Louise McEvoy, Adult Ministries Coordinator

2 Chronicles 29:1-11 (MSG)

1-2 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah. In God’s opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David.

3-9 In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having first repaired the doors of The Temple of God, threw them open to the public. He assembled the priests and Levites in the court on the east side and said, “Levites, listen! Consecrate yourselves and consecrate The Temple of God—give this much-defiled place a good house cleaning. Our ancestors went wrong and lived badly before God—they discarded him, turned away from this house where we meet with God, and walked off. They boarded up the doors, turned out the lights, and canceled all the acts of worship of the God of Israel in the holy Temple. And because of that, God’s anger flared up and he turned those people into a public exhibit of disaster, a moral history lesson—look and read! This is why our ancestors were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken prisoner and made slaves.

10-11 “I have decided to make a covenant with the God of Israel and turn history around so that God will no longer be angry with us. Children, don’t drag your feet in this! God has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship—this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well.”

Reflection:

When I think of goodness, I think of my old friend, Sean. In high school, he was one of those popular, good-looking, upperclassman athletes. He was dorky and fun, he was kind and patient, but most of all, Sean was, and still is, a very good person. He introduced me to my best friend (who is still one of my best friends today), he would be the designated driver when we went out, he supported all his friends, and he made my world a better place. Even later in life when faced with the loss of his son the goodness remained. His goodness remained. 

In a fraternity of mostly bad kings of the Divided Kingdom, King Hezekiah stands out for his goodness. He takes the reign at the age of twenty-five and the passage says, “In God’s opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David.” What a nice compliment and a tall order. Other human kings in his position could not do it.

Looking at verses 3-9, we can see what King Hezekiah inherited from his father, King Ahaz. It was one hot mess. He could have easily continued this vicious cycle of abuse of power, idolatry, disrespect, and irresponsibility to God’s Kingdom and theocracy. But Hezekiah chose a different path, a different way to serve and lead. He turned to his faith and cleaned house. He declared his intention to re-establish Israel’s covenant with Yahweh and turn the tide and reminded everyone of their duty to serve the Kingdom of God. 

Hezekiah continued his extreme makeover with a purification offering “to take away the sin of all Israel” and that the offering “should be on behalf of all Israel.” Let me say that again … ALL ISRAEL. Under the leadership of Hezekiah, it was not only a cleansing of the Temple but of their souls. This level of goodness and focused leadership can only come from the Holy Spirit. Hezekiah and his decisions showed the goodness of God for all to see.  

Where have you seen the goodness of God in you and others? If we can trust that the Holy Spirit is all around and readily available to support us, we can have faith that there is goodness in us that we can then offer to others.

Prayer:

Our Good, Good Father – Thanks for putting good people in my life. Open my eyes so that I can see and experience the goodness of Your presence around me. Most importantly, soften our hearts to accept the influence of Your Holy Spirit, allowing me to demonstrate Your goodness to others. Amen.