2 Chronicles 29:1-2 Hezekiah
We are introduced to a king who will bring the people back to God. Hezekiah is that king. He ushers in revival after his father’s atrocious acts.
It still amazes me how one family can go to both extremes. Ahaz was calling on every god he could dream of except the real One. He was even throwing his sons into the fire to one of them. While Hezekiah, one of his sons who was spared this fate, turned to God with ALL his heart. A king who rivaled Ahab spawns a king who follows in David’s footsteps. I’ll take the ‘David’ extreme ANY DAY!
Our short reading only introduces us to Hezekiah. We learn the age at which he took the throne, how long he reigned, and his mother’s name. I have to pause here because I have a question. Is the Zechariah mentioned here the prophet Zechariah? If so, was Hezekiah’s heart towards God nurtured by his mother and grandfather? Was he hidden away from his father’s murderous ways by the two? God reached down into that family and brought just the right people into it at just the right time.
Which brings us to the last, and most important, thing we learn about Hezekiah. “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done” (verse 2). Hezekiah cultivated a personal relationship with God and he passed this on to the people. He didn’t just have a form of godliness like his grandfather did. He certainly didn’t seek other gods like his father did. Instead, he gave his whole heart and life to the Lord as David his great, great, great… grandfather had.
This does not mean that Hezekiah was a perfect king. He will make his own mistakes. I’m purposefully not reading ahead so I can be in ‘awe’ or ‘ah’ as we see together what the rest of his life looked like. I’m praying for a strong finish too. I know, we already saw some of his works when we went through kings but that was a while ago. I want to see it again, fresh from the hand of the Holy Spirit’s scribe.
The thing about Hezekiah that we can take for ourselves today is that he was an example of God’s faithfulness. Even in a faithless time in Judah’s history, God reached down and rekindled His people. He NEVER gave up on them. He sent them exactly who they needed at just the right time in their journey.
He does the same with us. He brings people into our lives that walk beside us and encourage us during the hard times. He also uses us to do the same for others. You may never see the full impact you have in someone’s life when you follow God’s lead. But you can be certain that if He brought you to them, He had a purpose in it.
Maybe in Heaven there will be a great revealing party where God shows His ‘tapestry’ of interactions and how you fit in it all. I don’t remember who, where or when but I heard someone liken this life to looking at a tapestry from the back side. You see all the knots, jumps in stitches, and flaws. Little of the grand design can be seen from our vantage point. But God sees the front side. The beauty of the colors interacting to create a wondrous scene. One day we will see that side of it too. Where we will see the introduction of ‘a new color’ at just the right point in the process and how it brought something special to the overall creation. Those are moments like the introduction of Abijah and Zechariah. And you and me in just the right place at just the right times.
Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness, even during times of my unfaithfulness. The couple in Virginia that was so kind to me and my kids was one of Your interventions in my life. They brought a sense of home and belonging to us when we were so far away from our family. We, or at least I, felt like strangers in a foreign land. You showed us that we were not alone. Thank You for their love and for leading us to a church that made us feel the same way. That couple was the first thing that bound us to the ‘family’ You provided for us. I cannot remember their names but I will never forget their love.
Looking back over the years of traveling I now recognize several people You used the same way in my life. THANK YOU for ALWAYS sending me someone to walk beside me and encourage me. Thank You even for the ones that I was their encouragement because it meant that I had to lean harder on You in order to be that for them. Thank You that You always know exactly what I need and precisely when I need it.
