July 19 (Daily reading: 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 48) 2 Kings 18 said that Hezekiah “did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done” (v. 3). It is so refreshing that there is no “but” after these words! Hezekiah did everything right! The record showed that “there was none like him among all the kings of Judah” (v. 5). There are a couple of key phrases that explain this: “He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel” (v. 5), and “he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him” (v.6). These words show that Hezekiah made following God a priority in his life. When we trust Him and cling to Him, we will have spiritual success as he did!
2 Chronicles 29 inspires us to compare our lives as the temple of the Holy Spirit to the temple that Hezekiah repaired. They first consecrated themselves to “carry the uncleanness out from the holy place … the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it” (vv. 5, 16). We must do this ourselves: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). When the cleansing was done, worship was restored (v. 20), which involved the destruction of the pagan pillars, high places, and altars to false gods. They brought “sacrifices and thank offerings” (v. 31) and presented to the true God tithes in great abundance. The people were excited because “the service of the house of the LORD was established again” (v. 35). Cleansing our lives daily by confession, receiving forgiveness, and being thankful will open the door of commitment to God’s service! This revival in Judah involved both the leadership and the people, and the same will be true for us when God is our priority!
– Al Gary
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