God made a promise to the Israelites to deliver them from the bonds of slavery in Egypt and lead them to the promised land. Throughout their journey, God performed mighty miracles, such as parting the Red Sea and guiding them through the wilderness for 40 years. Eventually, Joshua and Caleb emerged as the only adult Israelites from that first generation who fully embraced God's calling. Following their arrival in the promised land, Joshua led the Israelites to defeat numerous kings. During a subsequent period without a king, the Israelites cried out to God, leading to the establishment of Saul as their first anointed king. David and Solomon followed as subsequent kings, with many others kings ruled Israel and Judah.
One of the King was Hezekiah - he was the King of Judah, we read about him in 2 Kings 18 and in 2 Chronicles 29 to 31, There are many spiritual lessons to learn from the life of King Hezekiah which made impact to his people and how God help him successful in what he did
2 Kings 18:5-8 (NIV) Hezekiah trusted in the Lord , the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory. ‘
1) Trust & Love for God
2 Kings 18:5-g (NIV) Hezekiah trusted in the Lord , the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.
King Hezekiah trusted in God when he was young, he became the King when he was 25 yrs. - 2 Chronicles 29:1 'Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. '
His trust was built when he was young, It is said he did many things based on the instructions of Moses and followed what David had practiced
Prior to Hezekiah reign, the Kings of his past Ahaz had runied the temple of God and did lot of things which brought God’s wrath, but when Hezekiah took over the King his first Order was to fix the temple of God and repair them 2 Chronicles 29:3 'In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. '
He realised the mistakes of Past and brought the Priest and Levites to consecrate the temple to make it holy 2 Chronicles 29:4-5 'He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord , the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. ‘
His Goal was to please God with his actions which would remove the anger of the Lord on his people. 2 Chronicles 29:9-10 'This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord , the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.'
Lesson for us
Trusting the Lord in our early days when we are young, don’t wait to get old in life to return to Lord. Seek him when you are young, God can use our entire lifespan to do work for him.
Trust has to follow with an action, in our spiritual maturity. Faith in God has to follow with Obedience.
2) Holiness to God
King Hezekiah recognized that God was displeased with his people, prompting him to instruct the Levites to purify themselves before taking any action. Rather than acting independently, he obediently followed the divine command to cleanse the priests, who were specifically chosen by God for this task. 2 Chronicles 29:15 'When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the Lord , as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord . ' They did this with great purity, the word says they did consecration for Sixteen days.
He offered worship with his burnt offering to God. The way he offered worship is
1st - Way of Sin offering - They bought Goats / Bulls to be sacrificed for consecration of Sins, its recorded they had bought - 600 bulls / 3000 Sheep’s and Goats were bought. 2 Chronicles 29:33 'The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. '
2nd - Worshiping God with Trumpet / Instruments - When these offerings were presented, they did not remain passive. Instead, they actively engaged in worship by singing to God accompanied by trumpets and various instruments. According to the scriptures, the entire assembly reverently bowed down in worship. - 2 Chronicles 29:27-28 'Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. '
3rd - Knelt Down and Worshiped - King Hezekiah, along with everyone else, humbly knelt down to worship God. They expressed their gratitude through acts of kneeling and offering thanks to the Almighty. 2 Chronicles 29:29-30 'When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped. '
Lesson for us
When we position ourselves to be consecrated before God, it is necessary for us to demonstrate humility by kneeling down.
They presented their best bulls, goats, and lambs as sacrificial offerings. However, in the new world we live in, Jesus has already triumphed over the consequences of sin on the cross for us. Therefore, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.
When we engage in worship either in our church or through personal prayers, it is important to begin with a humble posture, kneeling or worshiping God with songs of praise. We should then pray with a heart bowed before God, asking Him to cleanse us from our sins.
We have a God who is looking to give his righteousness if we seek him earnestly.
3) Caring for his People
Passover Proclamation - King Hezekiah comprehended that God's anger rested upon his realm. To address this, he embarked on a two-fold approach. First, he personally sought holiness by placing his trust in the Lord and following His guidance. Second, he consecrated the priests and sanctified all the temples. However, he desired a method to cleanse his people and purify them. In accordance with Moses' instructions, King Hezekiah recognized the Passover festival as the means to achieve this purification. Consequently, he issued a proclamation to the people, urging their participation in this sacred observance. 2 Chronicles 30:5 'They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord , the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written. '
Pleading for his People - King Hezekiah prayed to God, asking for forgiveness for everyone who participated in the Passover. He knew that according to Moses' laws, people had to purify themselves before taking part. However, he realized that not everyone in his land was ritually clean.
2 Chronicles 30:17-20 'Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the Lord . Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord , who is good, pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord , the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. '
God heard King Hezekiah’s prayer and the word says “Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.”
Lesson for us
When we pray, we always pray for our sins and our family to be saved, we have to follow like King Hezekiah to do what is right in the eyes of God to pray for others and others sins to be forgiven
This will be a service to God that we can do to him. Jesus is our Passover lamb for us, so lets come to Jesus and offer our Sin offering for us and others.
4) Thanks giving to Lord
Celebrating Passover - Because the Lord had healed People and cleaned them King Hezekiah, the people celebrated the passover festival for seven days and repeated this for another Seven more days. The celebrations were done with heart, with such a joy
2 Chronicles 30:21-23 'The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with resounding instruments dedicated to the Lord . Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord . For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the Lord , the God of their ancestors. The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. '
Offering to God During the Passover festival, they presented a substantial offering of 1000 bulls and 7000 goats and sheep. This act was carried out with immense sincerity, and it filled the entire city with great joy. As a result, God bestowed His blessings upon this sacred offering. 2 Chronicles 30:26-27 'There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.'
Removal of Idols - when all the passover festival was done and when they went home, the people became holy to remove the idols they had worshiped prior 2 Chronicles 31:1 'When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property. '
Tithing to Lord - As per Mosses law people were to Tithe to the priest, So King Hezekiah Ordered people living in Jerusalem to follow that.
2 Chronicles 31:5-8 'As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps. They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel. '
People did not do this just to follow the orders, they did the tithing “Generously” - this means they gave from their heart
They did not give anything which was of second quality - they gave the first fruits “firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced”
Result of this was “they piled them in heaps”
Blessing followed 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 'This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 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.'
Learning for us
When we are touched by God and cleansed by God, we shall no longer be living in the old life. The old is gone and new shall come, like the people of Judah let the old ways of life be gone.
Tithing to Lord has to come from the heart, it has to be Generous. It’s not about how much you give to God. God looks at how you give the portions to him.
God will not be in debt to any one, he blesses us with more than what we we give, the intent of tithing should be only to give to God and not with a expectation to receive the blessing.
If you want your life to be blessed, taste and see how God is ,by tithing to the Lord with your Generous giving - Don’t need to do it only at a Chruch altar, give to poor or needy, give to some one who is needing a help or give to a Chruch. Do what Lord asks to do.
If we carefully observe and grasp the example set by King Hezekiah, we will see that he lived a life that was pleasing to God. His actions served as an inspiration for his officials, priests, and the people, encouraging them to follow God and emulate his behavior. It is crucial for each of us to learn this valuable lesson from King Hezekiah, so that we can make a positive impact on the lives of those around us and bring about transformative change.
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