A legacy of trust and authentic worship

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Today we read the account of King Hezekiah. In a laundry list of Kings who have not served God or who served him half-heartedly, we read of Hezekiah’s legacy. Here is what 2 Kings 18:5-7 tells us about him:

“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 him. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was sucessful in whatever he undertook.”

When I read this I was fascinated by how closely it parallels proverbs 3:5-8 (incidentally, my text notes indicate that the writer of Chronicles saw Hezekiah as a second Solomon – who wrote the proverbs):

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

Both Hezekiah and Solomon knew the secrets to success. We see Proverbs 3:5-8 out in both of their lives. Trust in the Lord and a reverent fear of God was the foundation of their legacy. Let’s take a closer look at how this played out in the reign of Hezekiah and how it can be played out in our own lives as well.

First and foremost Hezekiah made a decision. His decision was to trust – to put his weight fully down on God and his loving sovereign power and promises. This decision is lived out as he chooses smash the sacred stones and Asherah poles (these became part of worship when kings who didn’t trust God reigned – they reflected pagan religion and idolatry). This action was a demonstration of his choice to trust in the Lord. The message was clear – he knew there is no one or no thing that has more power in his life than God himself. We also can make this choice – to stop trusting in things that the world does – money, status, career, men or women, friends, even our own powers and ability to effectuate a situation – and put our weight fully down on God. We make the choice – the power of the Spirit works itself in our lives to enable us to do so.

The second thing Hezekiah did was return to worship to it’s right place and intentions. Worship is meant to express honor, reverence, and praise to the one true God. Hezekiah destroyed places and ways of false worship and opened again the doors of the temple. He made worship an act that was consecrated – set apart – to and for the Lord – a pure worship.

We also can do the same in our lives. Allow God to search your heart about the way that you worship. Do you worship because God expects it – are your worshipping to earn God’s favor? Or do you worship so that other’s will see you and praise you for the way you serve and worship? Perhaps you worship a false God – a God who you’ve created to fit your own needs and/or desires and have tried to put the name of the Lord on that God. All of these are a form of flesh-gratifying worship – not of God but of your own purposes.

What, then, is true authentic worship? “True worship will worship the Father in Sprit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” – John4:23. This is a worship where ‘self’ is removed. A worship to God and for God. We are to worship to and through the power of God. We are to worship in truth – to the true God as revealed to us in his word. We are to worship God because he is truth. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God should be central to your worship. When this is central in our worship, our flesh is removed and our worship is authentic and consecrated – set apart – for praise and glory of God. When we worship in Spirit and in truth, like Hezekiah and Solomon, the way we live our very lives becomes worship – a life that seeks to trust and acknowledge God, his wisdom, his will, his glory.

Allow me to mention one last thing that it important to note about Hezekiah that will lead us into the book of Hosea and our discussion there for the next several days. He understood that sins of the past did not keep God from working in the lives of the people today. He knew the truth that although the sins of the past bring difficulty and judgment, the minute one returns to God, he returns to them. This truth is the same in your life today. In any area where you have forsaken God, you need only to return that area – perhaps your entire life – over to him. When you do , he will return swiftly – immediately – to you and to this area, bring relief, and again begin working to give your rest and success.

With words of grace, I end today with what Hezekiah spoke to the people of Israel. God is speaking this to you today – just substitute your own name:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you…submit to the Lord, come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever…for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.” – 2 Chronicles 30:6-9.

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels