Hezekiah

… And the first verse, Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together in the east street, and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord your God, of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. The seventeenth verse, Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the Lord. So they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days, and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the showbread table with all the vessels thereof. Moreover, all the vessels which King Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. A little lower, down the twenty-seventh verse. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also, with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David, king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded, and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. Now could we turn to the thirty-seventh chapter of Isaiah? Isaiah thirty-seven, verse eight. This is such a different day. So Rabshakar returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libna, for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he heard say concerning Taharqa, king of Ethiopia, he is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, and saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly, and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan and Haran and Rasef, and the children of Eden, which were in Tileser? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sirpharvain, Hina, and Ivar? And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it. And Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwelleth between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth, incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear, open thine eyes, O Lord, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Now we'll go into the 28th chapter, the first verse. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, behold, I will add unto thy days a fifteen years. And lastly, in the 39th chapter, the first verse, At that time, Merodach, Baladon, the son of Baladon, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. May the Lord bless to us those readings of his word. I always receive a thrill when I read concerning this wonderful man, Hezekiah, because as I think of him, God looked down on him, and God approved of that which he did. As I think of him and his life, God says concerning him, that there was not a king of Judah after him, not before, as good as he was. So he was a wonderful man, wasn't he? And also he lived in a very, very dark day, and as I think of the day in which he lived, no doubt it was dark as today is dark. As we think of conditions in the world, we are shocked to hear of many things that happen, and aren't we saddened as we see the things that happen in the church today, and as we think of the weakness, so often we hear the word weakness spoken of. And yet, don't you think that with regard to this man, he should be an encouragement to us today? Now let's be very careful, I don't think that there's going to be a worldwide, or a nationwide revival again, I don't think that at all, but don't you think that it would encourage those of us that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, to a little more study him, and think concerning what he would have us to do, and be found more in his presence? As I think of this man, and the day in which he lived, nothing could have been more against him in that day, and yet we see that in that day, giving God his place, and giving God's house the place that he did, the people were brought back to God, and don't you think that that could happen today amongst us? Now let's think of this man for a few moments, Hezekiah, and as we think of him, we might think of the wisdom in which he reigned these people at this time. He needed wisdom, didn't he? And as we think of the wisdom that he had, where did he get that wisdom? From whence came that wisdom? As we think of his father, it could not have come from him, because as we think of the home in which he lived, and ahaz, the father in that home, it was one of the worst homes that there could be, and so often today, when we speak concerning younger people, we say well can you expect anything better from them because of the fact of their background? You see their background. Do you think that there's people that have background, have a background as this man, Hezekiah, did in his home when he was young? What sort of a home was it? I dare say that in that home, there was all the filthy conversation that's heard today in other homes, there was that godlessness, there was that turning to idols, and at this time God was out of the thoughts of ahaz. He had no thought concerning God. And the scripture says concerning his children that he made them to pass through the fire. What a home. And therefore we see that that young man did not receive wisdom in that home. God graciously cared for that young man in that home, and no doubt in that time he had wisdom. From whence his wisdom then? Was it from his grandfather Jotham? Because we see concerning him that he pleased the Lord. But as we think of the life of Jotham, do you think for a moment that he would have been helped if his father spoke to him concerning how his father had lived for the Lord? Let's think for a moment of what he did and see how sad it is to see that although he pleased the Lord, there was so much in that pathway that was not a help to a young man like this. It says concerning him, Jotham, that he was a man that never entered into the house of the Lord. He never entered into the house of the Lord. Here a king that would not be willing to enter into the house of the Lord, although the door at this time was opened, not willing to go in. Also we see concerning the people that they dealt corruptly yet. So there was a king also that might have been a figurehead, might have been one for God, not only in going into the house of the Lord, but leading the people as he ought, as being under God's hand at this time, and yet he allowed the people to go on as they were. But what did he do that pleased the Lord? We see that he did many things. Concerning him we read that he built cities in the mountains, and he built the high gate of the house of the Lord, he built castles, and no doubt everybody knew concerning the work that he did outwardly, but he was never found there in the house of the Lord, never found in that place that speaks to us of the presence of the Lord, and how sad that was. Don't you think that this man missed much in his life? Although he had pleased God, he pleased not God as this young man Hezekiah did, because as we see God speaking concerning his reign, it says that he pleased the Lord in the fact that he did that which Uzziah did. He pleased him according to that which Uzziah did. But now as we read concerning Hezekiah we see something so different. Firstly, we see that this man got his wisdom from no natural source. No, he received not his wisdom to rule over these people and to comport himself before them as a king should, he received not his wisdom in a natural sense, but he received it from God. God is the source of all wisdom and there this man Hezekiah received his wisdom from God. So that as he came to the throne we see that God says concerning him and his name, Hezekiah means whom the Lord will help, we see with regard to Hezekiah God says concerning him that he was a faithful man according to all that his father David had done. So God looks right back through the kings, right to that king that was a king and a man after his own heart and he says that's what David used to do, that's what David used to do, he does according to all that David did. Now Hezekiah was one then that was going back. There was one brother this afternoon, I know he said it in a different context, said not go back. But here we read concerning Hezekiah he was one man that went right back to the time when we see David ruling over the people of the Lord and they were being ruled faithfully and they were there as before him in the way that he would have them. You know the path forward, the way forward is to go back and that's what Hezekiah realised at this time and as he came to the throne he was going back and during almost the whole of his reign he was going back and he was going back to those first things and brethren tonight if there's going to be any going forward it must first be going back. You know there are those among believers today and I'm glad to see that they have the desire and the courage to go forward, there are those that desire above everything to go forward and go forward and go forward and that's right but before we can go forward let's remember that we've got to get back, we've got to get back. As we think of any time of revival or blessing of the Lord's people firstly it has been to go back, it's been to go back to that word and to get back to the word as it formerly was and to those teachings that the scripture has taught us and therefore this man firstly he went back. But the most remarkable thing concerning Hezekiah is this, that he began to work and he started this going back on the first day of his reign. Now as I think of this I would no doubt realise that in the first day of a king's reign there would be many important decisions to make as we think of this king and as we think of all that lay before him in those next 29 years no doubt there were important decisions to make but the most important among them all was to put God first because he started right on the first day putting God first and there on that first day it says that he repaired the door of the house of the Lord. Now I don't think that any believer that does a faithful work for the Lord does it on the spur of the moment. I don't think for a moment that it's something that comes into his mind and he says I'll do this. There have been works that have been done in that way, there have been people that have been caught up with enthusiasm to do something for the Lord and that thing has flopped and why has it flopped? Because they didn't act as Hezekiah acted. I feel that with regard to Hezekiah in this day that he acted before the Lord he'd been in the secret of his presence so long before and as I think of him in that home, in that godless home, in that home of Ahaz his father no doubt there were those days, those secret days as before the Lord. They are the days that every servant of the Lord is privileged to enjoy and then benefit by later and as we think of just a few of them let's think of them for this moment. We think of Nehemiah going out to a work, coming to this very place of Jerusalem at a later day to rebuild that city wall and as we think of him coming having three months, having three months at home before he ever sets out to do that work. We see him there and you'd say days wasted instead of going on to the work, days in secret before his Lord. You think also of that man Jehu, we know little about him, some of us, only that he was a furious driver but there's other things that he did. You know that he was spoken of concerning the service that he would do 21 years before he came out into the public and when he came he began his work immediately, yes 21 years and no doubt among them secret days before the Lord. We think also of Moses don't we, in the backside of the desert there for 40 years, what was he doing there, you say feeding the sheep, no he wasn't, they were the secret days that helped him no doubt in those next 40 years as so to act and so to work that he glorified his God among the people who were in his charge. And then we think of the great Apostle Paul and as we think of those writings that were his and the work that he did as before the Lord, we think of him firstly going into Arabia, what for? There was the work and there he was commissioned of the Lord, yes but he goes into Arabia and there those secret days before the Lord. And so with Hezekiah as he comes out and as he begins the work on that first day it is that previously he'd been in the presence of the Lord and by being in the presence of the Lord he'd gained the mind of the Lord as to what he should do and how he should act in his lifetime while he was king over Israel and so on that first day not only does he open the doors of the house of the Lord but he brings in other workers with him. He asks for the help, he asks for