The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 323

Lord commanded Moses" (ver. 6). Such is tr'!Ul ,·eligim. Religion is the dedlce.tion of th~ he11rt and life to God .. A man may differ from me in creed, and in the way he wor- sh11?s the same ~ ; but 1f he loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and serves God in sincerity, be 1s a truly rehg1ous man. "In every nation be that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." How expressive and instructive are some of these quaint old phrases! "He clave wnto the l,o,,.d." Hezekiah set before him one great aim at tbo commencement of his life, and that was to pies.so God. Whatever it might cost, he made up his mind to keep close t.o God. It is a grand resolution for the young to make. It is a grand aim to keep before them in life. But Hezekiah had not merely a goal at which he aimed. He had ce,·tain well-defined lines along which he reached that goal. He knew that, to please God, he must keep his commandments. He did not set up his own will in opposition to the will of God, king though he Wl\8, He did not dispute the wisdom of God's commands. He felt that God knew much better than be did the path of wisdom and of duty. This is one of the best evidences of true faith-of real trust iu God. ,ve may not see the reason for a command of God but let us obey it. A parent will give his child many commands, for which it is qui~ unnecessary, perhaps undesirable, that the child should know the reason. Obedience based on faith is one of the first principles of life. Here, then, was the beginning of Hczekiah's success in life. It began with the state of his own heart. He trusted in God. That trn~t in God moulded his whole character, and character is the foundation of all that is permanent in life. II. TRUST IN Goo LEADS TO PRACTICAL EFFORT. Hezekiah very soon showed by his conduct that he was determined to serve God. He did not leave the people loug in doubt as to which side he was on. In the very first year of his reign, and in the first month of it, be opened the doors of the temple of the Lord, which his father had closed, and repaired them (:2 Chron. xxix. 3). As soon as the temple was set in proper order, he caused the priests and the Levites to commence at once the public service of God. Then, in the second month, he issued a. proclamation throughout all the land of Israel and Judah, inviting the people to come to Jerusalem to k~ep the Passover in the house of the Lord. What a fes1i·rnl and time of rejoicing that was I For seven days they kept the Fea~t of Unleavened Bread with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests prai-cd the Lord day by day, singing with lond instruments unto the Lord. Peace offerings were offl'red; confession of sin was made, not to the priests, but to the Lord God of their fathers ; and the presl'nce of the Lord was so manifested among the large congregation, that when the seven days of the Passover were ended, the whole assembly unanimously agreed to keep seveu days more. "So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David King of Israel there waa not the like in Jerusalem." 'l'he effect of the service was electrical. When the Passover was finished, the people went out to all the cities of Judah, and brake the imagPs in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars until they had utterly destroyed them all. In all this work of destroying the symbols of idolatry, Heze,kiah the king took a leading part. Even the brazen serpent which Moses bad made did not escape the destroying hand. It was an interesting relic of Israel's journeying in the wilderness, and of their wonderful <lcliverance by God. But it had become a snare to the people. It had become an object of worship to some, as relics and images become to many professing Christians, 'l'~ey worshipped it and burnt incense to it. Hezekiah was not the man to destroy anythmg that was a help to true devotion. He encouraged the Levites to use the trumpets, the harp, and the psaltery, to stir up and stimulate the singing of the congregatio~, and to render to God a hearty and glorious service of praise. But he saw that the brazen serpent had become an idol in itself, and was leading the thoughts of the people away from the true Object of worship. So he broke it in pieces. All honour to the determined reformer, who destroyed everything that bad become dishonouring to God I All honour to those stem reformers who from time to time have broken in pieces the symbols of ,dolatry in the Church of Christ ! Would that in the Church of Rome to-day some such reformer would arise, who would denounce and overthrow its image-worship and Mariolatry I Such was the work of reformation which Hezekiah accomplished among his people. It ahowa how God honours those who are determined lo serve him, ant! how he blea,a imm,diau and d6cided action. Uezekiah might well have hesitated io on. um. 1-37.] 'fHE SECOND BOOK OF THE KI~GS.