Hezekiah leaves an example of faith that God honours by including him in his great story of rescue through Jesus.
In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory. (2 Kings 18:1-8)
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, (Matthew 1:10)
As we’ve looked through Jesus’s family tree this week, Hezekiah now stands out as someone who took the commands of God seriously. Hezekiah steps up to rule Judah at a difficult time. God’s people are divided. Israel has been exiled. The people of Judah remain but their kings have led them to evil and rebellion against God’s commands. Hezekiah however, arrives and sets an example of what Jesus would later come to do. He identifies and destroys objects of false worship. He trusts God and does as he commands. He perseveres.
Through Hezekiah’s family tree would come Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus comes and adds what Hezekiah could never do in dying for sin, and giving people power and new life through his resurrection to set their worship rightly on Him.
We can look to the example of Hezekiah as we too look to follow God with our lives and point people to Him as the right object of worship. Hezekiah obeys God even when his blood family and the ‘family’ of God before him have sinned greatly. He leaves an example of faith which God honours by including him in his great story of rescue through Jesus. How does your faith outwork within your family tree? Have you received the ‘relay baton’ from your parents and those before you to continue, or does the example of faith in your family start with you? What example will you leave for those behind you and around you? One of faith or rebellion?
Head: Can you trace an example of faith down your family tree? How do you fit in? Are you the start?
Heart: How has it been hard for you to follow and obey God given the example of friends and family around you?
Hands: How can you set an example of faith for those around you?
Prayer: Thankyou Jesus that I have you as an example of faith. I want to faithfully follow and obey you with my life and set an example of faith for those around me, but I struggle each and every day. Thank you for your love and forgiveness on the cross, and the power of your resurrection that gives me strength to keep going even when it’s hard. Please help our church community to be one that helps point each other to you as examples of your love to each other. Please help me to be a part of that. In your name Jesus, Amen.
A song to listen to: I’ll Show You How To Live https://open.spotify.com/track/41CcA8DGot8VfcR1HPycwF
Brad Cole
This Grow Daily was originally posted as part of a previous Christmas series in 2016. During the School Holidays we take the opportunity to look back at the best of Grow Dailys over the years.
