The train announces its arrival downtown. I’ve gotten used to its sound now and if I moved away, I’d miss it. It’s one of those things that make a town what it is. The train on one side; the interstate on the other side, and in between the sound of early morning robins. A bluejay darts past my window with a twig in its bill. The birds are all busy building nests and soon tiny unfeathered baby heads with hungry, open mouths will be poking out of those nests.
So why, on such a lovely spring morning, do my thoughts turn back to another time, another civilization many, many, centuries ago to ancient Judah? I imagine spring was lovely there too and people looked with hope toward an uncertain future. The country of Judah had flourished under the reigns of Kings Uzziah and Jotham but then along came Ahaz. He was a mighty sorry leader. He lost Judah’s sovereignty through evil practices and all the good that his father and grandfather had done for the Nation was lost too. The country suffered many hardships because, through the leadership of Ahaz, they had abandoned the Lord.
But then came Hezekiah. He remembered the glory days of his grandfather, King Jotham and deeply deplored what his evil father had done. One of his first acts was to reopen the temple. King Ahaz had closed it and practiced idolatry.
A study of King Hezekiah would be a worthwhile project. He loved God; he led his people back to worshiping the Lord; he strengthened the defenses of Jerusalem and built, not one wall around it, but two. He knew Sennacherib would be calling with all the mighty strength of his armies and he wanted to be prepared. And, he was.
I like King Hezekiah! I like his dedication to God, his courage, his wisdom, his love of his country and its people and his abhorrence of evil practices that had pulled Judah down. Some of the most encouraging verses (to me) in the Old Testament are II Chronicles 31:20 through 32:8. This verse is one of my favorites: “With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles” (II Chronicles 32:8).
My thoughts have flown from the here and now of a pretty Arkansas town to ancient Judah and back again and I think it’s time for another cup of coffee. I hope your day is a happy one and if you have time, look into the life of King Hezekiah. He was a great leader who left his mark on history and made his country better.
I sure enjoyed this, Aunt Blanche! I have never studied the Old Testament, but am gaining new insight through the Bible study that Tim leads and a friend who is quite knowledgeable and shares her wisdom. I certainly welcome your knowledge and wisdom, too! If you know of any lessons/studies that would help me as I read the Old Testament, I’d sure like to know about them, too. By the way, I love reading your daily musings because it makes me feel so close to you, and that is very important to me! I love you!
I love you too, Teresa! You kids are very special to me. All my nieces and nephews are. I’m not at all a Bible scholar but I do find some interesting characters. There’s quite a bit about King Hezekiah in the Old Testament. I’ve always been an admirer.