A Pattern of Praise

"In the first month of the first year of his reign, he (Hezekiah) opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them.”
2 Chronicles 29:3

It is always telling to observe the initial actions of newly-established, or newly-elected, leaders. After all, it is in the preliminary work that the foremost, central concerns of civil authorities are made known. If self-serving ambitions are quickly sought then an empire mindset of sorts will become apparent. But if altruistic pursuits are hastily rendered then a humility-laced administration will likely follow. Executive power, therefore, is a blessing to affected constituents when it is properly employed, but conversely it is a hardship to residents when it is abused and misappropriated. Consequently, it is refreshing when we read of biblical leaders who rightly applied the platform and position of governance. And such was the case with Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29.        

Per 2 Chronicles 29, Hezekiah took the reigns as king of Judah at the age of twenty-five. Remarkably, King Hezekiah’s first recorded act as Judah’s civil authority was to restore corporate worship of God. And the manner in which Hezekiah went about this noble task was incredibly wise and moving. The king assembled the priests and Levites, reinforcing the importance of their God-given responsibility: to be available for the acceptance and advocacy of the peoples’ offerings to the Lord. Additionally, Hezekiah asked the ministers to make the temple presentable again for worship. When the clergy had completed purifying themselves and the articles of worship Hezekiah immediately gathered the city officials and went to the temple to praise God. The closing verses of 2 Chronicles 29 captures well the sentiment that affected the participants. The service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about.

From a city, a people, a country in ruins, something beautiful appeared. Recommitted, or newly committed, believers came together to celebrate the Lord in a service that desired to attribute God glory and honor. It is a stirring picture of the Lord’s powerful work for His covenantal followers. In other words, God can take crushed hearts and restore them. He can take discouraged homes and renew them. He can take ruined lives and revive them. If we as His people will but choose to hold fast to the recognition of God’s divinity in all matters then we can sing through storms and praise through pain. Life is wrought with difficulties, but the overarching truth that should continually sustain believers is that the Lord is always in control of each and every matter. 

Returning to Hezekiah’s affirmative actions in 2 Chronicles 29, the great mark of any distinguished spiritual leader is his, or her willingness, to commit his, or heart, on doing the work, and will, of God. Hezekiah’s motivation clearly was to reestablish a relational walk with God at a national scale. It was his primary focus. And it was manifested in at least three ways: Hezekiah’s desire, doctrine, and decree. Regarding Hezekiah’s desire, there was a pervasive yearning to exalt God. Therefore, the king could not help but plan a formal, corporate recommitment to the Lord. Regarding Hezekiah’s doctrine, there was a cognitive recognition that God’s Word is the abiding guidance to live by, which is what compelled the king to awaken a dormant culture to God’s authority and activity. Hezekiah believed in the Lord’s truth, and sought to direct others to its glorious illuminating qualities. Regarding Hezekiah’s decree, the king not only encouraged formal worship of God, he expected it. And so Hezekiah diligently, and rightly, utilized the influence of his high office to stir the people to return to the praise of the One true God.      

Obviously, Hezekiah was not consumed with national defense, but rather national devotion to God. He was not absorbed in political alliances, but rather personal adoration of God. He did not beef up his military troops or erect a new wall around the capital. Instead, he set out to reignite inactive worship in Judah. There was a personal pattern of praise present in King Hezekiah’s life, and he was determined to positively affect his country through his upright example. May this account kindle the understanding that we all have a sphere of spiritual impact. How we choose to apply such opportunities reveals so much about the state of our heart. Whether it be confined to our immediate families, or to a community at large, we, as God’s followers, have prospects daily to do kingdom work and represent the Lord to the world. Hezekiah was unashamed to expose his pattern of praise. Neither should we. 

Corrupted Morals; Calloused Hearts

"You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts."
Amos 5:12b

There are many biblical passages that rightly assault the notion that man apart from God is a noble vessel. Worldly philosophy has long sought to con humanity into believing that inherent goodness resides within us, and that we need no other influence than our own to daily exercise virtue and appropriateness. But the observant watchers and followers of God know that Scriptural accounts state otherwise. God's Word awakens us to the truth, and reveals that humanity possesses a very sinister nature, a nature that can only be overcome with the instruction, influence, intervention, and infusion of the Lord Himself. One such biblical chronicle that stirs us to realize just how far gone we can become morally without God's help is the book of Amos. 

