HERE WE GO AGAIN
Opening Prayer
Ask God to show you how much he values you and how much he wants to do for you.
Read 2 Chronicles 29:1–11,35b,36
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Hezekiah Purifies the Temple
29 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6 Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. 10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”
35 There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings.
So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished.
36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever lost a godly mentor?We move forward another hundred years or so. After the death of his godly mentor Jehoiada, Joash went off the rails and idolatry made a comeback (2 Chron. 24:17–19). Meanwhile, the northern kingdom of Israel (of which the Chronicler says very little) has been conquered by Assyria, and the people scattered.
So again the Temple is in disrepair and the worship of God in disarray. This is becoming a familiar story. It should not surprise us. It’s a recurring pattern in the life of the nation. And we know from our own experience how easy it is to turn away from God and to allow other things to take over. It’s often subtle and slow—we may not even spot it happening. We may try to justify it—it’s not so important, God wants me to have a life, it doesn’t take much time. There are consequences. Yet God always loves us and wants us back. He will try to get our attention, although his methods may be less drastic than those used here (8,9).
What we can be sure of is that when we turn back and give God his rightful place, he will not only welcome us but will do good things for us (36).
Apply
Are there things in your life that are getting a little too much attention and are taking God’s place? Give God the permission to take over his rightful place.
Closing prayer
Acknowledge your failure and ask God to help you sort it out.
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