A Devotion By Nicky Gumbel
READ: 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11
God himself is not afraid of confrontation! In this passage we see how, in his love, God confronted both an essentially good leader who became proud, and an evil leader who was enabled to repent.
It is such a relief to read about a good king. Hezekiah restored the temple. He led by example – he contributed from his own possessions (31:3). The people responded generously (v.5). The Lord blessed them and they had plenty to eat with food left over (v.10).
‘Everything [Hezekiah] took up... he did well in a spirit of prayerful worship. He was a great success’ (vv.20–21, MSG). He had an ‘exemplary track record’ (32:1, MSG).
All this did not save Hezekiah from coming under attack. But when the attack did come from Sennacherib, Hezekiah inspired the people, ‘Be strong! Take courage! Don’t be intimidated… There are more on our side than on their side. He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us! Morale surged. Hezekiah’s words put steel in their spines’ (32:7–8, MSG).
In our own lives, sometimes we face seemingly overwhelming problems. Christians in the UK, for example, seem to be like a small minority facing a vast army of secularism and hostility to God. But the good news is that there is a greater power with us, and with them there is only the ‘arm of flesh’. With us is the Lord our God to ‘help us and to fight our battles’ (v.8).
There is always a danger that success will lead to pride. People look up to leaders. Indeed, we are supposed to honour our leaders. But all leaders need to be aware that this honour has danger written all over it. If pride creeps in, repent quickly and humble yourself.
As soon as Hezekiah was successful, arrogance crept in. When God confronted him, thankfully, ‘He repented of the pride in his heart’ (v.26) and God blessed him again with great riches and honour (v.27). He succeeded in everything he undertook (v.30).
Then, mysteriously, ‘God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart’ (v.31). It was a dark night of the soul.
Don’t be discouraged if there are times when you do not sense God’s presence. Sometimes God is silent and imperceptible. Continue to be faithful when God tests your heart. Hezekiah had a good heart – his life was full of acts of devotion (v.32) and was honoured when he died (v.33).
His son’s life seems to be almost a complete reversal of his own. Manasseh started out doing evil in the eyes of the Lord (33:2). In fact, it is hard to think of anyone who did more evil than Manasseh. ‘He burned his own sons in a sacrificial rite… He practiced witchcraft and fortune-telling. He held séances and consulted spirits from the underworld. Much evil – in God’s view a career in evil. And God was angry’ (v.6, MSG).
But no one is beyond redemption. No matter how far we have fallen, if, like Manasseh, we repent and turn to God we can receive forgiveness.
God confronted Manasseh. ‘Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help – total repentance before the God of his ancestors. As he prayed, God was touched; God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king’ (v.12, MSG).
This is one of the reasons why I love to visit prisons. No one is beyond redemption. Jesus has made this possible through his death on the cross where, in the words of John Eddison, ‘Love and justice mingle, truth and mercy meet.’
PRAYER
“Lord, thank you that at the cross we see both your love and justice together. Thank you that you have had mercy on me. Help me to show your love to others and to bring your justice to the marginalized, the forgotten, and those around me who are hurting, in Jesus’ name.”