2 kngs 20 ~very short.. read it sometime :) ~
** if nothing else, at least check out the pics at the bottom, wait though if you plan to read.. glory!**
Continuing from last blog, we just read in kings the story of Hezekiah, his heart for the lord, his newly added 15 years of life as a result of the Lord hearing his prayers, and seeing his tears.
Reading today, we’re gifted with one more story of Hezekiah, after which - so far as scriptural history is concerned - he went to heaven and “rested with his fathers”.
He was home.
This story, the last story of his life gives us a picture into this mans heart, what he - a man of God - held as being valuable.
Lets ask for ears to hear...
As the story goes, Hezekiah is sent a letter and gifts from the king of babylon lamenting his sickness. Hezekiah takes these messengers delivering this gift, and shows them around his palace... “there was nothing in his palace of in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.”
In his palace, under his reign he had accumulated ‘storehouses of silver, gold, spices, fine oil, all his armory and many other treasures’ Lots of stinkin wealth...
How he handled that wealth, we read next...
After giving these guys the ‘tour’ of his riches.. Isaiah came to him and asked him where they came from and what they wanted... Hezekiah answered him, and Isaiah’s response was of the Lord:
“hear the word of the Lord: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off...” 2kngs20:17
All this wealth. Gone.
Now remember from my last blog how Hezekiah was told a few years back that he would die.. without tears he asked the lord to “remember” his goodness... read it. Then after sharing his words with the Lord, he wept bitterly... I talked about how I’m not too convinced he didn’t weep because he was meant to stay on earth, maybe he felt the lord tell him before hearing the words from Isaiah that he would not die just yet... and wept bitterly.
So, with his heart for the Lord and steadfast hope in his place in heaven, how do you think he reacted to the news of all his posessions being taken?
“‘The word of the Lord you have spoken is good’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ‘will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?’”
He clearly didn’t see ‘his’ posessions, as ‘his’, but ‘His’! :) “will there not be peace in my lifetime?”
He had peace. He knew that whatever the lord said, wherever He might direct, that he would follow , because of his place in eternity. He had peace. And he felt secure... in His Lord.
Do posessions get in the way for us? How would we react to this news? (not rhetorical... answer it for yourself :))
How this section ends is especially warm for me because after sharing this story, it then goes on to say “as for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the books of the annals of the kings of Judah?”
He brought water to his people. :0
h2o. life.
If you know even a little about my last few years, you might know that water has in many ways been my life, become my life, and in more ways is revealing itself in my future. Growing up near water, working on water at malibu, guiding rafts down the arkansas... all warming me to now my favorite water activity, bringing to people without... clean, safe water... this you could describe as my passion, and the Lord has guided me through and to His good work with water, all the while punctuating my hope in eternity :)
Hezekiah is the man in my book.
He spent that 15 years, and gave it back to Him, brought life to His people, and with this last story we learn that posessions had no hold on him.
Give your things back to Him... your heart to Him. Soak in this verse.
“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this’ says the lord almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” malachi3:10
The only place where the Lord says "test me"... Are you willing? Do you belieeeeve?? Do I? Who resides in this "house" god is saying to bring food to... "His" house... a house for all humans, broken, poor, hungry.. in need. Bring your tithes to these... Test Him.
This morning, I woke up reeeeally early (like 5.. come to find out it was daylight savings)... and the spirit led me to go kayak.
Glad I did. Look at the blessing he poured out, starting with just a dribble of goodness, eventually opening up the 'floodgates of heaven' leading me to worship... I can't remember a more beautiful sunrise :)
i love this.
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