the fellowship of others with him in the work and he turns to those fellow priests and those fellow Levites and gathers them together so that this work might go on and so that they might in harmony the one with another so work that the people are brought back to the Lord. There was unity, there was unity and we see no disunity among these people that gathered on this occasion to draw the people back to open the house of the Lord and then draw the people back. We see no disunity among the workers. Now that's one thing that we must realise in this day that if there's going to be any work for the Lord there must be unity. Now I don't think you'll ever get uniformity but there must be unity brethren and if we don't have unity there will be no work for the Lord done. It will be that things will go from bad to worse, they'll continue in that way because of the disunity the one with another. If we are younger there is to be that unity with the older, if we are those now that among those that have so little on the top we are to be in unity with the younger brethren and we are to be in unity the one with another, the younger submitted to the older and the older submitting themselves one to another and that's how the work of the Lord will go forward. If it be that we are willing to have before us just the glory of the Lord and not what's under here then it will be that we'll be able to go forward in that unity and then there will be encouragement in our gatherings. So we see that these men worked in such a way together so that the house of the Lord was cleansed and now the house is made open and before it is possible that things can be restored in this land now it is that Hezekiah says now we'll have to bring the burnt offering. It must be that at this time now that I desire to enter in and now that I desire that place of nearness to God I must have this sin offering. Levites, priests you must have this sin offering, the whole nation you must have this sin offering and as we see them acting in that way don't you think that with regard to every one of us that are here it must be that we judge ourselves and judge our actions and then go into the presence of the Lord with nothing on our hearts nothing on our consciences nothing between us and a holy God and yet a loving Father so that we might appreciate his presence more and so we see them going in and as we see them going in then it is following comes that wonderful burnt offering and as we think of such a spiritual man as Hezekiah how wonderful it is to think that he can appreciate in the way so that if you had read a little lower down in that chapter you'd have found the wealth in which he subscribed to this burnt offering. He was not only a man of wisdom but he was a man of substance he was a man of substance whence had he obtained this substance he had obtained the substance from whence he had obtained his wisdom as before the Lord he'd obtained that substance from the Lord and so that as he offers that burnt offering he offers in a very very liberal way. Now those of us that are here tonight we would appreciate would we not that the burnt offering speaks to us of the perfect life that perfect life of devotion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and when our Lord Jesus Christ not only lived to the glory of God the Father but offered himself up without spot to God what a wonderful offering that as we would continue to meditate on him the perfection of his life and also the perfection of his death we see that as this offering was offered that it says that as they offered the burnt offering the song of the Lord he commanded the song of the Lord with musical instruments and how wonderful that was. Isn't it so that when we get together and when we speak to one another concerning the person of the Lord Jesus and when our hearts are warmed because of the fact that we are attracted to him so much that our hearts burst forth in song and how wondrous it is when we are so occupied with him to lift our hearts to the Father and say Father how precious unto thee is thy beloved Son. We've got that here haven't we but it says with regard to the burnt offering they offer the burnt offering with song and the musical instruments and it might be said by somebody that's here tonight then is it possible that as we gather together to worship the Lord that we can add to our worship by having musical instruments. Now let's think of our worship and let's think of our praise for a moment when we gather together and when we praise even as we sing those wonderful hymns that we have in our book and when we sing that most wonderful hymn number 200 Father how precious unto thee we can just give that out and we can go through that hymn without little knowing of what we are speaking about. Isn't it but as we gather together and as we open our lips in praise to him that it should be that we have the feeling of the heart in the words that we say so that as we speak concerning the preciousness of the Lord Jesus we say it not because we enjoy the tune that we're going to sing not because of the fact that there are the words and those words are so easily too easy to sing but we sing it because of the very fact that the one of whom we sing we appreciate him in what he's done and what he is and what he will be and therefore we sing father how precious unto thee is thy beloved son. Yes it is that as we gather together and as we would sing and as we would worship concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that it should not only be that our lips would be willing and ready to give his praise but also our hearts are in tune with our lips so that there is then that praise that ascends to him and so that in turn as these people we can bow our heads and worship. This was only the beginning of this theme with regard to the people and I have little time tonight to speak concerning his wonderful life in detail but after this you would understand by the chapters that follow that the the King Hezekiah called the people together and as he called them together to keep the Passover many people mocked but many gathered together and as they gathered together and gathered the one with another and kept the Passover