I've been looking at the divided kingdom of King David, after Solomon's death. God appointed David to become ruler of Israel. He did a pretty great job due to his devotion to the Lord. His son, Solomon, was also blessed by God during his reign. However, in his old age, he fell away from God because of his disobedience (worshiping other gods) and was punished by the hand of the Lord. However, God had mercy on him because of his father, David, and laid his wrath during the reign of his (Solomon's) son, Rehoboam. The punishment was to tear the kingdom of Israel apart and away from King Solomon's hand.
"So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.'" 1 Kings 11:11-13
The divided kingdom consisted of the southern part named Judah. The northern part of the kingdom became a separate nation called Israel. The family line of David followed in the southern nation of Judah. There were 40 kings that reigned between the two nations during the years of division. We'll be looking at the 33rd king (between the two nations - the 10th king of Judah), Hezekiah, and his reign, and what made him special.
The corruption that followed, for hundreds of years, was devastating. It wasn't long before the great temple of Solomon was destroyed and looted by the Egyptians. God was all but forgotten and many foreign gods took the attention of the Lord's people. Some kings even made up their own forms of worship. The people were led so far astray, all seemed hopeless. Then Hezekiah, son of Ahaz king of Judah, began to reign.
"Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him." 2 Kings 18:5
Hesekiah brought hope back to a fallen kingdom. He followed the Lord and God blessed his work. One of his first assignments was to restore the temple. Our next verse of thanks tells us about the beginnings of getting the worship of the Lord, the God of Israel, back on track.
"Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions - each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites - to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord's dwelling." 2 Chronicles 31:2
We Christians are incredibly blessed. We serve a God of mercy and grace and second chances. Our God has unending patience. His chosen people, Israel, became lost and led astray by worldly distractions time and time again. They forgot about God. They flat out turned their backs on the God who delivered them from the hand of their enemies and kept them alive in the desert. The corruption and evil that took place over those hundreds of years in their twisted idol worship just sickens me. The one that hit me the hardest was the sacrificing of their own children in burnt offerings to golden statues! Not even to a god that has power and presence and loving care for His people, but a statue.
"Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own." 1 Samuel 13:21-22
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
God should have turned his back on us long, long ago. Will we ever learn? Our country and our world are a mess. Our focus has been turned away from God. Self-sufficiency is much more highly prized by the world than reliance on the Lord. How have we become so misled? Why do we worship useless idols such as money, power, fame, possessions, careers, social status, pride and self-sufficiency? If you're a productive citizen it seems like the right thing to do... to chase after and put these marks of success as our focus, our passions and our dreams. Right? It is OK to follow your dreams and make a difference in the world, but the order of priority must not get misplaced. We must not allow ourselves to get so swept up in what the world tells us is right that we loose sight of what God meant for us in the first place. To love Him, obey Him and put Him first.
There is hope. Don't give up. God sent us his son, Jesus, into the world to live among the people. He led a spotless, holy, sinless life on earth. He suffered and died as a living, last and final sacrifice to cover sin, death and the devil. He rose from the dead and lives and reigns on the right hand of the Father, our God, in heaven for eternity. And one day He will return and make this world His own perfect place once again!!!
Were the kings of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah corrupt? You better believe it. Was there some good left? Yep. Hezekiah showed us that. Is there hope for our messed up world? Yes. His name is Jesus Christ, and He is the One Good Ruler that can keep us in the good graces of God and keep us on track.
I am so thankful for second chances. For mercy, grace and the love of God. I don't deserve any of it. But God is a good father that wants what is best for His children. Therefore, He will never leave me or forsake me. He loves me even when I am most unlovable and loose my way. He's always with me... all I have to do is look up to Him and whisper His name and He is there. That is something to be thankful for.
"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b
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