Greetings Bible Adventurists,
Our journey through the Bible is half over and we celebrate with the good will and good works of Hezekiah. It seems so refreshing to read about a king actively seeking the Lord. Hezekiah not only restored the Temple, reinstated the Levites and the laws of Moses, but also hosted a nationwide Passover celebration that lasted two weeks. Hezekiah also started the reunification of the 12 tribes by sending messengers into Manasseh, Ephraim, Asher, and Zebulun to invite the remnant that had not been carried off into Assyrian exile. This Passover revival rekindled a fervor of faith so that the people tore down the idols and places of idol worship. It is interesting to me (but probably not important) that the 4 tribes named that cleansed themselves from paganism were Judah (declared the leader in Jacob’s blessing), Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh (all children of Rachel).
Hezekiah seems like a standout in faith. What happened to all those other kings, especially the kings of Israel. Have you noticed the last king anointed by one of God’s prophets was Jehu who was anointed not to rule righteously, but specifically to destroy the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9). I think the last king actually anointed by God (through a prophet) to shepherd His people in faith was Solomon, whose eventual reintroduction of paganism to the promised land led to all the problems Israel is suffering through in our current readings.
It's easy in hindsight to criticize these ancient people for falling away from God and chasing after idols and pagan gods. Those pagan people were trying to control their world free from compliance with God’s simple rules. Is our world today really any different?
I hope you have a great Independence Day. May God bless you and may God bless our country and our world.
Thanks for joining me on our journey,
Tom