April 23, 2011 (2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48)

When Hezekiah became king, he made immediate changes. It seems he was sick of the people rejecting God.


2 Chronicles 29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. ² He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.  ³ In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them.

God hears our prayers.

^{2 Chronicles 30:18} Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon those¹⁹ who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.” ²⁰ And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.


^{2 Chronicles 30:27} Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayer from his holy dwelling in heaven.

And again, God rewards our faithfulness to Him:

^{2 Kings 18:5} Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. ⁶ He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. ⁷ So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. 


^{2 Chronicles 31:21} In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.