2 Kings 18:1-16

“He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” (2 Kings 18:5, NKJV)

We each are given the gift of life. We are given time, talent and treasure by our Heavenly Father, for every good and every perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). Then God gives us opportunities to do something for His glory. What will we do? How will we manage what He entrusts to our care? We each make our choices and then our choices turn and make us. We may come from a godly home or an ungodly home, but we can each choose whom or what we will serve.

King Hezekiah’s father was Ahaz, and he was one of the most wicked kings of Judah. He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus in the LORD’s temple, which ruined him and all Israel. But Hezekiah chose a different path. He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel, and served Him wholeheartedly. In the first month of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple and carried out the rubbish from within it. He gathered the priests and Levites and told them to sanctify themselves for their duties. They cleansed the temple and prepared and sanctified the articles that Ahaz had cast aside. Then Hezekiah restored the temple worship with its sacrifices to the LORD and songs from the singers and musicians. He kept the Passover and even invited the people of Israel who remained in the land after the Assyrians conquered it. After this he removed the high places, broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden images, and destroyed the pagan altars in all the cities of Judah. He even broke the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the children of Israel had burned incense to it.

“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” (2 Chronicles 31:21, NIV84)

I am inspired and motivated by Hezekiah’s example. Hezekiah took the throne in an evil culture, yet he trusted in the LORD and kept His commandments. He restored the true worship of Yahweh and turned the people from their sins. Therefore God greatly prospered him.

Let’s not hesitate to be a Hezekiah!