When you come back to walk with the Lord, the evidences of the new life are there to see. Cleansing. For too long, the worship of Jehovah had taken place alongside the worship of the heathen gods; that would now end. The people assisted the king in destroying the obscene images and pagan altars. After all, the nation had just celebrated Passover, and the week following Passover was to be a time of “housecleaning” (Exodus 12:15–20).

Serving. It is not enough to get rid of the bad; we must also establish and strengthen the good. The king made certain the priests obeyed God’s law and ministered at the temple. Had the priests been ministering faithfully to begin with, the nation would not have gone into apostasy.

Giving. If the priests are to serve, the people must support them. One of the first signs of spiritual awakening is the generosity of those whose hearts God has touched. Nobody had to plead or urge; the giving came from the hearts of people who were right with God.

Testings usually come after times of great blessing, and Hezekiah faced three of them. (1) War. After other times of awakening, the nation was given protection and rest from enemies (2 Chronicles 15:15; 20:29–30), but this time, God allowed the enemy to come in. God was testing the faith of the king and the people to see how deep it really was. It is one thing to participate in a huge religious meeting, but quite something else to have your land invaded and your capital city threatened.

 

(2) Sickness. Hezekiah’s illness was both a national and a personal crisis, for he did not have any sons to take the throne. God had promised that David’s family would never lack for a man on the throne, so Hezekiah prayed that he might be able to live and have a son.

(3) Honor. Hezekiah weathered the invasion and the illness, but he capitulated to pride. It began when he failed to thank God for sparing his life, and apparently even God’s chastening did not cure him. The extent of his wealth and the praises of the visiting dignitaries made Hezekiah proud, and God had to deal with him.

We have learned that if Satan cannot conquer us when he comes as the lion (1 Peter 5:8), he will come again as the serpent (2 Corinthians 11:1–3). You may be in greater danger when things are going well than when you are fighting a battle, so keep alert.

MANASSEH
Manasseh rebuilt what his father had torn down and then tore it down again so he could rebuild. (Compare Genesis 26:18.) He did not learn from the past or listen to the prophets, so he had to live with the punishment God sent him. Some people only learn the hard way.

How gracious of God to see Manasseh’s repentance, hear his prayer, and restore him to Jerusalem. But even God’s forgiveness could not automatically nullify the king’s bad example or undo the terrible damage he had done in the land. Sin has consequences long after sinners are forgiven (2 Kings 23:26; 24:3).

God is ready and willing to forgive, and we should seek that forgiveness early. The longer we wait, the more damage we do; the more damage we do, the more we and others will suffer because of our sins.