**ISRAEL**
v1 Hoshea, king of Israel (9 yrs)
v4 Hoshea taken captive by the king of Assyria.
v6 Israel in exile to Assyria.
v7-8 Not only had Israel been guilty of pagan practices; the kings of Israel had invented their own rituals and customs--anything to drive the nation farther from the purity of the Lord's way.
v13 God had sent prophet after prophet to warn them about their behavior.
v14 But they "stiffened their neck." A vivid picture of obstinacy. Sometimes when facing the consequence of sin, we cry out to God for a second chance. I bet if we looked honestly at the past, we'd notice He already gave it. Again and again.
v18 So the Lord removed them from His sight.
Obviously we can't be removed literally from God's sight, but sometimes we remove ourselves willingly from His protection. Just like Israel, we pull away from His statutes and let the culture of idolatry (and our own vanity) come between us and our Lord. And sometimes, just like He did with Israel, He lets us fall victim to the consequences of our actions. He removes His protective covering from our lives.
Lord, I pray that we would turn from our own vanity and back to Your will before you "remove us from Your sight."
v24-25 Strangers move into the cities of Israel. They don't fear the Lord, so He sends lions among them. (Lots of lions in the Old Testament!)
v32,33 "They feared the Lord AND..."
The God of creation was just added to all of their other religious acts. Are we guilty of this too?
v41 And they taught this style of living to their children and their grandchildren.
v1-3 Hezekiah, king of Judah (29 yrs)
Gets equal billing with David!
v4-5 Unlike the kings before him, he tore down the high places. How does someone live a life like this? He maintained his focus and purpose to serve the Lord and didn't waver from it. How do we live lives like this, with all the cultural distractions that work to numb our hearts to evil? The answer is in verse 6:
II KINGS 18:6
"For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments..."
He was a fundamentalist Israelite. He went back to the beginning--simplifying his life to the point that it was him and the Lord. The rest of the clutter was torn down and tossed away.
Do I have the courage to live this way? Do you?
Rewrite that verse as a charge in your own life. "Cling to the Lord. Do not depart from following Him, but keep His commandments.
v7-12 Hezekiah sees victory, while Israel lives in defeat.
v28 Rabshakeh the Assyrian makes a speech intended to strike fear in the Judeans--to cause them to doubt King Hezekiah and their God.
v36 The people were silent, just as their king had commanded them to be. Silence can be a powerful argument. King Hezekiah had the obedience of his people, because they trusted him. He had proved himself to have integrity and wisdom in times of peace, so his people were quick to follow him when trouble arose. This could translate to parenting, too. If my children trust me and follow my direction on an average day, they'll be more likely to listen and obey when it really matters.
HUGE lessons and goals from King Hezekia today:
1. Cling to the Lord. What does that look like in my life?
2. Practice being a trustworthy leader.
3. Train my children to follow my direction in times of peace, so that they will not hesitate in a dangerous situation.
So much wisdom from and ancient hero.
Next time: II Kings 19-20
Comments