incense of our prayers, giving him the oblation of our good deeds, and offering to him our bodies as living sacrifices.
In Hezekiah's day, the priests went to work purifying the temple, bringing out and throwing away all the unclean things they found inside. The Scripture says that we are a temple of God and that God's Spirit dwells in us. Therefore, we must cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Recognizing that I am a sinner is easier than identifying specific sins in my lives. With God's help, however, I must cut off and throw away those specific things that cause me to stumble.
When Hezekiah and the priests had finished purifying the temple, they had a large celebration with sacrifices and singing. They rejoiced at what God had prepared so suddenly for his people (2 Chr. 29:36). They could not take credit for restoring the temple. Credit belonged to God. They were only his instruments. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners like me. I should not get any big ideas that in myself I am somehow more righteous than others. God makes us righteous by the blood of Jesus. When we see the wondrous things that God does as we turn our hearts to seek him, we should always be ready to offer up a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips confessing his name (Heb. 13:15).
Doing What Is Right
Obeying God requires more than just avoiding certain things. It requires doing certain things. His commands are not burdensome, however. Following them is best for us! One of the commands to which Hezekiah restored obedience was the observance of the Passover. He sent word to the people that they should come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (2 Chr. 30:1). Some heeded the request, but many laughed at the messengers and mocked them. As we walk in the way of the righteous and encourage others to join us, many people will not understand. Even other believers may misinterpret our motives or question our attempts to apply Biblical teaching.
Of course, we are going to make mistakes, even in our attempt to do right. After years of doing wrong, we have to learn again how to do right. This happened to the Israelites, too. The Israelites who came to celebrate the Passover did not properly purify themselves. Hezekiah begged God to honor the good intentions of their hearts, even though their actions were not exactly proper (2 Chr. 30:18-20). Examples like this are not a license to ignore God's instructions or to think that our actions are not important. May it never be! We should never abuse God's forgiveness by being calous or careless. However, we should gladly accept God's forgiveness when we fail and trust that a good motivation combined with good understanding will lead us to good actions.
The Israelites celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. They were having such a good time that they decided to celebrate for another seven days (30:23)! Serving God is fun. Serving God is not a burden. Some times require seriousness, but many times call for celebrating.
We need to search the Scriptures as did the Bereans when Paul spoke to them (Acts 17:11). We need to hear what God wants us to do and do it. When God says to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, I need to do it. When God says to love my neighbor as myself, I need to do it. When God says to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness, I need to do it. When God says to take up my cross and follow him, I need to do it. God's grace is not my license to live for me. God's grace is my motivation to live for him.
Casting Down Our Idols
After their great celebration in Jerusalem, the Israelites went out to the cities of Judah and destroyed the pillars, the wooden Asherim, the high places, and the altars. One of the idols was the bronze serpent that Moses had made at the Lord's command. At some point, the Israelites had named it and started burning incense to it (Num. 21:8-9, 2 Kin. 18:4).
When I think of idolatry, I usually think of people bowing down before statues. This common association can wrongly lead us to believe that idolatry isn't a problem for us today. After all, we don't bow down before statues, do we? Well, some people do grovel before movie stars and clamor for their attention. People wear the clothes of their favorite athlete, put his posters in their rooms, and want to be like him. These activities have hints of worship, anyway. We have other gods, too. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that greed is idolatry. How could he say it more plainly? Of course, Jesus said we could not serve two masters. God and Mammon cannot both rule our lives. Whether it's another person, money, or simply ourselves, we must tear down all of our idols.
God has clearly said that we must have no other gods before him. What else might I put up in front of him? Do I worship the idea of building the perfect family? Of creating the perfect church? Of having the perfect homeschool? As did the Israelites, so we may even exalt too highly something that God has instructed us to do. We can't doo too much for God, but we can do anything with the wrong attitude, forgetting the reason for what he has instructed.
Why Things Happen
Hezekiah was doing a great job, right? He restored the temple, destroyed the idols, and started leading the people back into obedience to God. After this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah (2 Chr. 32:1)!
