"In the first year of his reign, in the first month,
he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired
them."
2 Chronicles 29:3
King Ahaz was not a good king. We are told that he was
unfaithful to God, that he worshiped the gods of Syria, shut up the doors of
the house of the Lord, and set up altars to false gods in every corner of
Jerusalem. All this brought ruin upon him and upon Israel.
After Ahaz died, his son, Hezekiah took the throne. Though
his dad was a rotten king, amazingly Hezekiah was a very good king who honored
the Lord. He became king at the age of 25, and we see right away that this
young king would establish his throne on the right priorities. He did not begin
his reign focusing on civil programs, but had the wisdom to know his people
needed spiritual renewal. What encourages me the most about this young king is
that he didn't wait to get the right priorities set. We learn in 2 Chronicles
29:3 that he re-opened the temple in the very first month of his reign, and
later in the chapter we are told that they began to sanctify the temple on the
first day of the first month. What an example of godly leadership, he knew the
spiritual priority, he saw what needed to be done, and he didn't wait, he did
it!
Hezekiah understood the ruin his father had brought upon
Israel by turning from the Lord, so when he began his reign it was first things
first. He began to turn the nation's heart back to God. Is there an area of
your spiritual walk that you know has been closed up or neglected? Is there
something that you know you need to do to be stronger in the Lord? First things
first, don't wait, don't put it off, honor the Lord, do it, no excuses, start
today!
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