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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/william-skates/restoration-under-hezekiah/
He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.
And he brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together on the East Street and said unto them, hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
Now for sake of time, come down further. Verse 23. And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation. That's a lot of rustling of paper. Did I give out the right chapter?
Second Chronicles 29. You got it. OK, good. We're in verse 23. And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation. And they laid their hands upon them, and the priests killed them.
And they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar to make an atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. Now again, further down, verse 27.
And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David, king of Israel.
And all the congregation worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. And all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Last verse in the chapter, verse 36. And Hezekiah rejoiced. And all the people, that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done suddenly. Now the Lord will bless to us the further reading from his word.
Appreciate the word our brother has brought before us from the little book of Ruth. A little book that talks about going away and coming back. I want to take a look just briefly at this chapter this morning with the thought of restoration under Hezekiah.
Just very briefly, the background here is the temple has been built in Jerusalem under Solomon, but many years have passed. And that system of temple worship has evidently fallen into disuse. There's a lack of appreciation in the nation for the things of God and for public worship in the temple system.
As a result, the temple is actually closed. The doors are closed. And the sacrificial system evidently has come to an end, or at least is not functioning the way God intended. But Hezekiah changes that.
He comes to the throne at the age of 25. I want you to think with me very briefly about his past. We would learn that his father was a man called Ahaz. And Ahaz did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
So Hezekiah has that against him. He was actually, he was raised in a home like that. But I want you to notice that Hezekiah did not use that as a cop-out that he himself would repeat the failures of his father.
You see. And I think it's always a tragedy when failure comes in and sad situations arise in the assemblies. Believers become disgruntled, disaffected, unhappy, and leave the assembly. It is sadder when their influence is allowed to affect an oncoming generation.
And as a result, family members leave God's assembly. Now Hezekiah was made of better stuff. And he did not allow the failure of a previous generation to affect his service for God. I want you to think not only of his past, but of his priority in life.
Verses 1, 2, and 3. He comes to the throne, and he reigns for 29 years. And he's just a young man. And he's 25. We read that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David, his father, had done.
So the appearing of Hezekiah in the nation of Judah at that time in the southern kingdom, it was like a breath of fresh air. I mean, up in the north, in the kingdom of Israel in the north, this time the nation is divided.
There's the kingdom in the north, Israel. There's the kingdom in the south, Judah. There's failure in Israel to the north. But failure has come into Judah as well in the south. And Ahaz is an example of that.
But Hezekiah comes as a breath of fresh air into the kingdom as a young man. Verse 3, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and he repaired them.
Now, isn't that good? Here is the priority of a young man, to get back to God and to the things of God, just like David, his forefather that's mentioned. David said, Psalm 63 and 1, O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee.
My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, to see thy power and thy glory as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. That was the longing of David's heart. It was evidently the longing of Hezekiah's heart.
I'm sure it is the longing of every true child of God here this morning, that we might know more of his presence from day to day in our lives. His priority as a young man. Now, let me say this. Iowa has produced many fine sons, successful in careers, successful farmers, successful in business and agribusiness.
But at last count, we have six full-time preachers in Iowa. Four of those dear beloved brethren are in their 80s, and naturally speaking, the most of their days of public service are past. Thank God for their health that they do enjoy.
There are two more that are both above 65, I believe. All right, Iowa? But here's the question. How many young men have we coming on in Iowa? We appreciate God having raised up younger men in other parts of the land and the continent.
Thankful for our brethren with us today. But just think about that. 10 years is gonna make a difference. Perhaps it's time just to reflect on our priorities in life. Perhaps as assemblies, it's time to reflect upon our priorities as assemblies.
Is there an atmosphere that encourages and develops younger men? I'm leaving these questions out there that we may think about. But you say there are no open doors. All right, I hear ya. That's what Hezekiah found too, isn't it?
The doors were closed. But he opened the doors for God. And he made a way, or he found a way, where there seemed to be no way. Now, God's way is this. God's way is this. First Timothy chapter four, verse 12 says, let no man despise thy youth.
But be thou an example of the believers in word, in manner of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Paul was writing to a younger man. I take it the point is this. To be useful for God, you keep yourself right with God.
Move in fellowship with God from day to day. And be exercised in the things of God, and the way will open. We find that Hezekiah was a man with priorities. Notice from verse four through 11, the priests are instructed.