they kept together for seven days and they so appreciated those seven days as they gathered together that they said we'll have another seven isn't it wonderful that as the people of the Lord gathered together they have something that warms their hearts and they say we'll have another seven days together as they enjoy that next seven days together then they go home and they break their idols they have no place now they've appreciated that which speaks to us of Christ they knew little concerning Christ at that time but they appreciated that which a righteous and a wise King had brought before them and now they're able to go home and those things that were so great in their former life they break them up they don't want anything to do with them and so we see that with regard to the people they go ahead in this way. Yes but you know if the Lord's people are guided by so great a man as Hezekiah are willing to go forward and to trust in their God the enemy is not going to allow a work in this way to go ahead and we see Sennacherib that Assyrian King come up against the people and as he comes up he continues to conquer wherever he goes as we see him coming taking one town one city after another no doubt we see that Hezekiah has his eye upon this man Hezekiah hears those that have fallen to this man and we see this the thing concerning Hezekiah is that at this moment he puts on his sackcloth he puts on his sackcloth he takes off his kingly robe he has no place for his armor he lays both of them aside and he puts on his sackcloth and he mourns before the Lord. Then there is the time when we see that they the Assyrians went back because they were going they were being attacked in another place but the letter comes at that time to Hezekiah and this letter is worded in a wonderful way I say a wonderful way because I feel that with regard to Sennacherib he'd heard of the faith of Hezekiah and he knew that he trusted in his God and therefore he worded his he worded his letter accordingly he said these words and let's listen to them let not thy God in whom they'll trustest deceive thee don't think for a moment because of the fact that you trust in God and I know that you do trust in God your trust is entirely on him don't think that after all you'll not be like the people that are around about I want for a moment for you to look at the various enemies that I've come against I've come against such and such a king and where is he now I've come against such and such a city and where is that city now and I've continued to come and nobody's stood against me and do you think you're going to be different from them because you're trusting in the God of heaven do you think so now don't think for a moment that we can just brush this aside and say that it's of no account Hezekiah didn't brush this word aside as though it was of no account he realized the seriousness of this letter that had come and don't let's think for a moment that Satan wasn't behind it Satan was behind it and this is how Satan firstly acted in the Garden of Eden didn't he have the same message when he went to that woman Eve let not thy God in whom they'll trustest deceive thee he goes into that wonderful garden and as he sees Eve there in the beauties of that garden he says yes it's a lovely place isn't it isn't it a wonderful place that God has placed you in but don't you think that there's something that he's kept back from you don't you think that there's something that would be a help to you you'd be in a greater position if only you partook of that tree of which you say you cannot partake of yes look God's keeping something back from you and that word went didn't it that word sank in let not thy God in whom they'll trustest deceive thee and if there's one thing we don't like it is to be deceived and we don't like to think and that woman Eve didn't like to think that she was being deceived on another occasion we read concerning that wonderful King of whom we've spoken tonight David a man after God's own heart there was a time when it says concerning him that Saul sought his life every day and as we see Saul seeking his life every day we see in the 26th chapter of that second book of Samuel first book of Samuel we see then that David begins to think and he says you know one day I shall perish at the hand of Saul I've been so near to death continually with with Saul that one day I'll perish who told him that who told him that Satan told him that what had God said concerning him what had that man Jonathan said concerning him what had Saul said concerning him they'll shall reign and yet Satan's coming with the word let not thy God in whom they'll trustest deceive thee don't we get into circumstances sometimes when we feel well after all God has undertaken for us in other circumstances but these are so different see these circumstances of Hezekiah they'd been in that condition before as a godly King and he might have said in his heart yes but it's so different at this time and it may be that with regard to God God has said that he will care for me but now it may be that this man in all his power will come and he'll hew me down as he's done others don't we find that sometimes in their lives when we think of our peculiar circumstances feeling that nobody else has been in those same circumstances and aren't we often prone to get under those circumstances and feel that after all God is not as good as his word and God will not sustain us where we are what are we to do in such circumstances when the enemy brings his letter to us and when he presents us to it it to us what are we to do aren't we to do as this man did remember he'd opened the door of the house of the Lord and that door was still open that door was still open the presence of the Lord was a place in which he had been found so often and that presence was open to him now and he was welcomed into that presence so in he goes not now with his armour but with his sackcloth upon him in all humility seeking the face of the Lord and as he goes into that place he lays out the letter before the Lord and he tells the Lord that the truth concerning this message and he says of a truth this is so with regard to Sennacherib this has happened with