Gods And Kings (40 page)

Hezekiah looked at the forbidden images engraved on the Assyrian altar, then surveyed the handful of faithful men standing before him. He felt as if he were beginning a long journey up a steep mountain. He knew the time had come to take the first difficult step.

“Listen to me, Levites. I want you to consecrate yourselves and clean all the trash and idolatry from Yahweh’s Temple. Our forefathers have sinned and have defiled His Temple, turning their backs on God. They boarded up the doors to the Holy Place and put out the flame that was always supposed to burn. The incense hasn’t been lit, and the burnt offerings haven’t been given for many years. Therefore, God’s wrath has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem. He has made us the object of contempt in the eyes of other nations.”

The Levites seemed to come alive at his words, and their faces reflected their amazement and joy. Hezekiah felt a smile slowly spread across his face, as well.

“But now I want to make a covenant with Yahweh so that His anger will turn away from us. Don’t neglect your duties any longer, Levites, for Yahweh has chosen you to minister to Him.”

A shout went up from the men, and they rushed forward to thank him and to pledge their support.

“I’m Mahath, son of Amasai.”

“Joah, son of Zimmah, and this is my son, Eden.”

“I’m Shimri, from the descendants of Elizaphan.”

“Mattaniah, from Asaph, the musicians of Yahweh.”

“Shimri of Heman, and my brother Jeiel.”

“I am Uzziel.”

The last one who came was Zechariah. “We’ll send word to all the priests and Levites who have scattered to come back to Jerusalem,” he said.

“Good. And take the gold that Uriah was carrying and use it to make repairs to the Temple.”

“We’ll begin reconsecrating ourselves and the Temple today.”

“Let me know as soon as everything is purified,” Hezekiah said. “We’ll renew our covenant with Yahweh, beginning with a sacrifice.”

Zechariah went back inside with the other Levites, leaving Hezekiah alone in the courtyard. He walked over to the huge Assyrian altar, standing where Yahweh’s altar should be, and he studied the forbidden idols that decorated it, running his fingers over the intricate carvings. These were gods you could see and touch. But they were as cold and lifeless as the brass they were carved from. Yahweh, whom he couldn’t see or touch, was a
living
God.

“‘Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is God—Yahweh alone!’” he recited softly. “‘Love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’” Yahweh required nothing less than a total commitment. And that was what he had promised.

A misty rain began to fall, chilling Hezekiah. But it seemed to him that the rain washed the city clean, cleansing away the defilement. He left the Temple courtyard through the main gate and walked slowly down the hill alone, back to the palace.

Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was
Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was
right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father
David had done. In the first month of the first
year of his reign, he opened the doors of the
Temple of the Lord and repaired them.

2 C
HRONICLES 2 9 : 1 – 3 NIV

C
HRONICLES OF THE
K
INGS
—Book 2

Song of Redemption

Song of Redemption
begins with Judah’s nationwide spiritual revival led by King Hezekiah. As he grows in faith and seeks to obey God in every aspect of his life, Hezekiah discovers that the Law forbids him to marry multiple wives. He must then decide whether or not Hephzibah—whom he has ignored for so long—will remain part of his harem.

Hezekiah’s reforms promise to bring God’s blessings and renewed prosperity to the nation, but his brother and many other officials oppose these changes and conspire against him. The situation reaches critical proportions when the Assyrians threaten the northern nation of Israel. This nation’s plight is dramatized through the story of Jerusha and her family, who must find a way to escape the ensuing Assyrian holocaust.

As Hezekiah is challenged by enemies on every side—even in his own household—his newfound faith in God is put to the ultimate test.