17 Mar 09
Tuesday of the Third Week in Lent
Cleansing the Temple
2 Chronicles 29: 1-11, 16-19
Hezekiah ruled over the Southern Kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine years (715-686 BC). Of the twenty kings Judah had, only eight were either good or passable. The rest were bad. Hezekiah was a good king. He “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (v2).
He was a good king despite the fact that circumstances did not favour a godly rule. His father, King Ahaz (731-715 BC), had been a bad king. He desecrated the temple, introduced foreign gods, established pagan worship throughout the land and even offered human sacrifices. Hezekiah refused to be a captive of bad circumstances. From the first year of his reign, he was determined to set right what had gone wrong. He chose to do “all that David his father had done” (v2).
Hezekiah was a good king because he recognized the hand of God in Judah’s hardships. During the period of Ahaz’s mis-rule, the land had suffered defeat at the hands of the Armeans (NE Syria) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Thousands of Jews had been killed and many others had been taken away as captives.
Hezekiah saw in these events God’s hand of judgement (v5-9). He was prepared to learn from the lessons of the past. Restoration only begins when we recognize where we have gone wrong.
Hezekiah was a good king as he was determined to renew the ancient Mosaic covenant with the Lord (v10). He repaired the temple doors, abolished idolatry throughout the land, instructed the priests and Levites to cleanse the temple and restored proper worship. Later, he instructed the people to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob became again the focal point of their national life.
(Dr Bobby Sng,
President, Bible Society of Singapore)
Commitment:
Like Hezekiah, I need to rise above bad circumstances.
Prayer:
Almighty God, help me to recognize that my “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”. May I always glorify you in my body. Amen.
Tuesday of the Third Week in Lent
Cleansing the Temple
2 Chronicles 29: 1-11, 16-19
Hezekiah ruled over the Southern Kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine years (715-686 BC). Of the twenty kings Judah had, only eight were either good or passable. The rest were bad. Hezekiah was a good king. He “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (v2).
He was a good king despite the fact that circumstances did not favour a godly rule. His father, King Ahaz (731-715 BC), had been a bad king. He desecrated the temple, introduced foreign gods, established pagan worship throughout the land and even offered human sacrifices. Hezekiah refused to be a captive of bad circumstances. From the first year of his reign, he was determined to set right what had gone wrong. He chose to do “all that David his father had done” (v2).
Hezekiah was a good king because he recognized the hand of God in Judah’s hardships. During the period of Ahaz’s mis-rule, the land had suffered defeat at the hands of the Armeans (NE Syria) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Thousands of Jews had been killed and many others had been taken away as captives.
Hezekiah saw in these events God’s hand of judgement (v5-9). He was prepared to learn from the lessons of the past. Restoration only begins when we recognize where we have gone wrong.
Hezekiah was a good king as he was determined to renew the ancient Mosaic covenant with the Lord (v10). He repaired the temple doors, abolished idolatry throughout the land, instructed the priests and Levites to cleanse the temple and restored proper worship. Later, he instructed the people to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob became again the focal point of their national life.
(Dr Bobby Sng,
President, Bible Society of Singapore)
Commitment:
Like Hezekiah, I need to rise above bad circumstances.
Prayer:
Almighty God, help me to recognize that my “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”. May I always glorify you in my body. Amen.
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