regard to all the nations that he's been against he's fought against them and he's been victorious but they have no gods they have no gods and there he leaves the letter and goes out knowing full well that the enemy that was his enemy is now to be faced by a God a holy God and an all-powerful God. Then the time came a little later than that when we see that God had so faithfully maintained this king in this position the time came later when God spoke to Hezekiah he'd had victories and he's had great help with regard to the nation and maybe there hadn't been the victory over himself and now God sends Isaiah and says to him set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live. Had it been that with regard to the success that had been in his pathway that now he might have got just a little puffed up in his nature? Had it been that now there might be a little pride in himself with regard to the fact that he'd walked faithfully before the Lord and he Hezekiah had led the people? We know not but now God brings the test and the test is set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live. Now how sad it must have been for Hezekiah at this time to hear those words thinking of this king that had been so faithful was it not that with regard to the the Israelites of that day was it not that they expected long life if they had been faithful to their God and was it not that a man Hezekiah that now was just about 39 years old was it not that he was expecting a long life because of the fact that he'd been faithful to his God and how saddened he must have been. How saddened also he must have been in the fact that with regard to himself he was still so needed in the nation with regard to the nation that had turned from their gods they needed now that he should be there so that they should be stabilized in their position as they were and what does he do? He does as he ever did here he is sick unto death and therefore not able to get to the temple not able to go through the door that he'd opened but it says concerning him that Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and he prayed to God. He turns his face from all those means of help that he might have and he turned to his God and he prayed. Not like that man that we read of earlier in the scripture that man Jacob who when confronted with a great danger in his life it says concerning him that he schemed with regard to Esau coming in the distance he says with regard to that brother I know what I'll do. I'll put the companies of my people before me I'll put the flocks and the herds before me and I'll go behind and I'll be more safe than otherwise but after all I must do something concerning this apart from that yes I'll pray to the Lord. He didn't turn his face to the wall and turn his back from all other help but with regard to this man Hezekiah he turns his face to the wall and he prays and the Lord doesn't say I've seen your tears I've heard your prayer I've seen your tears he'd heard the prayer he'd heard the prayer of his faithful servant and he will hear the prayer of his faithful people. But alas right at the end of his pathway we see that this man fails and as he fails we'd say well whatever would make this man fail here's a man that has been able to stand before that great King that came against him with those thousands of people and now he fails yes we realize that with regard to the enemy he has two weapons and two weapons alone he'd used one with Hezekiah and that weapon was terror he used that weapon of terror showing him what would happen to him should he allow him to come near him showing him that he would be no different from the people that had been before him showing him that it was no use in believing in his God but now he's using another weapon and the weapon that's very very very dangerous in the hands of the one in whom it was. He uses that weapon of allurement and as we see now that the people from Babylon heard that this man Hezekiah had been second was recovered it is that then that King sends his servants with a letter and a present and a present soft words and a present and now this man enters into compromise with these people. Not now was it that he led them to the house of the Lord he led them to his own house not now was it but he had his sackcloth upon him no doubt he had his kingly robes and prized himself that he was king over this land of Judah not now was it that he thought of the God that had been so great in his life not now was it did he speak of the power of his God and now it was that they enter into his house and see his things and isn't it sad to think that today the day in which we live we are so occupied with our things it is that with regard to Hezekiah he'd accrued to himself his things and they are the things that he showed the enemy and how sad to think that he occupied them with those things and more sad to think that the last thing that he occupied them with and he showed them his armor and as I think of the armor that armor had been less value to him than he sackcloth which he had worn so often and how sad it is he can get to that state. Don't you think that we have a lesson here dear brethren it is so often that we feel that the Lord would have us to do something in our pathway we turn and we faithfully seek his mind concerning the work that we have before him before us and because of the great work that we have before us we are found in his presence very often perhaps that work though is finished it comes to the fact that we feel that this work is ended and then we began to get lax and then it is that the enemy gets in. Why do I say that? As I look into the lives of so many of the Old Testament people we see with regard to them they do their work and at the end of that work being done they drop their hands and then they go into unfaithfulness. So often we speak concerning the young people that are unfaithful but how often in the scripture we see it is that the older ones when they feel that their work is finished it is then that they go into unfaithfulness. What should I say as I close these few remarks? Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord inasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. …