King Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah and reigned twenty-nine years (726 B.C. – 697 B.C.). Born the son of Ahaz, Hezekiah became known as Judah’s reformer king. Change is not easy. There is always rebellion against reform, but those who survive will thrive.
Hezekiah could conform, like his father Ahaz, to sin, ungodliness, idolatry, and hypocrisy; but upon his accession to the throne, Hezekiah decisively and courageously initiated religious reforms. Hezekiah’s reformation included the cleansing of the land. High places, high offices, images, and pagan altars were reformed or destroyed. The bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness centuries earlier was destroyed. The land had never undergone such a thorough reform.
Even in the church, change is not easy. There is always rebellion against reform, but those who survive will thrive. The rebellion is not against the pastor, choir director, the board, but against God. I have three survival points and the first is “Distrust leads to distress.”
The Bible says, 2 Kings 19:29, “This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
The Assyrians had taken possession of Judah, pillaged the land and taken the fortified cities, and now they were besieging Jerusalem. Hezekiah was dealing in a context of distrust and distress within and without the Jerusalem. How long could we survive if the food and money run out? How long will we survive in recessionary times? How long will we have to endure change?
And even if Jerusalem did survive, how long would it take to restore the land? When we distrust God, we can expect distress!
There is always someone who capitalizes from people who fail to trust God. There is always someone who says a word to cause us to tremble. It’s because they want you to fear them more than you trust God. Distrust leads to distress.
The second survival point to remember is that, “We are Planted to Prosper.” The Bible says, 2 Kings 19: 30, “Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.”
God promised that He would deliver His “remnant” from their enemies and they would “take root” and become fruitful again. Sennacherib bragged about defeating other nations, about all he had done and how smart he was.
Have ever met a person who takes up all the air in the room or causes more problems than praise? Have ever met a person who is the most important person in the world?
God will make your’s and God’s enemies your foot stool. Not only would Sennacherib the King of Assyria never enter the city, but he wouldn’t even shoot an arrow to attack Jerusalem. In one night, God’s angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and that put an end to the siege of Jerusalem.
We have to make a decision to plant to prosper.
The third survival point is “Strive to Thrive.”
2 Kings 19:31 says, “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion.”
The spiritual meaning of Zion is the church of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. A remnant humiliated the Assyrians, but the event brought great glory to the Lord and honor to Hezekiah.
Why does God deliver God’s people? For the glory of His own name. 2 Kings 19:34 says, “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
Jesus could have rebelled against reform. He could have gotten off the cross, but He didn’t. He died so the world would be reformed. It is time for us to strive to thrive.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Whitlock is the senior pastor of Reid Temple AME Church in Glen Dale, Maryland. Previously, he served 20 years as the pastor of Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. Church in Irvine, California. This message originally appeared in the February 12, 2010 issue of the L.A. Sentinel Religion section.
