2 Chronicles 29: 1-20
Following the death of ungodly king Ahaz his 25 year old son Hezekiah ascended to the throne and reigned for 29 years. He is summarised as doing that which was 'right in the sight of the LORD' like his ancestor King David, who was 'a man after God's own heart'.
Noticeably, his mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah - if this was Zechariah the prophet, we can deduce that his mother would have brought him up to follow after the LORD.
As soon as he came to the throne Hezekiah had the temple opened up and the doors repaired. He gathered the priests and the Levites together and instructed them to clean and consecrate the temple ready for worship.
Before reading further in this chapter, my attention has been caught by Hezekiah's prompt actions to open up the temple for worship, and how as soon as it was ready he rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, went to the temple and worshipped the LORD.
Hezekiah has come to the throne following his father's disastrous reign with invasions and defeat after defeat. He seems to act with urgency to entreat the LORD's favour towards them. He recognises their need of him, his divine help and protection, and he doesn't let the knowledge of the nation's neglect towards God stop him from going forward. He tells the priests and Levites,
"Our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God...forsaken him...turned away...from the habitation of the LORD...turned their backs...shut up the doors...put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel" (verse 6,7).
He tells them further that it is because of this that their fathers experienced God's wrath and they have seen their families killed or taken prisoners. We can picture a little of the devastation and sadness which they must have felt in regard to their families and properties.
It makes my heart rejoice to see how his first actions seemed to be to put God and the worship of him first - he didn't say, 'the first things we need to do is strengthen our armies and rebuild our fortifications, and at some point we must get round to having the temple opened up again'. No, it was virtually immediately. How this demonstrates Hezekiah's priorities and the importance he gave to the worship of God!
In Haggai we read of another occasion where the house of God is in ruins, but the people had been too busy repairing their own houses and trying to make a living to give time to the temple. God sends them a message by his prophet Haggai, telling them to 'Consider your ways' (1:5, 7). He shows them that although they have been busy trying to be successful in their farming etc it is as if they put their wages in a holey bag - ie they don't have enough. He encourages them to build the temple, and he will take pleasure in it and be glorified (verse 8).
Earlier in 1 Samuel 2:30, God tells Eli a prophet, that 'them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed'. God loves to have his children give him reverence, respect and honour and he will bless them in return. If everything seems to be going wrong in our lives it might be a good idea to stop and reflect - to consider our ways - are we putting God first, or are we working hard at earthly things and fitting God in when we have time?
Hezekiah got up early to go and worship. Jesus got up 'a great while before day' (Mark 1:35) to go and pray in a solitary place. David wrote, 'O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee' (Psalm 63:1). It demonstrates an eagerness to be with God, to hear his voice, to follow him. When we love somebody who doesn't live with us, we are eager to get up and go and meet them, to talk with them - we love to be with them. Practically it also might mean that we can worship God without distractions and before other people - ie children, spouse or employer need us.
May the Lord bless you as you strive to seek him early, honouring him in prioritising and showing your dependence on him.
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