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Tuesday, July 4, 2017

I Refuse To Be Like My Father! - King Hezekiah

Along The Way:  King Hezekiah - A Different Path
(Written by Kevin A. Hall     07.04.17)

To be or not to be like my father – That is the question Hezekiah must have asked himself many times. His father was King Ahaz, one of the most evil kings of Judah. Hezekiah must have been aware that his father sacrificed his brother to a heathen god. His father made sacrifices and burnt offering in high places “on the hills and under every green tree” (2 Kings 16:4). His father introduced pagan customs and made major changes to the house of God for his personal benefit. 

Under his father, “Judah’s religious system became shambles” (Nasb). His father was also weak; so was the high priest (Urijah) during his reign (2 Kings 16:16). The nation followed his father’s lead.
At some point, Hezekiah chose not to follow his earthy father’s example, but to embrace his heavenly father as his model for living. We too, can choose our own path. Hezekiah did not have the privilege of the indwelling Spirit, but he chose to follow God. We have God’s Spirit as guide if we submit.  

We do not have to be the product of our environment. So different was Hezekiah from his father that “he followed God more closely and sincerely than any other king of Judah or Israel” (Nasb). His faith in God was such that “the Lord was with him wherever he went, and he prospered” (2 Kings 18:7). Unlike his father, he rejected being a vassal of the Assyrians, reopened the temple and restored the Levitical system. We can choose righteous living, regardless of the hand we are dealt. Because of his faith, the enemies of God were defeated and the nation prospered. We are guaranteed blessings when we pursue Christ :
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).


References:
The Life Application Study Bible (NASB). The United States of America: Zondervan (2000)
Smith, J. The History of Israel. Joplin, MO: College Press (1995)

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