Amos is a humbling narrative to read for it paints a very grotesque portrait of God’s covenantal people: Israel. But this message is not confined to the ancient Hebrews alone. After all, the very same spiritual emptiness and apathy that pervaded Israel so many years ago can just as easily creep into modern-day fellowships as well. And this understanding should generate a desire to guard our lives from corruption and callousness. Throughout Amos there is a holy rebuke of wicked character and wicked choices. God’s analysis of Israel cuts to the quick. He evaluated His people and found them devoid of dignity, and devoid of devotion to Him. The injustice and dishonesty that permeated Israel upset God tremendously. While there are several justifications to God’s condemnation that are worth exploring let us briefly discuss three in particular. 

One, God deplores denigration. In Amos 2:7a, the Lord said that the Israelites trampled the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground. In other words, not only did the privileged refuse to respond the needy, the well-off harassed and insulted the lowly too, thus adding insult to injury. What a sad commentary of mankind. God has long sought to instill in His followers a fundamental desire to tend to the disadvantaged and distraught, which is why so many biblical passages reinforce the necessity of caring for orphans and widows. In this context, we find Jesus’ willingness to help society’s destitute intensely compelling. It stands to reason that God takes exception with believers overlooking and minimizing the pain that those of a poor economic status often find themselves experiencing. Therefore, the Lord’s people should be sensitive to horizontal hardships and seek opportunities to ease the burdens that weigh others down. This was evidently not the case in ancient Israel and God reprimanded the Hebrews because of it.

Two, God deplores debauchery. In Amos 2:7b, the Lord said that father and son slept with the same woman and profaned His holy name. Furthermore, they made public their obscene behavior by performing depraved acts near every idolatrous altars. One of the most grotesque and grievous aspects of sin is found in the sexual arena. It consumes and becomes a gateway for utterly deplorable etiquette. And such was the case with ancient Hebrew people according to Amos 2:7-8. Per this account, perversion was rampant. Promiscuity was rampant. Prostitution was rampant. There was essentially no moral restriction on the sensual pursuits of Judah’s residents. And not only did the fleshly conduct take place in peoples’ homes, but it spread into the community through false temples and shrines. When such unrestrained behavior becomes the norm, godliness and goodness disappear. Sadly, the people, by and large, placed  their central means of fulfillment in self-pleasure rather than spiritual purity. And thus God’s rebuke in Amos 2 included a candid call-out of the Israelites inability to recognize the destructive quality that is ushered in through debauchery. 

Three, God deplores drunkenness. In Amos 2:8, the Lord said that the Israelites went into ungodly sanctuaries and drank heavily, and without discipline. Few things can cause a person to lose inhibition and control like intoxication. Drinking in and of itself is not the transgression as defined in God’s Word. But drinking alcohol with the intent to relinquish sober thought and disposition is what draws God’s frustration and violates His command. The Lord wants His people to be mindful of their attitude and activity. So willfully choosing to ingest alcoholic content that temporarily, or in some cases permanently, prohibits cognitive function invites trouble to our doorstep. Therefore God’s excoriation in Amos 2:8b is a motivation to be sober in both body and soul.

In summary, God chastised the Israelites for their crimes against one another, especially in regard to overlooking, or oppressing, the downtrodden. The “me-first” nature of the ancient Hebrews sickened God. When humanity no longer values the sanctity of human life, and no longer cares for the desperate needs of others who are struggling you can be sure it will sadden the Lord and draw His denunciation. Widows, orphans, and the homeless – such people are dear to God and deserve additional attention from God’s followers. 

This national condemnation should embolden believers of every generation to understand the impact of personal and family dedication to the Lord. If but a few can devote themselves to God’s will and ways then perhaps we can positively affect the culture, and world, around us. May we be a people, a country, who crave God’s truth rather than the trappings of this world. May be we a people, a country, who choose to be incorruptible and compassionate. May we be a people, a country, under God’s guidance and governance. 

