365 Reflections

Josiah exemplifies for us a resolute desire to rid the land of Israel from all vestiges of evil practice. When the writer of 2 Kings unpacks for us the several stage process of his purification of Israel, we find out just how long-standing and involved the idolatry of Israel was. 2 Kings 23:4–5 (ESV) And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. Josiah's reforms begin with the priests - those who led the false worship of Judah. This is importan...

No matter where you are, seek God and good things will result. Josiah is case in point. What's amazing is that he comes from a line of self-centered kings. Yet he will stand out. What's more amazing is who was involved in making Josiah King. His father Amon was betrayed and killed and the people struck back at his assassins and placed Josiah, his son on the throne.  2 Kings 21:24 (ESV) But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. What's even more amazing is that Josiah became king at a younger age than even Manasseh. 2 Kings 22:1 (ESV) Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. The turn about that Josiah will bring to Judah begins in his 26th year of life when a simple decree to care for the temple is sent out. 2 Kings 22:3–5 (ESV) In the eighteenth ...

The legacy Hezekiah leaves behind for his children is one of riches, fame, healing, and deliverance from his enemies. But his heart was proud and he never gave God the honor He deserves toward the end of his life.  The result of Hezekiah's life is extrapolated in the testimony of his son, Manasseh. But first I remind you of Hezekiah's wealth and privilege provided him by the gracious hand of the Lord. His nation was under the threat of Assyria and the Lord sent his angel to destroy 185,000 troops in the night to secure him peace. He was intended to die by illness but his earnest prayer to God yielded a miraculous recovery. On top of these things, he increased in wealth substantially. At the visit of the Babylonian emissary it says this: 2 Kings 20:13 (ESV) Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house , the silver , the gold , the spices , the precious oil , his armory , all that was found in his storehouses. You could say Hezekiah lived the good life to the...

Fresh off his healing, Hezekiah makes a huge mistake that will cost the nation of Judah its existence. Envoys from Babylon, the second up and coming nation of the age, are sent to examine the doings of Israel. When they meet Hezekiah he is more than willing to open the entire treasure to them.  2 Kings 20:12–13 (ESV) At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. This moment is so exhausting. Hezekiah should know better than to let a foreign nation know what Israel has in their storehouse. He invites disaster. But his mistake illustrates a condition of the human heart to which we are all susceptible. When we exper...

2 Kings 20:1 (ESV) In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’ ” The life of Hezekiah is one many Christians can relate to. He had his moments of great faith and trust in the Lord, but he also had moments of pride and selfishness. At this moment, he's on the verge of death. Now in this weakened state the prophet Isaiah comes along with the worst news possible. He's going to die. Consider being in Hezekiah's shoes. You're weak and ill and the only word you get from the prophet is impending death. Yikes.  What would you do if God's servant told you you were going to die? I imagine many of us would resign ourselves to God's diagnosis. After all, it is God's decision, and who can change it? I think we'd suppose He has reasons and that we perhaps deserved it and there's no chan...

Sometimes you and your enemies need a reminder of who your God is. That is what happens for Hezekiah when Isaiah sends word that the threat posed by Sennecharib is nothing at all and he needn't fear. The language is poetic, grand, and devastating for the threatening potentate considered by many in the world to be the most powerful man on Earth.  God has a different perspective. 2 Kings 19:20–22 (ESV) Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me   about  Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:       “She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion;       she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem.       22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled?       Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights?   ...

The news for Judah seems dismal. The threats of Sennacherib loom over the land. Will Judah fall to Assyria as the Northern tribes of Israel did? The propaganda from Assyria seems certain and pulls no punches letting the people know it. Hezekiah sends messengers to Isaiah and Isaiah responds with words of assurance that the Lord will frustrate the king of Assyria yet Hezekiah sees very little in the way of victory even after the words. Instead, Rabshakeh, the minister of propaganda keeps taunting the defenders on the wall and pronouncing inevitable defeat. After all, there were many nations before Judah who called out to their “gods” and they were vanquished. What made Judah different?  The answer is found in the theme of Hezekiah’s prayer offered in 2 Kings 19.  2 Kings 19:14 (ESV) Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. Hezekiah takes the taunts of the enemy and “spr...

I don't know about you, but I want to stand for God when no one else does and when all hell breaks loose. I really do. But there are times it gets challenging and the temptation to compromise is real and I often take it in subtle ways.  If you feel the same way, the story of Hezekiah is for you.  Hezekiah comes to the throne of Judah after a long dark period in Israel's history. Scripture recounts the testimony of his deep trust in the Lord in spite of what his predecessor did and the neighboring nations were doing. 2 Kings 18:5–8 (ESV)  He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him ; wherever he went out, he prospered . He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistin...