EmmDev 2023-12-08 [Hints from Hezekiah] Understanding Grace

Apologies.... this should have gone out on Friday...

Understanding Grace

They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the LORD. 16 Then they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood handed to them by the Levites. 17 Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the LORD. 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God--the LORD, the God of his fathers--even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2Chronicles30:15-20)

Hezekiah wanted to bring the nation back to God and he believed that a meaningful observance of the Passover was the way to do it. But the priests weren't ready, the nation was separated and their hearts had grown cold.

So Hezekiah delayed Passover by a month and sent out letters to all of Israel to come together. This appeal "woke up" the religious leaders who had "fallen asleep at the wheel". And, as the momentum picked up, many Israelites joined in at the last minute. The problem was that the last-minute-joiners hadn't gone through the ritual preparations and were "unclean" and guilty before the Lord.

Hezekiah, in an incredible understanding of God's Grace, prays for pardon and we are told that God healed the people and used the Passover to bring revival.

Imagine moving Christmas by a month! Imagine being ok with substituting traditional Christmas fare with takeaways because there was no time. Imagine including people who didn't buy any presents but want to join the party anyway.

This is what Hezekiah did. And he did it because he had a profound understanding of grace. He understood the love and mercy of God. He understood that grace triumphs over ritual and tradition and that God's mercy is available to all who truly seek it.

I think we are called to be the Hezekiahs who, with a profound understanding of the abundance of God's grace, will be brave enough to do things differently.
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This brings us to the end of our series on Hezekiah and also the end of EmmDevs for 2023. I hope these devotions have been a blessing to you. I pray you have a blessed Christmas and experience God's love profoundly in the new year.
God bless and Love,
Theo

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EmmDev 2023-12-07 [Hints from Hezekiah] Not just Spiritual, but practical too

Not just Spiritual, but practical too

When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" they said. Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. (2Chronicles32:2-5)

If you visit Jerusalem today, you can go and see Hezekiah's tunnel, some 531 meters long, hewn through the rock dug from both sides meeting in the middle. It is an impressive engineering feat and brought Jerusalem's only source of water inside the city walls and away from any enemy encamped on their outskirts. This tunnel takes water from the Gihon spring and into the city where it pops out at the pool of Siloam. (Where Jesus healed a blind man.)

This amazing tunnel reflects an important aspect of Nehemiah's leadership. He was not only spiritual, but practical. He was strategic and consultative and he deployed people and resources wisely.

As Christians we should always be doing the best we can for our communities. Our ministry should be holistic: Sometimes we have to feed people before we preach to them. Sometimes we have to provide them with water before we build a church. Of course, these are never actually mutually exclusive - we pray and sing while we make food and bring safety, light, food and water when we preach.

It is only towards the end of his life that Hezekiah becomes self-centered and materialistic, but here, as he faces Sennacherib, Hezekiah is at his best.

May we also be an attractive blend of holistic ministry styles.

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EmmDev 2023-12-06 [Hints from Hezekiah] Restoring Worship- Leading by example

Restoring Worship- Leading by example

Apologies for the missed EmmDev yesterday...
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One of Hezekiah's first orders of business was to restore the worship of Israel. He gathered the priests and had them restore and cleanse the temple and then took a prominent role in making it happen.

If you read the whole chapter you'll see that Hezekiah pushed the priests and the work of restoring the temple and it was done in just 16 days. Just imagine: Years of neglect, the accumulation of pagan idols and symbols, the dust of waned devotion and the grime of distraction and temptation. Hezekiah will have none of it. His "spring clean" is decisive and determined. People are amazed that it was done so quickly, but this is the great truth: repentance doesn't have to be difficult or take long. Just be "all in."

When the priests report the work done, Hezekiah has them up early the next morning to re-establish worship. There are a huge number of sacrifices, there is singing, trumpets, pomp and splendour and it is all about worship.

Read the passage below and get a feel of the passion, the devotion, the hard work, and the urgency.

What spring cleaning is due in your spiritual life right now?

Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped. Then Hezekiah said, "You have now dedicated yourselves to the LORD. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the LORD." So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings. The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs--all of them for burnt offerings to the LORD. The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their kinsmen the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the service of the temple of the LORD was reestablished. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly. (2Chronicles29:27-36)

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EmmDev 2023-12-01 [Hints from Hezekiah] Hezekiah's debut in Chronicles

Hezekiah's debut in Chronicles

Although Kings and Chronicles cover similar historical events, they approach the narrative from different angles. Kings focuses on political and moral aspects, evaluating the kings based on their adherence to God's laws, while Chronicles emphasizes the religious and priestly aspects, promoting the importance of worship, the Davidic line, and the temple.

Instead of ending Hezekiah's story on the tough note left for us in the book of Kings, we'll revisit his story from the perspective of the book of Chronicles...

The passage below is the description of the start of his ministry.
I'm not going to provide any commentary...
Just savour the passage.
Notice his focus, his conviction, his clear grasp of sin and repentance, the way in which he leads his people and the way he loves and honours his God.

Hezekiah 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. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said: "Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the LORD's dwelling place and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore, the anger of the LORD has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense." (2Chronicles29:1-11)

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