Day 200 – 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48

Talking Points

• King Hezekiah honors God in the example of King David. He restores and reopens the temple. He recommissions the priests and Levites for service to the LORD and replaces false worship with worship of the one true God. Because of this, God prospers his reign and blesses the nation.
• The bronze serpent Moses had made and God had used to heal people in Numbers 21 had become an idol. The only option is to destroy it along with all the other idols. God really does know our hearts and wants us to worship Him, alone.
• In King Hezekiah, God gives us some attributes of a God-honoring leader.
  — He trusts the LORD completely (2 Kings 18:5).
  — He clings to the LORD and does not depart from Him (18:6).
  — He walks in obedience, keeping God’s commandments (18:6).
  This is a picture of a leader radically committed to the LORD, unwilling to waver in that commitment. Truly, his hope is in the LORD.
• In the midst of seeking to honor God, King Hezekiah is placed in a situation where his trust will be tested. As the king of Assyria marches closer, Hezekiah is forced to decide — can he rebel against Assyria and survive? Does he trust God or not? The cost is high. We can expect the same — as we walk in trust, God allows that trust to be tried.

Thoughts

King Hezekiah seeks God and does it with “all his heart” (2 Chronicles 31:21). The result is an entire nation led back to true worship of the LORD. Where rebellion and wickedness once were, joy and peace now exist. The people “sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped” (29:30). It was right. And, just as God had promised years earlier, obedience brought peace and sincere worship filled their hearts with joy!

Then, something even greater happened. Hezekiah, convinced of who God is, rejoicing over what He’d done in Jerusalem, sends out the call. He writes letters to “all Israel and Judah and…also to Ephraim and Manasseh,” inviting them to join them in worship (30:1). See his heart revealed here. Hezekiah knew what he had found. He wanted others to have what he had. The joy and peace they were now enjoying could be theirs as well. And he knew how.

“For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” – 2 Chronicles 30:9

Today, if you find yourself a captive to sin, looking for peace and true joy, return to Him. He is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you. He will welcome you home and you will find lasting peace and exceeding joy!

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised” — Psalm 48:1