“Submit to the Lord. Come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you.” (2 Chronicles 30:8 NIV)
The people of Israel had lived for generations in the land God had given them. In their capital city, Jerusalem, stood a beautiful temple where they could go to offer sacrifices, celebrate their annual festivals, and worship God. But sadly, the people were not very faithful in serving God. They worshiped idols, ignored God’s commandments, and neglected the temple services. All of this stirred God’s anger. Time and again, He had warned the people that if they did not repent, disaster would come upon them.
Hezekiah was deeply aware of this. He used his influence to cleanse the temple and restore worship there. Then he encouraged his fellow Israelites to dedicate themselves to God once again and to renew their covenant with Him. Only in this way could they escape God’s burning wrath and experience His blessing again.
Hezekiah loved God, and he loved his people. Therefore, he wanted to do everything he could to bring the Israelites back to the Lord. Do you consider that to be the task of a king? What if today’s world leaders and politicians wanted to carry out such a religious reform?