My Study On King Hezekiah Part 2 of 4

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Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
8,905
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#1
PARENTAL GUIDANCE

2 Kings 18:2
New International Version
2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

Women are not typically mentioned in Biblical lineage except for special reasons to highlight the importance of their role. Abijah was Hezekiah's mother. She is only mentioned twice, but because of her being mentioned in the context of verse 3, He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. It seems to draw a line between her and Hezekiah's decision to follow God. She could have been traded or enslaved as a slave wife to Ahaz (father and previous king before Hezekiah) due to her father was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Seeing the great evil of her husband very well could have motivated her to protect Hezekiah from child sacrifice and train him up in the ways of God.
It reminds us of the importance of raising children in the way they should go. Teach them the ways of God and by example radiate the light of faith. It was of no mistake that Hezekiah was prepared to lead his nation back into the arms of the living God.

Abijah was essentially a single mother spiritually unequally yoked in her marriage. We see the fruit of her labor in the man that will take the throne.



ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Hezekiah decided at age 25 that he would not repeat the disastrous choices of his past generations. His nation was in jeopardy as God had brought judgment on his father, Ahaz. Ahaz had experienced many defeats in battle. At one point losing 120,000 soldiers in battle.

2 Chronicles 28:6 New International Version
6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Hezekiah stood and looked over his nation. He saw broken families torn apart by child sacrifice, war, and slavery as many found themselves imprisoned in foreign lands. He saw a nation heading for disaster as God’s anger burned against it. He decided to stand on the Words of God. Within the first month of his reign, he demolished the items and places of evil. 2 Chronicles 29:3, 2 Kings 18: 4-8

Hezekiah understood the need to completely wipe away the ways of evil and the need for worship. He commanded the doors to the temple to be reopened as his father Ahaz had it boarded up. Hezekiah tore down all the objects used for pagan worship. He, in modern terms, bulldozed over the ways of past generations and set forth a new foundation built on the Word of God.

We must do the same in our own lives. We must see the road's signs that lead to destruction and be wise enough to either turn around or redirect our destination. It takes more than just acknowledging error but actively turning or repenting from it. To wipe away the things of this world that lead us astray. We must turn to Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and frees us from such bondage. This foundation will be the Word of God. Everything will be tested on top of it for structural integrity.

Remove the idols in our life that demand our focus away from God, remove the temptations or triggers that invite sin. Renew your mind to be Christ-like and purify your heart as you live for God. Build the right foundation, and no matter in ridicule, in fear, or sickness, you will always have a firm foundation holding you in place.

RETURN TO THE WILL OF GOD

2 Kings 17:1 New International Version
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years…... 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

We learn from 2 Kings 17:1, 22, and 2 Kings 18:9 that during the 6th year of Hezekiah’s reign, the northern tribes of Israel experienced God’s judgment. The northern tribes were defeated in battle and exiled into Assyria. This left the region known as Judah as the last remaining kingdom to withstand the Assyrian conquest.

When Hezekiah came into power, he immediately chose to turn from the error of the past, as explained in the section titled Enough is Enough. Now with a new foundation, Hezekiah can now focus on the will of God. The temple has been opened, and the ceremonial practices of the Mosaic law are put back in place. Hezekiah operating in the will of God, decided to invite the remnants of Israel that were left in the region after most were exiled.

2 Chronicles 30:12 New International Version
1 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.

6 At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see.
10 The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them. 11 Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.
12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.

Hezekiah calls for the people of Israel to return to the Lord. Do not be like your parents and fellow Israelites who were unfaithful to God. Hezekiah was wise to see the decay and decline in the culture that had already led to the destruction of the North. He saw the error in their ways and chose not to repeat the ways of destruction. After receiving the message, people still scorned and ridiculed them.

But notice some humbled themselves and responded to the call to return to God. This obedience brought unity of mind as the people followed the Word of God. Obedience brought unity. Unity of mind can change not only your church but your household, your town, state, or nation. Every great revival in church history started with obedience.

We must as Christians unite on God’s Word above any cultural belief, feelings, or teachings. God’s Word is our foundation, hope, and source of wisdom. A united church of obedient Christ-followers can ultimately heal one of the major problems we face, broken families. Healthy families produce healthy communities. Healthy communities create a healthy nation.

(According to Pew Research Center, the U.S. has the highest share of single parenting in the world. In 2018, almost a quarter of U.S. children under 18 lived in a household with a single parent, and no other adults present other than adult children. Being a single parent predominantly affects mothers around the world. Around 20 percent of children live with just their mother, while about 5 percent live with just their father.

In 2019, 49 percent of Black children in the U.S. lived with one parent, as did 28 percent of Hispanic kids and 21 percent of white kids.)
- https://www.statista.com/chart/21655/share-of-children-living-with-single-parents-worldwide/

(Search for the same title but part 3)
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,850
5,999
113
#2
Found them lol
another really good one thanks again