There is, in these verses, the thought of sanctification. There's the thought of recognition. There's the thought of exhortation. Called to sanctification, the Levites and the priests were called together.
And what we find Hezekiah doing just here at this point is, he's actually setting up an atmosphere of expectation of what was required of these men. That's true leadership. Verse five, he said unto them, hear me now, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
You see what he's doing? He's exhorting, he's encouraging, he's giving direction, and he's letting those men get at it. When we come to verse six, there's a recognition of past failure. Our fathers have trespassed.
They have forsaken the Lord. They have turned their backs. Verse seven, they have shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, et cetera. But Hezekiah is in effect saying to these men, look, we recognize that.
But you let that be as it may. You put failure behind you, you press on regardless for God, and do God's work right now, this day. And God will bless it. Exhortation, verse 11. Be not now negligent, for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him and to serve Him.
Be not now negligent, for the Lord has chosen you. Would you say to me, how do I know that I'm a chosen vessel in that regard to serve? Well, think about what Peter said. First Peter chapter two, verse nine.
You remember he said, ye are a chosen generation. Ye are that, a royal priesthood. What for? That ye might show forth the praises of Him that has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Now be not thou negligent.
I would that that little word from Hezekiah would resonate in our souls today. You and I are still called to shine as lights in this dark world as a testimony to our God. And may the Lord help us to do it in His fear.
So we have the priests instructed. Then we come to the process of cleansing the temple, verses 16 and 17. You notice that the work began from the inside out. I like that. They started on the inside and they made their way out toward the door and toward the porch.
They started on the first day of the first month and they continued on until the eighth day. The eighth day is a new beginning. They continued to the eighth day. And that was the 16th of Nisan, the month Nisan.
That's interesting, isn't it? Because you'll remember that was the day that the Lord Jesus arose. 16th of Nisan. So what we have in these thoughts is just this. We have a day of cleansing. We have a new beginning.
And with the thought of the Lord Jesus rising from the dead, we have the thought of new life. And that is what salvation has done for each one of us that are born again into God's family. We've actually been cleansed from the inside out.
It doesn't matter in this regard what our past has been before salvation. God has cleansed us. You remember what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that city that was remarkable for its wickedness and some of those dear believers, they had a dark past.
But Paul wrote to them and in 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 11, he said this, you were once all of these things, but now ye are washed. Ye are washed. Yes, that comes first. Washed, but ye are sanctified.
But ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Notice the order, washed, sanctified, justified. They've been to the labor, as it were washed. They've been sanctified.
They've been brought into the holy place. They've been justified. They've been given a right standing right in the very presence, the immediate presence of God, right into the holy of holies. That's our place in Christ.
What a marvelous thing God has done in our salvation. Cleansed us from the inside out and given us a standing in his presence. Again, to the Corinthians, Paul writes in the second letter and he says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. I like to link that with what Paul has wrote to Titus in chapter three, as he talks about salvation. There he says, according to his mercy, he saved us.
Number one, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he shared in us abundantly and so on. Think of this again. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. That's the washing of regeneration that has cleansed us from the pollution of being an atom.
All things are passed away and all things are become new. That's the renewing of the Holy Spirit. I take it. We have been brought into a place where we may now enjoy him, even from day to day. That began at salvation, but we can continue to enjoy that day by day.
Salvation is a one-time event in that regard, but it's an ongoing event of continuing to enjoy Christ and all that he is before God and all that he is to me is my savior, one who has cleansed me from my sin.
That's a wonderful thing. That's daily cause for worship and for appreciation of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. So there was the process of cleansing the temple. Notice the people's response now in verses 20 and 21, a response of worship.
It begins in verse 20 and 21 with the sin offering. And we remind our hearts that the basis of our approach to God is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken our place on the cross. The place that we had in our Adam's standing as a representative man, he took our place on that cross and he died to that.
That's the teaching of the sin offering. Then the burnt offering in verse 27, they follow. That would speak to us about the enjoyment of communion restored. Because our Lord Jesus Christ, he took our place in death and he held nothing back from God.
It was out of pure devotion to God that he offered himself to God. And our communion with God is now acceptable. He is the one that perfectly pleased God. And we have been brought into a place where he represents us now in the very presence of God.
