Articles
Hezekiah's Great Reform - 2 Chron. 29-31
Hezekiah's Great Reform - 2 Chron. 29-31
It is said of Hezekiah "did what was good, right and true before the Lord his God. Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered" (31:20-21).
The first order of business was to restore. This begins by restoring the temple to holiness by removing all that was unclean that had somehow accumulated there. Then, the service of the house of the LORD was established again (29:35). They begin again celebrating the Passover (ch. 30). They continue by removing and destroying the idols that they had made (31:1). They began supporting the priests so 'they might devote themselves to the law of the LORD" (31:4). This was said to have happened 'suddenly'. There was no secret to doing this, one simply needed to do it.
The writer summarizes this restoration: "Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right and true before the Lord his God. Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered" ( 31:20-21).
At that point the real restoration would begin: the restoring of the hearts of the people. The greatest commandment was still the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The people had "been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him and turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have turned their backs" (2C 29:6).
Hezekiah reminds them: "if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
The changing of the heart begins with the realization and acknowledgment of sin and what it had brought into their lives. We read that the priests were ashamed (2C. 30:15). So, with great contagious enthusiasm, the people join in this return to the LORD.
Great beginnings, however, do not always result in great faithfulness. As quickly as Hezekiah restores, Manasseh, his son, tears down (chapter 33). The enthusiasm to restore was turned to enthusiasm to apostatize and indulge in idolatry.
The restoring of hearts is more difficult than the restoring of the forms and functions of religion. The restoration of people is never done. With each generation, there is the need to lead people to love God with all their heart. Such must begin with our own hearts. Real restoration begins with me. Are you like Hezekiah or Manasseh?
Hugh DeLong
