Dusting Off the Old Bible

2 Kings 22

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” (22:8, 10-13)

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The reign of Josiah was like a drink of cool water in the middle of a barren desert. His grandfather was Manasseh, the most evil king of Judah, and his father, Amon, was a wicked man who was assassinated by palace officials when Josiah was only eight. But Josiah? He did not follow his dad nor his granddad. No, he followed his great-grandfather Hezekiah and the God Hezekiah obeyed.

When Josiah was 26 he ordered the temple to be repaired. The good kings did this -- they took care of the house of God out of respect for God and desire for their kingdom to be united under Him. In the midst of this restoration project, Hilkiah, the high priest, finds the book of the Law. It had been more than missing -- it had been ignored. The Torah had been trashed by the king and, as a result, by the people of Judah. Hilkiah dusts off the book (likely a big scroll or series of scrolls) and his attendant reads it. Josiah is read some of the words and he immediately is "cut to the quick." The nation had not been following the Law!

So he does what godly men and women should do when confronted with the truth: he immediately fell in humility before the Lord. He wanted to know if there was anything he could do to right the wrong. The Lord said, "No." Judah would suffer for its apostasy. But Josiah would live to his fullness of years and die in peace.

The Lord is always gracious to those who follow Him -- to those who are called by His name. He held no condemnation for the faithful ones of the Old Testament and He holds no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus today (see Romans 8:1). Our God is just, just as He was with Judah, but He is also a God of Grace. He loves you and me. If you have trouble believing that, dust off the old Bible and read with me: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10)."

Be God's.

The Parenting Problem

2 Kings 21

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger." (21:1-6)

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Hezekiah was the best king of Judah, a godly man who led Israel with wisdom. But one lesson that is shown in the Old Testament is that just because you are a good and godly person does not mean your children will be good and godly children. Salvation is not by family. It is of the individual.

But parents have a responsibility to raise their children in a godly home, preparing the soil of their hearts for the reception of the Gospel seed. Whether or not they accept that seed is up to them.

That being said, Hezekiah's son Manasseh had all the advantages of being raised in a godly home yet he turned out to be the most evil king of Judah. His 55-year reign, the longest for kings of Israel, was filled with idolatry, bloodshed, and abominations unspeakable. The author of Kings later said that Manasseh spilled blood from one end of Jerusalem to the other (v. 16). Wasn't his dad Hezekiah? Didn't his dad run into the temple when confronted by the king of Assyria and plead for the Lord's intervention? Didn't he pray for healing from his disease and receive 15 more years? Wasn't he a man of faith and action?

Yet in the Bible the best men often turn out to be the worst dads. Aaron fathered two rebellious boys and Eli and Samuel did the same. David fathered Absolom. Solomon fathered Rehoboam. What gives?

Maybe what we need to learn is a lesson in parenting. Assuming that your kids will grow up to become believers just because you raised them in church does not guarantee that they will believe. There is no magic formula here. You must watch carefully for the spiritual well being of your children in their adolescence and then, when they are of age, leave them in the hands of God. I tend to think Hezekiah and the other great men of the Bible failed to watch out for their children when they were young. Goodness, Manasseh took the throne at age 12. But most youths have formed their major life opinions by that age.

Watch your kids better than Hezekiah. Leave them with a godly foundation. And then pray that they may believe.

Be God's.

The Mystery of Prayer

2 Kings 20

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’” (20:1-6)

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Prayer is one of those touchy subjects with so many people. Some folks believe wholeheartedly that if they pray fervently, what they pray for will happen. Others believe that prayer is merely wishful thinking. They pray but they don't hope for much. I tend to believe that the answer to prayer lies fully and completely out of our hands. Indeed, like the Holy Trinity Himself, prayer is mystery. Only, this time, it is a mystery that involves us, much like Holy Communion or baptism.

Hezekiah was informed that his illness would result in his death. The Lord told the great king of Judah to put his house in order. Hezekiah wasn't going to die because of some great sin. And an assassin's dagger would not be the cause. No, death happens to one and all. It's a result of the fall. And Hezekiah was mortally ill.

Yet the Lord, in His sovereignty, somehow holds the right to change the progression (or regression) of His creation, including His curses, and Hezekiah's illness did not kill him. The king immediately turned to the Lord in prayer and petitioned for a few more years. It was more than prayer, though. Hezekiah cried tears of pleading, much like a parent would plead with the Lord over the life of a loved one. Before Isaiah had left the palace, God relented and Isaiah relayed to the king, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you."

Why do some people get healed while others die? Why does God choose one person over another? Don't know. It's a mystery to me. Hezekiah prayed for mercy and received 15 more years. But my friend Scott could pray for healing for a year or more and still die of his disease.

This much I do know: God is sovereign, which means He holds all rights to act independently of anything that exists. He is a king with absolute power. Every decision He makes is just and true, for He is the lawgiver as well as the judge. And because He stands outside of time and space, He alone is able to see the big picture. He is also all-loving. This means that He knows what is best for we who are finite and limited in our vision. He loves us and knows our pain. He asks us to trust Him, even when we don't understand why one thing happens and another doesn't.

Above all, know this: God listens to us. And He is more than willing to act in accordance with His will. All we need to do is trust Him and press, even when we don't have all the answers.

Be God's.

Take It To the Lord

2 Kings 18-19

Hezekiah received the letter from the [Assyrian] messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God." Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria." (19:14-16, 19-20)

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Hezekiah was yet another man of action.

We find them all over the Old Testament. Some are big shots -- guys like Abraham, Joshua, David and Jehu Others are just simple folks who did the right thing when faced with a decision, like Benaiah the mighty man and, most recently, Jehoiada the priest, who hid Joash from his evil grandmother.

But unlike the stories of many other men of action, the author of Kings chooses to slow down his rapid narrative pace and dwell on Hezekiah's reign in depth. He focuses particularly on one battle -- more of a siege than a fight -- that defined the king and solidified his spiritual clout before his people and before the Lord. The king of Assyria, fresh off his conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel marched towards Jerusalem in a campaign that is well recorded in ancient history. He sacks Lachish, an important city and military post west of Jerusalem. He then surrounds the walled capital itself and orders Hezekiah and his officials to surrender the city.

They refuse.

The story of what happens next is told in three different books of the Bible: Kings, Chronicles and Isaiah. The Assyrian king, Shalmaneser, sends his commander with a small army to the gates of Jerusalem and a dialogue ensues between the Assyrians and the Judahite officials. The message from the invader is clear: upon what great power is the king of Judah, Hezekiah, depending? Who can save them from the great and mighty Assyrian army? If they surrender Jerusalem, the Assyrian king will make Hezekiah king over an Assyrian Judah and give him power. The people can live in the land under Assyrian peace. Why hold out?

A short time passes, a new Assyrian king rises to the throne, Sennacherib, but the threat is the same. Once again the king wants to know why Hezekiah thinks Jerusalem will be spared the Assyrian might. Upon whom is the king placing his hope?

Hezekiah's trust was in the Lord his God. And his answer to a king of man was to go directly to the King of heaven and earth. So he rushed to the Temple, spread out the Assyrian's written communication before the Lord and left it in God's hands. He prayed, "Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God." Isaiah the prophet sent Gods response to Hezekiah. He said, "Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant (32-34)."

That night an angel of the Lord went through the Assyrian camp. One hundred and eighty thousand soldiers died. Archaeological history speculates that the cause of death was bubonic plague or something of its sort. God can use anything to accomplish His will, even disease. Sennacherib returned home humiliated and was assassinated some time later. Assyria was never a world power again. The zeal of the Lord saw to this.

Be God's.

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