A Big Year
I've heard several radio and TV shows doing a 'year in review'. I've gotta say, this is the second year in a row that I'm not all that much interested in looking back at the last year. I remember preacher's being all excited with the theme of '20/20 vision' back when 2020 rolled around. We had no idea how good we had it back in 2019. And then we figured after 2020, surely 2021 would be better - surprise! So now 2022 is here - anyone else hesitant to celebrate what this new year may bring?
Of course none of us knows how this New Year will play out but we're hoping for the best. And in those individuals who have weathered some storms and are still standing - there might be some lessons we could learn from them. Those who keep going despite whatever obstacles are thrown at them seem to focus past the obstacles. If we can take any lesson from 2021 - perhaps it's...
I. New year, new problems
The reality is - there will always be new problems. Will we choose to focus on the problem, or on our God who is bigger than any problem. We've seen from the past two years - we don't know what is coming. But we do know our God.
But what if you could know with absolute certainty, starting with this new year, that you would have exactly fifteen more years on this earth, and then you would be called home by God to be with Him? What if God Himself made that promise to you? Would that change the way that you live right now?
Last week we looked at the words from the prophet Isaiah and talked about the siege of Jerusalem. During the time that Isaiah prophesied - Hezekiah was one of the kings of Judah, the southern Kingdom of God's people. This morning, I want us to look a bit at Hezekiah. He was the king ten generations after King David. For some background, let's turn to 2 Kings 18:3-7 (NIV)...
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. (4) He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) (5) Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.
(6) He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. (7) And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.
So Hezekiah was a very good king, a Godly man and things were going very well for Hezekiah, but then - let's jump ahead to chapter 20 of II Kings and see where a new problem suddenly arose...
2 Kings 20:1 (NIV)
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
Hezekiah was doing a great job as king, everything was looking good, and then his health failed. And then to top it off, he heard from Isaiah, God's prophet that this was more than a passing illness and he was going to die. Hezekiah was told there was no hope and to get his things in order. As King, I'm sure that Hezekiah had a lot of plans, and then he quickly found out...
A. Plans change
We can all relate to that with as much as we've had to adjust so many things in our lives. And back then, even the King had to face the fact that he was mortal. Hezekiah's life suddenly took an awful turn and his response is recorded in 2 Kings 20:2-3 (NIV)...
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, (3) "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Many of us had to face the unexpected loss of a loved one. No one plans on unexpectedly dying. That's kind of what 'unexpectedly' means. When things are going great - we don't usually think, 'well now's a good time for me to fall ill and die'. We understand that death is a reality for all of us - but it's not something we usually schedule, and it changes everything, permanently.
So how do we respond to death? Many don't even get much of a chance to respond - but when we get a fatal diagnosis like Hezekiah did - we usually respond like Hezekiah did, we turn to prayer. And just as all of Hezekiah's plans came abruptly to a halt - everything changed once again when...
B. God intervened
There was a major change in Hezekiah's story and something miraculous happened. Hezekiah had been told that there was no hope, but then we find when we continue on in 2 Kings 20:4-11 (NIV)...
Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: (5) "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. (6) I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.
I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'" (7) Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered. (8) Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?" (9) Isaiah answered, "This is the Lord's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"
(10) "It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps." (11) Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
There are two miracles that occurred in this passage. The first is that God intervened and stopped Hezekiah's certain death - He completely healed him. The second is the sign that God gave to prove to Hezekiah that it was in fact His doing and not just a coincidence.
Now we could speculate about just how God 'changed the shadows' - did He change the course of the earth, did He change the Sun's orbit or 'simply' bend the light from the sun somehow - but it really doesn't matter how He did it. He's God and the 'natural laws' just don't apply to Him. What matters is why He did the miracles He did - not just the changing of the shadows, but why did He choose to spare Hezekiah's life at this point?
II. Why the change?
As we first read this story, it appears that God listened to Hezekiah's list of good things he had done and simply changed His mind. But if that were the case, shouldn't every faithful follower who gets sick be able to pray for healing and expect to have their life extended, too? We know that doesn't always happen, so do we think that somehow God owed Hezekiah for all the good he had done?
Because Hezekiah had been a good king and a faithful follower - did God owe him a reprieve from death? But - did Hezekiah do anything for God that God couldn't have done for Himself? ... Was God more blessed though His relationship with Hezekiah, than Hezekiah was through his relationship with God?
God had given Hezekiah life in the first place; He had allowed Him to become King; God had allowed Hezekiah to live an amazing quality of life that far surpassed most people of that day. Did God owe Hezekiah an extra fifteen years of life for the good he had done? No.
