Do Good A Lot

A pretty young mother found her little son weeping uncontrollably. She knelt beside him, hugged him and asked him what was wrong. He was crying because his dad had said a bad word to him.

The lady knew her husband as a proper gentleman, so she asked her son, “Sweetheart, what did Papa say to you”? The sobs increased… until the little boy finally said tearfully, “Papa said ‘Obey!’”.

What if, as old as we are, this word is still a problem for us? (We are considering 2Kings18 today).

King Hezekiah of Judah was the son of Ahaz, a king who really defiled God’s temple and worshipped idols. These were horrible times – the kingdom of Israel was suffering under the threats and taxes of Assyria. But Hezekiah stood tall among several kings who preceded him for over 100 years and a couple of generations after him too (2Kings chps18-20). O, some kings really tried, half-heartedly, to stop idolatry. So, was his reign a peaceful one? No! This king decided to do all in his power to help Judah avoid the consequences of their evil deeds. You can call him a “Good-Doer” who tried to court God’s favour for his people, Judah.

He quickly restored the temple worship services, which had been neglected for years. Then he managed to push the Philistines back all the way to Gaza. He refused to pay tribute again to Assyria. He was on his throne when Shalmaneser of Assyria took Israel into exile in Assyria. Then when Sennacherib took over as king of Assyria, he came and surrounded Hezekiah’s Judah. Through threats and other arm-twisting tactics, he got Hezekiah to pay tribute. Then Hezekiah stopped again. So Sennacherib got angry and sent emissaries to Judah. They stood close enough to the palace, teased and taunted God’s people. The Judeans listened and felt their stomachs twisting into knots. It seemed they were going to be sent into exile, like their brothers, the Israelites. Propaganda from the Assyrians was breaking the morale of even the king’s support base, discouraging even the young soldiers! So King Hezekiah cried out to God.

God decided He was going to do things His own way and take the glory. An angel finished off 185,000 trained Assyrian soldiers in one night. Then the devastated king, Sennacherib, heard a rumour and rushed back home. But he never got home. His own two sons assassinated him and fled into exile. That’s how that campaign ended. Talk about a miracle-working God! Hezekiah’s lifespan was even extended by a good 15 years!

Should we complain when God says, “obey” because we want to “disobey”? Or should we “woo” God’s favour in our lives? Should we not be “Good-Doers”?

-©2021 CNEAmoah

Keep in mind that:

1. Hezekiah planned to love God with all his heart (not ½ or ¾)
2. He executed God’s pleasure in his kingdom, so God gave him victory even over powerful foes (Isaiah 49:24-25, Ps 18:17)
3. God also added a whopping 15 years to his life(2Kings20.5,6)
4. He entirely fulfilled his destiny, and posterity would favour him. You could say he fought a good fight of faith (2Tim4:7).

What do you think? Why not talk to God about your own existence now? Why not ask Him to OBEY through you (Philippians 2:13). It’s that easy.