Lesson 18: Refreshing Change

 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 8 He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. (II Kings 18)
After hearing about king after king who did evil in the sight of the LORD, any hint of good is refreshing.  Here we find Hezekiah, about whom descriptions of goodness pile up: "he did what was right", "he removed the high places" of idol worship; "he broke in pieces the bronze serpent" which had become and idol of the history of Israel; "he trusted in the LORD"; "he held fast to the LORD"; "he  kept the commandments"; he refused to bow down to the Assyrians; he drove out the Philistines, reminiscent of David's drive to establish the Kingdom.  This is a picture of whole-hearted devotion to live for God's will.  As we will see, he was not perfect, but he is a refreshing change, and what he did was "written for our example" (I Corinthians 10), reminding us that whatever our background or culture, we can "go against the flow" and live all out for Christ.  It's all about taking the first steps: removing the idols, trusting God, clinging to His commands, and choosing to serve God first and foremost.  May we be a breath of fresh air for the LORD today and from this day forward.  What a way to say "Thank you!" to Him.