May 27, 2016 Bible Study — Hezekiah As An Example For Troubled Times

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Chronicles 31-33.

    The Passover which Hezekiah called the people to assemble and celebrate inspired them to go out and destroy the shrines and altars dedicated to other gods. They did this not only in the lands ruled over by Hezekiah, but also in the lands of the Northern Tribes. The people were further inspired to make offerings and donations so that priests and Levites throughout the entire land could focus on teaching the people to worship God and follow His commands. In Hezekiah we see the two aspects of following God. First, we must do so sincerely and with a whole heart. Second, we must do what God desires for us to do. It is not enough to be sincere in our worship if our actions are wrong. We find an example of this in how Hezekiah faced the king of Assyria. He did not attempt to lead his forces into battle against the invading forces. Instead, he cried out in prayer to God. It is worth noting that Hezekiah did not wait until the Assyrians were at the gates to do something about them. When the Assyrians first began to march towards Jerusalem, Hezekiah covered over the water supplies around the city so that they would not be available to the Assyrian army. In the same way, we should prepare for difficult times, then cry out to God for direction and aid when those troubles come upon us.