Right in the Sight of the LORD

2012-03-17

“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.” (2 Kings 18:3-5)

It was said of Hezekiah that there were no kings like him either before or after him. He destroyed the idols and groves, but unlike his predecessors, he removed the high places. In the past, the good kings did not even do that. He also destroyed the brass serpent that Moses made to stay the plague of snakes. People had begun to worship it, so Hezekiah destroyed it. He went the extra mile so that there was not one thing in his kingdom that offended.

I feel that our homes are the same way. Are there things in our homes that are offensive to God? Over the past few years, I have found that there were many things in my house and in storage that I had to literally destroy, because they came out of my non-Christian past: CDs, books, necklaces, and other things that were a snare to me in the past.

Hezekiah, when he faced adversity, he pleaded with God about his situation. When Rabshakeh was threatening him, Hezekiah and his officers sought the Lord completely by going to Isaiah the prophet. The Lord delivered him, and the result was the destruction of Assyrian troops and king. When he was sick, Hezekiah sought God, and God healed him, adding 15 years to his life. This effectively doubled Hezekiah’s reign.

He definitely made some mistakes, but his wholehearted devotion to God was rewarded. His son and grandson did very evil things, however, and there was not enough good in the world that could make up for that. God demands purity from his people, and we must make the painstaking effort to make sure that we do not allow even the slightest amount of wickedness into our lives. Hezekiah’s utter destruction of the evil thing from his kingdom is a model for us to follow. His trusting God is also something we can look to as we face adversity.