The question often arises, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" We could just as easily ask, "Why do bad things happen?" or "Why does anything happen?" God in his wisdom works with us sinners in ways that are often mysterious to us. He does not need our counsel or approval. He is not indebted to us, though he does provide what he promises (Rom. 11:33-36). Even when we're seeking to serve God, we may face severe challenges. What have we to fear, however? Hezekiah took refuge in the Lord and told the people to be strong and courageous, even though the king of Assyria was threatening them with a great army. The one who is with us is greater than the one who is with our enemies (2 Chr. 32:7-8, cf. 1 John 4:4).
Yet our enemies will still attempt to misrepresent us and to demoralize us. Sennacherib taunted the Jews with questions. Isn't Hezekiah leading you into starvation? Why did Hezekiah destroy all of God's high places and altars and force everyone to worship in one place? Have any of the gods of other nations protected them? We hear similar questions today, though in different words. Do you really think you can give your children a good education at home? Do you really think you can live without following the latest fads? How will you get to know someone without dating? How will you handle ten children? Is the God you worship really any different from the gods other people worship?
We cannot let them distract or discourage us. They probably won't understand if we try to explain with words. What can we do but pray and cry out to heaven (2 Chr. 32:20)? The Lord will hear, and the Lord will respond. He destroyed Sennacherib's army. That same direct punishment will not usually apply to our modern opponents, but nevertheless God will guide and protect us, even when we must walk through a valley of trial.
As we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must not become proud. Hezekiah struggled with this. After Sennacherib's defeat, Hezekiah became sick to the point of death. The prophet Isaiah came to tell him that he would not live. Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly. He apparently thought he didn't deserve to die. God was gracious and extended his life, even showing him the miraculous sign of moving the shadow on the stairs backward (2 Kin. 20:1-11). In spite of God's mercy, Hezekiah was proud rather than thankful. He humbled himself later, but this was one more instance of disobedience for which the Lord would bring wrath on Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chr. 32:24-26). Our response to God's goodness should always be one of humble thankfulness. Whether he heals our disease or protects us from danger, whether he gives us a new baby or our daily bread, let us be thankful.
Building for the Future
Hezekiah was a good king. The people honored him when he died. He apparently suffered from limited vision for the future, however. He knew that his descendents and his people were soon going to face captivity in Babylon, but he was content that he had peace and truth during his reign (2 Kin. 20:19). His son Manasseh became king at age 12, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He brought idolatry back into prominence. He indulged in withcraft and spiritualism. He even put an idol in the temple.
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and the people, but Manasseh would not pay attention until he was taken as a prisoner to Babylon. There in his distress he finally humbled himself and recognized the God of his fathers. God brought him back to finish his lengthy reign, and Manasseh tried to undo much of the harm he had caused. His son Amon, however, had a wicked two year reign before he was assassinated. Hezekiah's great-grandson Josiah came to the throne at age eight and reigned well for 31 years. He had to undo the work of his father and grandfather. Josiah died in battle against the Egyptians and the Jews were soon taken into Babylonian captivity.
Hezekiah, like all of us, struggled with a mixture of good and bad motives. I am not so naive as to believe that we can create a perfect community of faith on earth simply by following a specific set of rules. However, though we are imperfect, we cannot be satisfied with unfaithfulness. We must consecrate ourselves to the Lord, ridding ourselves of unclean practices. As we offer praise and thanksgiving to God, we must continually search the Scriptures to understand the good and right way we should go. We must accept God's forgiveness of our sins and go on joyfully in obedience. We must destroy the idols that block our view. We must trust firmly, give generously, and endure patiently the struggles we face as God's disciples.
We must commit ourselves to restoring God's ways in all areas of life. God has called us to be his people in this generation and to leave a heritage of faith to future generations. We will find rest for our souls as we seek and follow the good and ancient paths (Jer. 6:16).
This article originally appeared in Home School Digest, the Christian Family Discipleship Quarterly for serious homeschoolers. Each issue nearly 100 pages! Subscriptions: $18/yr. Contact: Wisdom's Gate, P.O. Box 374, Covert, MI 49043. Phone: 800-343-1943. www.homeschooldigest.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved.