I have it on my heart to select some parts of the life of King Hezekiah which I trust will be helpful and practical for our souls. So if you will turn with me first to 2 Chron. 28, we will have a little of the background or condition of things into which Hezekiah was brought when he became king over God's earthly people Israel. The father of Hezekiah was named Ahaz.
“And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus. which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel." 2 Chron. 28:22-2622And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz. 23For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers. 26Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. (2 Chronicles 28:22‑26).
Is it not solemn that God has a record of your whole life? He is taking a record of it right now. What kind of a record will it be? Some day it is going to be read and your whole life's history looked into! What a solemn record of this man of whom it says, "This is that king Ahaz." He died with that record left behind him!
His mother's name was Abijah. Maybe that explains why he was so different from his father—he had a mother whose name the Spirit of God has recorded. Remember, mothers, the Lord has given you a great responsibility in connection with your little ones and the families you are raising! Although this king had a father who was no example, the Spirit of God gives the name of his mother.
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place." 2 Chron. 29:2-52And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 3He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. 4And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. (2 Chronicles 29:2‑5).
What a very sad condition the nation of Israel was in when Hezekiah began to reign. There were altars to false gods in every corner of the land and the doors of the house of the Lord had been closed. There was no worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem at all! This young king, only twenty-five years old, had to face this solemn situation. What is the first thing recorded of him? "He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.”
David was a man after God's own heart. What characterized David and why he was a man after God's own heart, was that he was always ready to own when he had sinned or when he had made a mistake. He never justified himself when he was in the wrong. "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psa. 51:1717The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:17). When we are willing to be broken because of any mistakes we have made, to take a humble place, then there is mercy and grace from God.
Another thing that characterized David was his love for the place where the Lord had put His name, where the presence of the Lord was found. Turn to Psa. 26:88Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth. (Psalm 26:8), "Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth." That was characteristic of the whole life of David-a desire for the place where the Lord's honor dwelt. Then, in Psa. 27:44One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4), "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord.”
Do we prize the presence of the Lord more than any gain there is in this life? How easy it is to allow things to come in that break our communion so that we cannot enjoy the presence of the Lord. That is an irrevocable loss. You cannot estimate what a loss that is to your soul! May God in His infinite grace keep you in such a way that you will always be in a state where you can go immediately into the presence of the Lord like David and learn more of His beauty. Then when trouble comes, for it will come, the Lord will hide you in His pavilion.
The first act of Hezekiah that is recorded was to repair the doors of the house of the Lord. The first concern in connection with his reign was the entrance into that place where he knew the honor of the Lord dwelt. The house of the Lord in our day is not the same kind of a house that we are reading about in Hezekiah's time. The house of the Lord then was built of great, costly stones and overlaid with pure gold.
It was there the Lord put His name and that was the center for worship for all the people of God. In fact, people came from all over the world to the temple which Solomon had built to worship the God of Israel. God maintained His testimony in connection with Jerusalem until one time when the blessed Lord was here and He was rejected by that very nation. He walked out of the temple and said these words: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matt. 23:38, 3938Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:38‑39). When the Lord walked out of the temple-that place which had been set up as a center for His people-it was disowned. It was no longer His center for His people.
God does have a temple, or house, today. Notice what Paul says in writing to Timothy in 1 Tim. 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15), "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." The house of God today is the Church of the living God. Timothy was told that if Paul were to tarry he must know how to behave himself in that house. It is very important for you and me to be concerned about our behavior in the house of God. We are told how this house is built.
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men. but chosen of God, and precious. ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." l Pet. 2:4, 5.
The house of God today, instead of being built with great costly stones that were quarried from the bowels of the earth, is being built with living stones—believers in the Lord Jesus. Are you saved and trusting Christ as your Savior? It is not a matter of age or maturity; it is not because a brother has a distinct gift that he is a stone in that house. Peter tells us that those who come to Christ are the living stones in that spiritual house.
The house of God in this world today is composed of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The house of God is built for a very definite and special purpose, for in that house there is a holy priesthood.
Thank God that everyone who is trusting in Christ is not only a living stone, but he is also a holy priest to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ! How wonderful it is that young brothers and sisters are just as much priests as the older brothers who do the praying in the meetings. You can be present, gathered in the Lord's name, and be just as much a holy priest, just as much offering up a spiritual sacrifice, as the brother who may eloquently express praise to the Lord. If your heart is full of Christ and you are enjoying that blessed One in your soul, you are sending up what is most acceptable to the heart of God the Father, and that is worship. You are a worshiper.
One might say, "That sounds very good, but how can you give expression to what you are talking about when we find on Lord's day that Christians are going in all directions? They are turning to the four winds. How can we worship the Lord according to His mind and in obedience to His precious Word?" One reason why I had this account of Hezekiah before me was because he lived in a day very similar to that in which you and I are living. The people of God are all divided up. So it was in the days of Israel; ten tribes had gone off to golden calves at Bethel and Dan. There was a mixed worship. The true place had been given up and the doors were closed. But you can be sure that God will never disappoint one of His own who desires to be in subjection to His precious Word. If you are seeking with a whole heart to please the Lord according to His Word, you can be sure that the Lord will not deceive or disappoint you.
“He [Hezekiah] in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them." 2 Chron. 29:33He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. (2 Chronicles 29:3). Hezekiah was exercised about the entrance to that which he knew was the place where the Lord's presence was to be found. He wanted those doors in a condition so that he and others could freely enter there for the blessings which were connected with that place. That verse in Heb. 13 which says, "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God," does not mean just on Lord's day. One might get a wrong thought, that the only time we can offer praise to the Lord is when we meet to remember Him in His death. We should have our hearts so filled with Christ, so in the enjoyment of His love, that they would be bubbling over with praise every day of the week! If that is our state of soul, I am sure that when we come together, there will be real power and blessing in our meetings.
So Hezekiah repaired the doors of the house of the Lord. That is important because it marks out the beginning of a long life of faithfulness and obedience. He was one of the best kings that ever ruled in Jerusalem. A. Barry