Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 6 He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. 1st Kings 18:5-6
My goldendoodle Archie is well-trained. I spent a lot of time teaching him how to behave and how not to behave. Still, sometimes, he chooses to misbehave and do whatever he wants to do, like bark at other dogs on walks. In those moments, I want to say, “You know better!” I wonder how many times God the Father wants to say that to us when we are making poor decisions that go against His word. We certainly know better than to disobey Him and go against His commands in Scripture. After all, simply knowing God’s instructions to us in His Word is not enough. Once we know the instructions in His word, we are called to obey and do what Scripture says.
When it comes to people who demonstrated their obedience through their actions, King Hezekiah, one of the kings of Judah, stands out. We learn in 2nd Kings 18 that he took the throne in Judah at the age of 25 (verse 2). When describing Hezekiah, this passage of Scripture says that, “he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done” (verse 3). Next, we learn about examples of Hezekiah’s commitment to obeying God’s word. Specifically, he “removed pagan shrines” and other objects that had led the Israelites to commit idolatry (verse 4). Summarizing Hezekiah’s kingship, the writer of 2nd Kings said, “Hezekiah trusted the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses” (verses 5-6). Hezekiah did not just know God’s instructions from Scripture; he obeyed them. As a result, he stood out among all other kings. What an example he set for us! As a result of his obedience, Scripture tells us that “the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did” (verse 7). In other words, God honored his obedience. Now, it is important to know that Hezekiah was not perfect, and he made mistakes. Despite his mistakes, his commitment to obedience stood out, and he brought honor to God as a result.
If we want to honor God in the way we live our lives, we must follow Hezekiah’s example and be people committed to obedience. Will you follow His example? Will you commit to obey all that God commands in Scripture? May each one of us seek to be known for knowing and living out God’s word each and every day.
Your call today is clear, but profound. Your call is to commit to God to be a person who knows and obeys His word. For the next few moments, pray and acknowledge that you know there is a difference between knowing His commands in Scripture and actually doing them. Commit to being a person who deeply knows His word and shows your obedience by your actions. Ask Him to help you as you seek to do this.
“God, I commit to obeying you with my words and actions. Lead me…”
2nd Kings 18:1-8
1Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.
5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 6 He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. 8 He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city.
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