Mike’s Sea2sea Blog

(This Hezekiah story has been on my mind lately, so I recently wrote this for a family friend. I want to spend more time on this passage this fall).

My friend, I’d like to draw your attention to the story of a young king of Judah. His name is Hezekiah, and quite a bit is written about him. It says that he was 25 years old when he started as a king – that’s very young to lead people, or a government. He would have been surrounded by much older, more experienced people. And he grew up in a world where the previous ruler had rejected God in a severe and public way. In fact, the previous king actually broke some of the temple worship equipment into pieces, and shut the doors to the temple (the nicest one ever, the one Solomon built), so that no one could worship there, and finally set up little shrines to other gods (gods popular with neighbouring nations/empires)all over the capital city. When that king died, they didn’t even bury him with the other kings of Judah.

So Hezekiah shows up, and it’s obvious that someone taught him. Someone, maybe his mom, it doesn’t exactly say, trained him in the way of God. “In the very first month of the first year his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them.” And then, with the whole place no doubt still a mess, he called together the Levites (like worship leaders) and priests. At 25 years young, he got all those leaders together, and like a coach taking over a lousy football program, tells them things are going to be different from now on, and challenges them to do what God called them to do, and to “lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.” It’s a pretty stirring speech.

But the speech isn’t the main thing, friend. It’s the resolve – he marched in, and didn’t worry that others thought he was young, or that he was changing things. He took his place, and there’s a list of the actual names of the others who went to work with him. In 16 days, the people of that country were re-dedicating the Temple of the Lord, and worshipping with sacrifices and “cymbals, lyres, and harps”. You can read about the resolve of the whole country when they faced a massive invasion years later. (Hezekiah’s story starts in the 29th chapter of 2 Chronicles).

By following God he re-shaped the nation.

So – you’ve been trained, too. Like Timothy, a young man from Lystra in the earliest days of the church. Despite being raised in a corrupt world, this was God’s gift to you, and it will bless many others no doubt. Paul said to Timothy “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.” So I challenge you to remain steadfastly committed to what you’ve learned. When you live it out:

It will re-shape the church!

I look forward to seeing your adventure unfold. Maybe I will be one of those older people you’ll need call out and challenge some day.

You better let me have it, don’t hold back a bit.

Much love and grace,

Mike