Last night I had quite a different experience that may have restored a love for the Chronicles. I read the account of King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29-31. Wow. Talk about a leader who is bold! His desire was for God's chosen people to return to their first love. He was full on struck by God's heart. Some of his actions were very reminiscent of my own experiences in Israel... for example, removing Asherah poles. Other actions were concepts I never even dreamed could happen.
At the time of his reign, Passover hadn't been properly celebrated in years due to a lack of consecrated priests, and the people's lack of desire to join in community in Jerusalem for the feast (kind of like my former lack of desire to read about it!). So what does he do? Why he crafts a letter and sends it out to everybody inviting them to the party! What surprised me was his lack of hesitancy:
People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, He will not turn his face from you if you return to him (2 Chronicles 30:6-9, NIV).
He's calling the prodigals home and gets mocked by the population for doing so. Nevertheless, some men of various tribes and what seems like most of Judah united in this cause and humbly went to Jerusalem.
What if our political leaders sent out a letter like this?
How about it, Barack? Are you willing to be mocked by the mass population for standing up for the beliefs you have claimed and implore America to return to the LORD?
When I went to the polls, I made the commitment to pray throughout the whole term of our next president. To pray that he would be completely transformed by the power of the cross and help guide our nation in the characteristics of Christ. Maybe a public decree like Hezekiah's is not what God has called Obama to do, and I can live with that.
It would be nice to have a leader like Hezekiah, "doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered" (2 Chronicles 31:20-21, NIV).
With or without the support of our government, a renewal is coming. There is something in the air and the stakes are high. I can feel it.
No comments:
Post a Comment