Week 22 Day 6
We have read these cycles over and over again
building altars for idol worship
tearing them down
closing the temple doors
opening the temple again
doing what was evil in God's sight
doing what was right in God's sight
But to each generation the choices were new
what is old ground to the reader
was new ground to the participants.
Every time Moses' old Book of the Law
was rediscovered
it became new
and people read it for the first time
those who believed
were changed
their lives were made new.
This time Hezekiah initiated
he wanted to enter into
a covenantal agreement
with God
God responded
heard his desire
and entered into covenant
with him
Seek God and
God will be found
Hezekiah knew this
from personal experience.
A 16-DAY CLEAN UP
Ahaz closed up the temple; Hezekiah reopened it.
II Chronicles 28 & 29
22In the time of distress king Ahaz became increasingly
unfaithful to the Lord. 23He sacrificed to the gods of
Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the
gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them
that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and
of all Israel. 24So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house
of God and cut them in pieces, shut up the doors of the temple
and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
27So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried.
Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. 1He was
twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of
Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the sight of the Lord,
according to all that his father David had done.
3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened
the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4He
brought in the priests and the Levites, 5and said, "Sanctify
yourselves, sanctify the house of our God, and carry out the
rubbish from the holy place. 6Our fathers have turned their
faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned
their backs on Him. 8Therefore He has given them up to
trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your
eyes. 9Indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by
the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives
are in captivity.
10"It is in my heart to make a covenant with the God
of Israel. 11My sons, do not be negligent, for the Lord has
chosen you to stand before Him, and minister to Him."
15The Levites gathered their brethren, sanctified
themselves, and went to cleanse the house of the Lord.
16The priests went into the inner part to cleanse it, and
brought out all the debris that they found.
17They began to sanctify on the first day of the first
month, and on the eighth day they came to the vestibule
of the Lord. So they sanctified the house of the Lord in
eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month
they finished.
18Then they went in to Hezekiah and said, "We have
cleansed all the house of the Lord, with all its articles.
19All the articles which Ahaz had cast aside, are there."
This Bible passage was condensed from the NKJV
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