The grace of God bestowed upon king Hezekiah was very great. He succeeded king Ahaz who had gathered together the vessels of the house of God, cut them in pieces, and shut up the doors of Jehovah’s house; also in addition to making him altars in every corner of Jerusalem, and in every several city of Judah high places to burn incense unto other gods, he had removed the brazen altar, and substituted for it one made after the pattern of an altar he had seen at Damascus, on which he elected to offer his offerings. Hezekiah, however, on his accession, changed all this, opening the doors of the house of the Lord and sanctifying it in eight days, so that in sixteen days they had made an end; and we read, “Moreover all the vessels which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we [said those entrusted with the duty] prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah” (2 Chron. 29:1919Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 29:19)). This altar, “the altar,” is alluded to seven times in the same chapter, as we have the blood, sprinkled upon the same, four times—of the seven bullocks, the seven rams, the seven lambs, and of the seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary. The prevalence of the perfect number (seven) is striking, as also that the atonement was “for all Israel,” for so had the king commanded the burnt offering and the sin offering. What a moment it was when, the burnt offering having begun, “the song of Jehovah began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all until the burnt offering was finished” (vers. 27, 28)! Space forbids to dwell upon the delightful scene, so, with the Holy Spirit’s comment, we say, “And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people; for the thing was done suddenly” (ver. 36).
There is a day coming when, as the prophet Malachi tells us, “the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years” (3:4); and this will be consequent upon another sudden event, even that described in ver. 1 of the same chapter, viz., “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith Jehovah of hosts.”
There is, however, what comes home to us in a nearer way perhaps—the birth of the holy Babe —(whom it was Simeon’s joy to confess as “Thy salvation,” for that Babe was Emmanuel, God with us!) In lowly guise and garb was He to be a sign to Bethlehem’s shepherds, even the One concerning whom the angel of the Lord spake to them these wonderful words, “Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” Further, “Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger”! What depths of lowliness and heights of majesty do these words unfold! Do we wonder that “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men” (Luke 2). “And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.” “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” “He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Of all that Jesus did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, were the apostles witnesses. Coming to His own [possessions] His own [people] received Him not, but slew Him and hanged Him on a tree. Nevertheless, God raised Him up the third day and showed Him openly, before He was received up into heaven. Moreover, when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
To Him now ascended are believers united. And of this the relentless persecutor of those who called upon that name is to be the witness. Saul, armed with letters to his co-religionists, went to Damascus to bring the saints, whether men or women, bound unto Jerusalem to be punished and put to death. Paul’s own testimony in Jerusalem, on the stairs of the castle, is— “As I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto mc, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” and, to his question, the answer from heaven is, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.” Thus was the present glory of the Lord Jesus, and for our sakes His having become poor, made known to the chief of sinners, for in that Name is salvation, the forgiveness of sins, as the angel said to Joseph, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” We forbear on the present occasion to dwell on how in it all is to be discerned the revelation of the mystery—the very words indicating that the poor persecuted ones were His, in an especial way, “for we are members of his body” (Eph. 5:3030For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:30)).
Acts 2:2, 32And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (Acts 2:2‑3), gives us, we may reverently say, the joy of the Holy Ghost in taking up His habitation in that which the precious blood of Christ had fitted to be His dwelling-place. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.’’
When Paul and Silas, after considerable trials in their pathway of service, arrive at Philippi (where only women, but no “man of Macedonia” is apparent), and where, consequent on rebuking a young woman with a spirit of divination and commanding the spirit to come out of her, these servants of the Lord find themselves in a dungeon, with backs sore, and feet made fast in the stocks, they made it the occasion, not of murmuring—, but of praise— “they prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them”; can we wonder that “suddenly” there was a great earthquake, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed, or that the Lord of all gave to His servants not only a man of Macedonia, but all his, for “he believed in God with all his house” (Acts 16:3232And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. (Acts 16:32))?
Is it not striking when on the holy mount, Peter, in mistaken zeal, asked for what would have put his Master on a level with Moses and Elias, and was rebuked by the “voice that came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him” (Mark 9:77And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (Mark 9:7)), that we should read, “And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves,” as if the lawgiver and the prophet had made haste to depart at such a belittling of their adorable Lord! We need to be much on our guard, as saith the Master Himself, “Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:35-3735Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:35‑37)).
There is, however, that blessed hope which puts every “suddenly” into the shade, for “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump... the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.” May we therefore have grace to be so waiting for Him as to open to Him immediately when He comes. W. N. T.