hezekiah’s revival
Read this. It’s long, but it’s so worth taking it in and meditating on it. It’s really really something that this amazing event took place this late in Judah’s history as a nation.
There was so much opposing Hezekiah. His own father had compromised the worship of the true God in devastating ways. For decades on decades (and possibly even centuries), Judah had totally ignored this crucial celebration of the Passover, which was to speak so clearly to them of their Messiah. The kingdom of Israel was not only splintered into the northern and southern kingdoms; but the northern kingdom had been decimated by Assyria, who was at this very moment gearing up to invade and annihilate Judah as well. The temple was defiled and in total disarray, the priests were not consecrated, and many of the people didn’t even know how to celebrate the Passover without violating it.
I set this up like this because so many of God’s people today see everything opposing a major move of God in our generation. Many have settled out for compromise, for a vision-less existence, for a status quo they know deep down is nothing like God describes his kingdom to be. Brothers keep each other at arms length because of man-made division, no one wants to recognize God-given leadership or authority, and as soon as someone really steps out in God they become a massive target for “friendly fire.” And that’s just the opening credits.
Yet…even with all this stacked against the church…just watch what an unprecedented display of Holy Spirit mercy and peace and purity and love and power God is about to unleash among us in this unlikely but wonderful hour. Remember that every single time God moves this radically, he sets it up so that it’s totally impossible to credit any of it to man. The wood for the sacrifice has been doused to point of being completely waterlogged – but look up, here comes the fire >>
Yeahhhh….. We are currently in the book of 2Chr. where Hezekiah is the king.
2Chr.32:7
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.8. With him is an “arm of flesh”; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”
It is awesome to see that what began with getting things pure and in order in the temple turned into life from the dead! – both for the nation (Isaiah 36-37), and personally for Hezekiah (Isaiah 38) >>
Praise the Lord! This resonates so strongly with everything the Holy Spirit has been teaching me since I got saved almost 2yrs ago. God bless you for speaking truth. It’s awesome to see God is giving this same message to a brother across the country. Our God is bigger than all obstacles!
This is awesome.
“Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God…”
God’s spirit entered people who were scarcely prepared so much that they stuck around for an extra week. Praise God for being so forgiving and loving!
It really shows you Father’s heart. It’s exactly what Jesus was getting at when he said “man was not made for the sabbath, but the sabbath for man.” Here God made the Passover as the meeting point, not as a burden or imposition, but as an all-out celebration of his love for his own. His people ignored the Passover for decades, but you can know with all certainty that Father was at the meeting point every year. And when the entire nation finally rose up to meet God there, Father was overjoyed. When there is a willing heart, when we get in a place where the invitation of God catches fire among us – God pulls every possible string for us.
What an amazing portrayal of our God who desires mercy and not sacrifice >>