King Hezekiah

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

March 30, 2011


 *JAN 1 - 2 CHRONICLES 29-32 - HEZEKIAH: A BRIGHT AND SHINING LIGHT*


 *1. 29:2-3 (29:1-19) HEZEKIAH: RESTORES THE TEMPLE. “And he did that which
was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had
done. 3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the
doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them” (ASV 1901). How can man
hallow Your Name, Father? Here in Psalm 1 You have laid out the way. Hallowed
be Your :name.*


 *2. 29:27 (29:20-36) HEZEKIAH: RESTORES THE SACRIFICES. “And Hezekiah
commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the
burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the trumpets,
together with the instruments of David king of Israel.” Father, we Your
community are Your temple, the Body of Messiah. We welcome Your Kingdom like
Hezekiah, by cleansing it when it becomes defiled (2 COR 7:1). Your :kingdom
come.*


 *3. 30:1 (30) HEZEKIAH: RESTORES THE PASSOVER. “And Hezekiah sent to all
Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they
should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto
Jehovah, the God of Israel.” Your will Father, is that we see Jesus as the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Your :will be done, As in
heaven, so on earth.*


 *4. 31:1a (31:1) HEZEKIAH: DESTROYS IDOLATRY IN ISRAEL. “Now when all this
was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah,
and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and broke down
the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim
also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all.” Idolatry is
abominable sin! Father, we would remove anything in our lives coming between
us. Our :daily bread Give us this day.*


 *5. 31:21 (31:2-21) HEZEKIAH: RESTORES LEVITICAL ORDER. “And in every work
that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the
commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”
Like the four lepers who feared evil if they declared not good tidings, so
Hezekiah shared with Israel and restored Jehovah worship. And forgive us our
:debts, as we also have forgiven our :debtors.*


 *6. 32:7-8a (32:1-23) HEZEKIAH: TRUSTS ADONAI AGAINST ASSYRIA. “Be strong
and of good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor
for all the multitude that is with him; for there is a greater with us than
with him: 8 with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to
help us, and to fight our battles.” Much testing is unnecessary when we seek
You with all of our heart, Father. Yet, you did uncover the heart of
Hezekiah through this testing. For us - And bring us not into temptation.*


 *7. 32:31 (32:24-33) HEZEKIAH: FAILS THE TEST OF PRIDE. “Howbeit in the
business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to
inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him,
that he might know all that was in his heart.” Yes, we let You be true, O
God, but every man a liar. We would justify You always in Your words, and
acknowledge all your acts as being righteous! But deliver us from the evil
one.*


 *NOTE**: on Hezekiah! - *Larry Lea some years ago laid out a weekly prayer
based on 7 of the compound Jehovah names. However - after several months of
praying through these on a weekly basis, one wife told her husband - “If you
read again that God will make us like Israel the head, and our enemies the
tail - I'll scream!”


 I thought - “What if we had a Through the Bible in a Year daily devotional,
with 7 verses to read each day from the daily reading - and What if each
verse were related to the 7 major points of the Lord's Prayer - wouldn't
that give such variety that it would solve the problem?”


 So in the late 90's I completed a Manuscript based on this thought. However
in the interval, I could see how to improves on this idea; so I am editing
the 366 readings. The 52 weeks of the year have 7 readings each, making a
total of 364 readings. To make up the two missing readings, I have selected
the life of Hezekiah and Josiah for this purpose.


 Out of the 20 kings of Judah following David, only 9 were good; but of the
9, only two were very good: Hezekiah and Josiah: they *alone* removed the
high places, which God looked down upon.


 These high places of Israel are types or shadows in the OT, representing
our human thoughts in the NT not brought under the control of Christ. See 2
Corinthians 10:3-5 to understand more clearly God's thinking in this
direction: *“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according
to theflesh
4 (for the weapons of our :warfare are not of flesh, but mighty before :God
unto casting down of strongholds); 5 casting down reasonings, and every high
thing that is exalted against the knowledge of :God, and bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of the Christ;” *


 Yet, though these 2 kings removed these high places; just like us, they
were *not* perfect. God uncovered the area of Hezekiah's life where his
pride appeared. And for all of us - only at the resurrection when we are
transformed and lifted completely into the image of Jesus, will we be what
we long to be. In many revivals, some have thought we could be lifted into
sinless perfection *prior* to the resurrection! False! Deception! The best
of us will still be like Hezekiah and Josiah - falling short in *this* life.
See 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 & 2 Thessalonians for clear insights on the
necessity of the resurrection upon Jesus' return - to accomplish this!


 An extreme view of the “manifestation of the sons of God” is but another
example of falling into this trap of Satan! He is always about to get us
into an extreme position. In the natural, one father said, “If one aspirin
is good - four are better!” - Wrong! Just as it is also wrong to take from
Satan an extreme theological position! One Chicago pastor in the early '50's
gave a challenge in his sermon: “I doubt if there is any one here (of some
600) who would testify to sinless perfection.” It was a rhetorical question.
But one man stood. The pastor thought - “Surely he has a 'charlie horse'.
But he asked him - “Did you have a comment sir?” “Yes”, he responded. “In
reply to your challenge, I stand to profess sinless perfection!” The pastor
thought: “Lord, if you get me out of this spot, I'll never put my big mouth
in anything like this again.” The Lord dropped a word of wisdom into the
pastor's mind. He asked the challenger - “Could I ask you a question?” The
man agreed. The pastor's question was, “Is that your wife sitting beside
you, and if so, could I ask her a question?” But before the pastor could
proceed, *the man sat down!*


 So - bless you each one - and may these daily readings of “Through the
Bible in a Year” be a blessing and means to keep us all in balance unto the
Return of our Lord! J.A.W.



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