Man’s Reluctance; God’s Responsiveness

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord..."
Jonah 1:3a

The account of Jonah is a fascinating narrative. Within this biblical account we are humbly made aware of man’s flaws. But through this account we are equally, and powerfully, made aware of God’s forbearance. Jonah, the central human figure of the story, highlights the worst of man. He is defiant, rebellious, inpatient, prejudiced, and uncompassionate. But the book of Jonah presents another dominant figure, a divine figure: God. And God’s character qualities, as recorded in Jonah, evoke confirmations of God’s holiness. The Lord is revealed to be dedicated, trustworthy, patient, equitable, and merciful. Hence, the book of Jonah succinctly accentuates how vastly wide the chasm is which separates the innate dispositions of humanity and God. Man and God are nothing alike disposition-wise, and Jonah’s tale validates this in dramatic fashion. Therefore, this Scriptural event should not be reduced merely to some children’s bedtime anecdote because this biblical passage has rich meaning and application for believers of all generations. To that end, let us briefly explore three contrasting, and illuminating, elements in Jonah that merit our attention.

Contrasting element number one, mankind exercises hate, but God exercises love. When supernaturally told to go and preach to the people of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian kingdom, Jonah, a prophet of God, willfully disobeyed the Lord. He attempted to flee God’s command by securing passage on a ship bound for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). And why was God’s messenger so opposed to sharing the Lord’s word? Because Jonah had a genuine disdain for Assyrians. The Assyrians were enemies of Israel and were renowned for their ruthlessness and violence. It was the fact that God sought to reach out to the Assyrians that unnerved Jonah. He refused to accept the notion that the Lord could extend mercy to a people so cruel and wicked. After all, why should God-deniers or mockers be granted clemency? The concept seemed ludicrous to Jonah. In his angst he assumed that the Assyrians were destined for annihilation. But God’s loving temperament opted to offer the people one more opportunity to repent before inflicting immediate punishment upon them. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to hate the Assyrians while God was eager to love them.      

Contrasting element number two, mankind seeks to exclude, but God seeks to include. Through a circuitous route Jonah did eventually speak to the people of Nineveh. Afterwards, the Assyrian community genuinely recognized their iniquity and began to turn away from their evil ways. As Jonah witnessed this he became indignant. So-much-so that he prayed in frustration to God, claiming that his averseness to witnessing to the Assyrians was justified because God is gracious and relents from sending calamity to repentant people (Jonah 4:2-3). In Jonah’s startling confession we discover that mankind has a tendency to enforce extraneous parameters on peoples’ worthiness to be a part of God’s fellowship. In this mindset God’s followers often attempt to restrict those who can find a seat at the Lord’s table of salvation. How sad that we would inject our own measures of merit and stifle an opportunity for others to find spiritual liberation through God. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to exclude the Assyrians while God was eager to include them.          

Contrasting element number three, mankind judges unfairly, but God judges correctly. The book of Jonah ends in a bittersweet manner. As the Assyrians committed themselves to abandoning their former self-centered life in order to embrace the God-focused life Jonah located a spot outside Nineveh, and waited. He presumably longed to see God obliterate Nineveh and all its residents. While Jonah waited the Lord caused a vine to grow over the prophet and offer him shade from the scorching sun. This evidently provided Jonah some contentment and comfort. But the next day God commissioned a worm to chew the vine and make it wither, which removed Jonah’s protection from the blazing heat. The prophet became upset and soon asked God to let him die. But God responded in a remarkable way. The Lord informed Jonah that he had no right to be angry for he did not tend the vine or make it grow. And in that same vein of thought, Jonah had no right to be angry at God for sparing Nineveh because Jonah was not the judge or jury for the Assyrians. In the closing verse of this biblical book God tenderly asked a rhetorical question, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11b). Jonah had already wrongly evaluated the Assyrians and determined them to be unredeemable. In this we find that Jonah was zealous to judge the Assyrians unfairly while God was eager to judge them correctly.       

In the final analysis, although this chronicle says so much negatively about the heart of Jonah, and therefore the heart of man, this story also says so much positively about the character of God. The Lord overflows with love, inclusiveness, and correct judgment. In other words, man’s reluctance was overshadowed by God’s responsiveness. If Jonah’s desires would have been carried out the people of Nineveh would have been quickly, and utterly, destroyed. But God intervened and aided a people who were desperately in need of atonement and grace, which the Lord was more than ready to supply. May the tale of Jonah both inspire and instruct us. And may it compel us to embrace the nature of God and abandon the nature of man. In short, let God’s role increase in our lives and make us responsive to a world that is desperately in need of a relationship with the mighty, and merciful, God.       

