For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Chron. 29-30, 2 Kings 18:1-8
Hezekiah was even more of a polar opposite to Ahaz than Ahaz was to Jotham. I’m not sure that any other king did as much to turn Judah away from God as Ahaz did. From first to last of his reign, Ahaz was a rotten apple. In contrast, no other king was as consistently faithful to God as was King Hezekiah. When he took the throne of Judah, he wasted no time in setting right what his father had defiled. He reopened God’s temple, restoring it along with all of its artifacts and services. And he reinstated the priests and the Levites to their appointed duties, including the music. It was a total turn-around.
I love the final statement of 2 Chronicles 29. It says, “Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.” (2 Chron. 29:36). Life often turns on a dime, especially for the worse. Every now and then, though, things make a sudden U-turn for the better, as happened here. What a cause for rejoicing that is! And what a source of hope, knowing that we are never too far gone for God to restore. As Hezekiah said in his message to the entire land of Jacob, “For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” (2 Chron. 30:9b).
2 Chron. 31
I love the effects of good leadership. Hezekiah lit a flame and it spread to the people. They joined in to carry his efforts of returning to God throughout the entire land, destroying all the places of false worship. This is a hint of the kind of leadership that Jesus demonstrated to us with His life. He, too, lit a flame and we, His people as a whole, carry that torch from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth. Each of us is then to pass that flame off to everyone we can. Because God didn’t just establish kings to be leaders in His kingdom. Even in the lowliest position we can lead by showing others the way to God’s restoration.
Ps. 48
“[God’s] holy mountain, rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth.” (Ps. 48:1b). My thought when I read this verse was that the whole earth most certainly does not have joy. The response in my mind was, “No, but they do have access to it.” That, in turn, makes me think that this verse speaks of how Jesus is the source of joy for the entire world. The only source of true joy, really. Because it is when we come to Him, the risen mountain of God, that we find restoration and life.