I think the answer of why God chose to extend Hezekiah's life wasn't in the fact that God owed Hezekiah, but rather because God owned Hezekiah. The reason that Hezekiah was living a good life and was doing good things was because he was following God's commands and was grateful for what God had given him. Hezekiah was following the commands given to Moses and He was leading God's people as his ancestor David did.
Why did God give more time to Hezekiah? Let's look again at God's response from 2 Kings 20:6 (NIV)...
I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.
God wasn't just saving Hezekiah for Hezekiah's sake. - Just like I mentioned last week, it's the same answer today...
A. God has a plan
If we look closely at the text and also at the rest of the story from the Old Testament and then on into the New Testament, we can see that the fact that God extended Hezekiah's life had little to do with what Hezekiah wanted to do, but rather what God wanted to do through him.
God's concern was not just for Hezekiah and his wishes, but for the entire nation of Israel and Hezekiah was currently leading the Southern Kingdom. God wanted to use Hezekiah as an instrument to preserve a remnant (like we talked about last week), a group of Jewish people through whom God would bring the messiah, Jesus, into this world. Hezekiah was a willing and useable instrument in God's hands to help bring about the entrance of the savior into this world. Hezekiah was in a position to help prepare circumstances for the birth of Jesus.
Hezekiah had shown his willingness to stand against other nations who sought to destroy the nation of Israel. He had been faithful in destroying false idols and leading the Israelites in the truth even when it wasn't popular. Not every king before him had done that. In fact, the Bible records that Hezekiah's own father Ahaz "did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God". Hezekiah took a stand, and because of that, because of his willingness and humility - he was useful to God.
Now, at the end of those extra fifteen years, Hezekiah died. Why didn't God step in again and give him another fifteen years? Because he had fulfilled the purpose that God had for him. Hezekiah had given himself over to God to be used by Him. The nation was saved from their oppressors and God had preserved the line of David in preparation for the Christ child. Hezekiah's purpose in God's plan was accomplished.
Hezekiah was called home after serving God faithfully, and also because he was not created for...
B. Just this world
God had a purpose and a plan for Hezekiah's life on this earth, but that plan didn't end when his earthly life did. God's desire, His purpose, is not to keep us on this earth forever. Our limited time spent on this earth is not an end in itself, but it is a time of preparation for eternity - dare I say, for real life. God's desire is that we spend eternity with him along with everyone else who has accepted Jesus' sacrifice.
I've quoted my father before when he said, "If we prayed as hard to keep the sinners out of Hell as we do to keep the saints out of Heaven, we would all be better off." Does our prayer life reflect a desire to align our will with God's or are we trying to convince Him that our ideas would be better than His plans? I'm not suggesting we shouldn't pray for healing for people. But does our personal prayer list reflect a higher agenda than just our wants and desires. And we do have to remember that God has a bigger picture than just this life.
Think about it - every person that Jesus healed while walking on this earth - every person that Jesus or the disciples raised from the dead - every one of those people eventually died, again. That's because God's plans for us are not just for this world!
God's purpose for us, here and now, is not just to keep us happy and comfortable. He has a job for us to do. We, the Church, exist for God's purposes - to learn more about Him and His purposes, to grow in our relationship with Him and each other through fellowship and service - and as a means of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone who will listen! Just as God allowed Hezekiah time on this earth for a higher purpose, so He allows us time on this earth for His purposes.
Hezekiah's time on this earth was eventually done - his purpose in God's bigger plan was fulfilled. Some day, when God deems that He has fulfilled his purposes for me, I will be called home. I'm not suggesting that we're just 'pawns' that God arbitrarily moves around in this life without regard to our well being. God loves us so much that he gave His son to bring us this new life. He asks us to surrender ourselves to His will knowing that His plan will be amazingly better than any plan that we could have for ourselves!
So What?
It seems safe to say that God is more concerned with the quality of the time that we spend here rather than the quantity of time we spend here. We could all speculate about the things we could do for God if He would guarantee another fifteen years of life for each of us. But what is most important is what we are doing right now with the time we do have. Are we making the most of the time that God allows us to spend here?
Many times, we live our lives according to only our desires even when they may directly oppose what God has clearly revealed in His Word. And then many times we still expect Him to bless us despite that fact. It ain't gonna happen. Do you live your life acting as if God owes you something - or do you live your life as one owned by God. Hezekiah was blessed by God and had a great life because he gave himself over to God's will. Would others say the same about your life?
We can't control the circumstances of this new year. But if you really want 2022 to be a change, to be an incredible year - then get serious about serving God! If you want to experience God's blessing and be a part of something amazing, something bigger than yourself - if you want to be a part of God's plan to save the world - then give yourself wholeheartedly to Him! No one is ever promised an easy life following God, but I promise it'll be a great ride! Are you willing to give yourself over more to God to see how God will use you in this new year?