Consecrated Courage

"In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength."
2 Chronicles 23:1a

There are moments when truth and rightness are ruthlessly attacked. Moments when God-ordained wisdom is purposefully maligned or obscured. In such moments a consecrated courage is required to stand up for what is pure and noble. After all, it takes spiritual valor to speak out against mankind’s wickedness and remind others that holy instruction and doctrine should not be ignored. As much as this world would seek to silence the voice of God’s followers we should never be beholden to fear or intimidation for if we are on the side of God then our cause is the correct one. As disciples for Christ we are sure to encounter pessimism and persecution, but we must stay the course and address injustice and ungodliness in a compassionate, yet courageous, way.

The events of 2 Chronicles 23 illustrate how powerfully the consecrated, courageous actions of but a few can change the course of a nation. According to 2 Chronicles 22 Ahaziah’s reign as king of Judah suddenly ended when he went to visit the king of Israel (Joram), who had been badly wounded in a battle against the Arameans. During the course of Ahaziah’s visit with the king of Israel a man named Jehu, a man anointed by God to eradicate Ahab’s family line from Israel’s royal dynasty, was in the process of executing judgment on the house of Ahab. Ahaziah and the relatives who accompanied him to see King Joram soon found themselves in the middle of the episode, which culminated in both Joram's and Ahaziah’s deaths. Shortly thereafter, Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, proceeded to murder all of Ahaziah’s children in order to stabilize her place as Judah’s sole successor to the throne. But thankfully a woman named Jehosheba interceded and rescued Joash, a baby son of Ahaziah, and hid him from Athaliah's reach for six years. 

As it turns out, Jehosheba was married to a priest: Jehoiada. Jehoiada not only supported Jehosheba’s desire to protect Joash from Athaliah’s wrath he set out to devise a plan in which Joash could be crowned as Judah’s king. To that end, Jehoiada advocated his heart's desire to various military commanders, family elders, and Levites throughout Judah. Jehoiada was so disgusted with the religious idolatry Athaliah was allowing to spiritually pollute Jerusalem that he put himself in harm's way. He was willing to risk his life in an effort to establish Joash in his rightful place as ruler because he recognized Athaliah was out of God's will and cared nothing for God's Word. In fact, Athaliah was so out of touch with the Lord that Jehoiada and Jehosheba were able to conceal Joash inside the temple, which should have been a frequented place for a royal leader of Judah.   

God blessed Jehoiada's efforts. At the tender age of seven Joash was crowned king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem quickly rallied to support the boy ruler. In an instant, Athaliah's grip on Judah was lost. The queen attempted to label Jehoiada's actions as treasonous, but her attempt to thwart what had transpired was futile. She was summarily and swiftly executed. The law of the harvest, in that you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7), proved itself true through this account. Athaliah lived by the sword and she died by the sword. She tried to build a kingdom through force and manipulation, and that is effectively how it was ripped away from her.  

But returning to the courageous work of Jehoiada and Jehosheba, there comes a point when a God-honoring move is required. Jehoiada and Jehosheba were obviously discouraged by the spiritual apathy and ignorance Athaliah helped cultivate in the people of Judah. But rather than determine it to be a lost cause, Jehoiada and Jehosheba committed themselves to surrendering much in hopes of changing the religious culture of their nation. Taking on a royal leader is no easy or slight endeavor, especially when it is a royal leader as ruthless and vicious as Athaliah. But Jehoiada and Jehosheba chose not to dwell on the power or position of their enemy. Instead, they chose to dwell on the power and position of God, Who is able to raise and tear down earthly kingdoms at will.   

The exploits captured in 2 Chronicles 23 on the part of Jehoiada and Jehosheba called for wisdom, conviction, and consecrated courage. Jehoiada and Jehosheba refused to let Judah spiritually crumble apart on their watch. They understood that Queen Athaliah had no good intentions, or motives, for her reign as civil leader of Judah. So Jehoiada and Jehosheba took it upon themselves to steer Judah away from idolatry and carnality. And such is the heart of the God-movers, the ones who make bold stances because of their fierce love and reverence for God and His Word. The ones who recognize even the seemingly impossible feats are possible through God. The ones who choose to exercise consecrated courage, even when the world around them is mired in cowardice and complacency.