THE RIGHT AND WRONG OF IT ALL - Part 1
DAY 171:
Regardless of whether the siege came as a surprise to
Hezekiah or not, his past practice of faithfulness prepared him to walk through
the trial he faced with even greater faithfulness. And through it all he learned perhaps the most valuable lesson: THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
I don’t always do the right thing. No surprise that “the
wrong thing” has often brought me consequences that are unpleasant; the
punishment fits the crime, as they say.
Suffering consequences works wonders for my motivation to walk the
straight and narrow path – that is until I discovered that keeping to the more
noble route is not a guarantee that we will be kept from unpleasantness. Anyone who has lived long on this earth has discovered that rain
falls on both the good and the evil. (Matthew 5:45) So what is our motivation
then for keeping to the righteous path?
For me, I have found that what I have learned on that "righteous path" of
making choices to be faithful to God in words and deeds have been the very things that have prepared me to
weather the storm when the the rain does fall.
Instead of an example from my life, let’s look at good King
Hezekiah. When last we saw him, he was
“dong what was right in the sight of the Lord.”
He was restoring the Temple, calling people to worship and serving the
purposes of God. Along the way, he was
rewarded by seeing many of the people come back to the Lord and Hezekiah
himself “sought God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” 2
Chronicles 3:21.
And then there is the rest of the story…. (from 2 Chronicles 32)
“v1After Hezekiah had
faithfully carried out this work (drum-roll please) King Senneacherib of Assyria
invaded Judah.”
Well, that’s a very fine thank you, isn’t it. For all his faithfulness, Hezekiah is now
rewarded with an enemy invasion. I can
only imagine how he must have felt.
Probably the same way you and I feel when we do the right thing but life
still deals us a blow. Did he grumble to himself “thanks a lot, God” like I
might have done? Did he throw up his
hands and say, “well, that's the last time I go out of my way to do what’s
right.”
You might not blame him if he had when you read the extent
of the trouble he faced.
“v1 (Sennacherib) laid
siege to the fortified towns, giving orders for this army to break through
their walls….v16Sennacherib’s officers further mocked the Lord God and his
servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult.”
We might think that faithful Hezekiah had every right to
complain about his situation. After all,
hadn’t he done the right things? Didn’t
he deserve only good in return? Instead
of asking God those questions, Hezekiah set about applying what he knew of
making good and right choices as he now was in the midst of his difficult circumstances.
In looking at his actions, I find 10 lessons for me to heed
that could come in handy when trials come my way. I’ll share 5 of those lessons today; then come back for the
other 5 in Part 2 tomorrow.
LESSON 1: Being faithful
before trials come is preparation to be
faithful in the trials V1: Hezekiah
had been faithful. Hezekiah did not
look to trade his faithfulness for a trouble free life from God. There were no complaints, recriminations or
whining when the difficulties came.
Hezekiah realized he was God’s servant; God was not his servant. He made
no demands of God and did not believe that God “owed him” anything. He was faithful because God deserved his
faithfulness.
Where can you show God your faithfulness in
a trial today?
LESSON 2: Seeking
wise counsel can help us act faithfully. V2 He consulted his officials and military advisers. Full of his own past success, it might
have been easy to go it alone, but instead, the King looked to the wise people
God had provided in his life and he listened and considered their counsel.
Who has God provided to guide and counsel
you in your difficulty?
LESSON 3: God reveals
His purposes through trials. V5 Hezekiah worked hard at repairing all the
broken sections of the wall, erecting towers and constructing a second wall
outside the first. For all the good
that Hezekiah had done before the invasion, he hadn’t gotten around to
fortifying the defenses of the city, even though enemies surrounded them. Through this trial God focused Hezekiah on
God’s purposes that he had missed when things were trouble free. The actions he
took because of the trial now would have long lasting consequences for the good
of Judah later.
How is God using your circumstances to
open your eyes to His purposes?
LESSON 4: Trials do
not happen in a vacuum, but with the opportunity to make an impact.
Hezekiah never became so self-absorbed that he forgot to bless, encourage and
show concern to those around him. He fortified the people not just the
buildings. V6 Then Hezekiah encouraged (the leaders) saying, “Be strong and
courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged… Building up the courage and
faith of the people was as crucial as building up the city's defenses.
How can you take your eyes off of yourself
in your current trial?
LESSON 5: Truth
trumps trials every time. Hezekiah focused himself and his people on truth of
God’s Word regardless of what circumstances seemed and it provide the strength
they needed. V 6-8 “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged…because
of the King of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on
our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord
our God to help and to fight our battles for us. Hezekiah’s words greatly
encourage the people.” When we
stand with God we are always on the strong side. They had no reason to fear no matter
what the size of the foe, and neither do we.
What truth about God do you need to believe
while you are under siege?
Today’s passages for reading the Bible
in One Year.
2 Chronicles 32:1-16
Romans 15:23-16:9
Psalm 25:16-22
Proverbs 20:16-18
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