July 18, 2012 … Humble Worship Restored

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 200  

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Kings 18 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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 Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicles, Chapters 29-31 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 48 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: 2nd Kings 18: 1; 5-7; 13 :[NIV] … 1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. … 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. 
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Highlight Passage #2: 2nd Chronicles 29: 3-5; 11; 20-21; 29-31 :[NIV] … 3 In the first month of the first year of his [Hezekiah’s] reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them.4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side5 and said: "Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. … [Hezekiah to the Levites] 11 “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense." … 20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord.21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord…. 29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped. 31 Then Hezekiah said, "You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord." So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.  
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Highlight Passage #3: 2nd Chronicles 30: 1; 10-12; 15; 25 :[NIV] … 1 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 10 The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them.11 Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord. … 25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel, including the foreigners who had come from Israel and also those who resided in Judah. 
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Highlight Passage #4: 2nd Chronicles 31: 1-2; 20-21 :[NIV] … 1 When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property. 2 Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord's dwelling. 20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 21 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.  
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Highlight Passage #5: Psalm 48: 1; 14 :[NIV] … 1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. … 14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.  

My Journal for Today: Another rather rigorous reading day in my chronological reading plan, … today studying about King Hezekiah, one of the good guys in 2nd Kings and Chronicles; and the king in Judah who almost wrought a complete turn-around in the worship lives of the Israelites before Hezekiah’s progeny came in and wrecked it all.

But during Hezekiah’s rule, as you can read from today’s study, God was worshiped and the Book of the Law reintroduced; and many of the God-honoring festivals, like Passover, were brought back into the life of the Israelites. Hezekiah even tried to introduce Godly worship and devotion into the lives of the northern tribes; but most of them simply laughed at him. A small number (there always seems to be a remnant seeking God), however, did come back to Jerusalem to join in with the revival which God had released on His people because of Hezekiah’s Godly reign.

And if one does a little biblical study of the great Old Testament revivals, as I did for this journal entry, you would see that every one of these great returns to God from rebellion, idolatry, and the like was accompanied by a collective surrender to God and His word, great movements of fasting/prayer, and a spreading individual obedience to God’s will, usually following some great and Godly leader, like Moses, Samuel, David, Jehoshaphat, Ezra, Nehemiah, or our hero of the day, Hezekiah.

There are many in our world today who’re clamoring for revival and teaching Godly principles and calling our worldly leaders to repent and return to God’s ways through His word; ,,, men like John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, David Jeremiah (doesn’t he have a great biblical name), Chuck Swindoll, and others. But how many of us are listening; and how many churches are applying their teachings in their own churches? How many of us are fasting and praying for revival? And how many of us are living lives totally surrendered to God’s will from His word?

I believe, when God senses we, as a world, are moving in His direction, He, through His Spirit will release revival on our world; … OR … Jesus will return for His bride. Either one is in my prayers almost daily.  

My Prayer Today: … Lord, reign down Your love and righteousness in revival on this land; or come again … SOON!!! Amen