Daily Thought

The scriptures sometimes bring before us examples of a process of review. God has always made rich provision for His people whatever their circumstances. He guides, protects, feeds and encourages them despite their frequent unfaithfulness and disobedience. God’s faithfulness is unfailing, but we need ever to remember that in return He requires His people to be faithful to Him, and to the things that are dear to Him (as revealed by the Spirit through His appointed servants and, later, through the pages of His written word).

Amos saw a vision of the Lord standing ‘upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand’, Amos 7. 7. The Apostle Paul wrote to believers: ‘every one of us shall give account of himself to God’, Rom. 14. 12. New Testament believers build upon the sure foundation of the Person and work of Christ, and the materials with which they build (gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble) will be tried by fire: the ‘fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is’, 1 Cor. 3. 13. We do well, personally and corporately as the people of God, to note these scriptural precedents and engage in humble review before Him in anticipation of that great day.

The verses before us relate to Hezekiah and the manner in which God reviewed his faithfulness to the house of God, the law and the commandments. That which he undertook was declared to be ‘good and right and truth’, 2 Chr. 31. 20. How Hezekiah achieved this is also revealed. First, he saw it all as the work of the Lord and approached it in a spirit of prayer, supplication and submission. His first step was ‘to seek his God’, v. 21. Then, we read, ‘he did it with all his heart’, v. 21, and, finally, we note that this was true of each element of his service from the start, ‘in every work that he began’, v. 21.

As the people of God we are responsible for the work of the Lord as His stewards. The responsibility of a steward is summarized by Paul, ‘it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful’, 1 Cor. 4. 2. If this is true in our case, Hezekiah’s blessing will be our blessing. We read of him simply, ‘and [Hezekiah] prospered’.