And there's not a one here that ever deserved that. You know, it's a wonderful thing, the night that we were saved or the day that we were saved, maybe the first thought was, well, I'll never be in hell.
That's a marvelous thing, isn't it? I'll never have to be in hell. The Lord Jesus, he bore the judgment for me on the cross. But that's only the threshold of a wonderful life of enjoyment that's potentially ours to enjoy Christ from day to day, daily communion with God.
Verse 28, there was joy in the congregation. All the congregation worshiped and the singers sang and the trumpeters sounded and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished and they sang praises with gladness and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
There was great joy among the people because they're worshiping God. And furthermore, the people were united as a result of that. There was a common outpouring of gratitude to God for what God had done.
Verse 36, God had prepared the people. So the people were restored. Temple worship was restored. You'll remember when we come to the Psalms, there is that section where we read about the songs of degrees, the songs of degrees.
Now, it's reckoned that most of those songs, there are 15 of them, were written by Hezekiah. Five were written by either David or Solomon, but the rest by Hezekiah. If that is the case, then when we come to Psalm 126 in verse one, we read this.
And likely he's reflecting back on this very chapter, 2 Chronicles 29, and this event that we've been speaking about. Listen, verse one. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
We were like those who dream. That tells me this, that restoration to God, it's such a wonderful thing. It's like living the dream, living the dream. We were like those that dream. Restoration is a coming back to what God has meant us to be.
That's what it is. Now, the world, the flesh and the devil will militate against that, will work daily in our experience to rob us of that, to take us away from what God means us to be. But restoration, likely needed daily, is to bring us back to what God would have us to be.
It's a God-centered you, a God-centered you. That's where we began at the moment of salvation, wasn't it? It was no longer me, myself and I, and what I can do for God. It was all what Christ had done for me on the cross.
And he finished that work. Nothing more was needed. It was all him. He was the only one, as we've been hearing. Restoration would bring us back to that, that he might be the only one, Christ, and him alone.
So we can enjoy continually being a new creation. As those reconciled to God, being in Christ, Christ in me, to have since confessed, removed, forgiven, a righteousness before God that's entirely because of what Christ has accomplished on our account, not of our own doing at all.
I tell you, to enjoy those things, it brings joy into the heart, doesn't it? You know, joy is a very complex thing in one sense, and yet it's a very simple thing in the other. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went camping, and Sherlock wakes up Dr. Watson in the middle of the night.
He says, my dear Watson, look at the stars. What do you deduce? And Watson, he rubs asleep from his eyes, and he looks up, and he says, well, he says, astronomically, I deduce that there are millions of stars and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, he says, I deduce that Saturn is appearing in the constellation of Leo. He says, geographically, I deduce that we are facing north. And metrologically, I deduce that it's going to be a fine day tomorrow.
Now, he says, Holmes, what do you deduce? Well, he says, my dear Watson, it is much more elementary. I deduce that someone has stolen our tent. Now, they were both right, weren't they? One took a very complex view of things.
The other was a very simple view. And you know, that's a little bit like Christianity and the enjoyment of Christianity. It's a little bit like joy. On one hand, it's a very simple thing. Just enjoy Christ.
On the other hand, it's as profound as what it means to be in Christ. And you can explore that. We will explore that forever. Let me just say this to younger believers. There was a very wonderful thing happened the night that you were saved or the day that you were saved.
On the one hand, there was the spirit of God himself, himself, verily God, took up a residence in your heart. At that same moment, God took a view of you as being in Christ, in spirit, as it were, encapsulated in Christ.
And you can never be put out of it. Eternally secure in Christ. That means that before God, I am accepted as Christ is accepted in his presence. Think of that. That's absolutely marvelous to think about that.
Very simple in one sense and yet so profound. You know, it is actually our ultimate destiny for us that we shall enjoy him forever. That's our destiny. God himself will be with them. As their God, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. And you and I will reach our destiny and we'll be in his presence to enjoy him forever.
The only one that is the object of our affection and eternal worship. In the meantime, you and I have the privilege of serving him. We have here in this chapter, restoration to service. Service begins for God at salvation, but service is renewed with restoration.
So let's examine our hearts. Let's examine our lives. Let's take stock today at this conference as to where we are before God. Where's our lives in service for him. Let us set a new priorities and let us go in for the enjoyment of Christ and the things of God in our souls.