Leaving Our Lot to the Lord

O. T. #992  "Leaving Our Lot to the Lord"
May 30, 2017
2 Chronicles 32-Part 4


LET IT GLOW

As I have shared before, God gave me the gift of an extended life. It was in 2001 after my surgery, that I stopped breathing. The doctors were able to give me a medicine to counter act too much pain medicine. Today's king was given his gift, too, but 15 added years.

In verse 24, we read that King Hezekiah of Judah became deathly ill, prayed to God for healing, and was healed after figs were put on his boil. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said that He would heal the king and in 3 days he would be allowed to enter the Temple again, and stopping Assyria their enemy. However, Hezekiah asked what sign God would give to prove He would do as promised.

This conversation is left out of our chapter, but found  in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38.
Would you like the shadow on the sundial to move backwards 10 degrees or forward 10 degrees/steps?

As the king said, it would have been easy for it to move forward, but difficult to move backwards. That would take a miracle of God, so that is what he chose. Either God moved the sun backwards so 40 minutes were added to that day, or the shadow on the steps of the palace sundial changed. (20 minutes back and then 20 minutes to catch up to the time it should have been) My faith believes God moved the sun backwards, which only He could do, for He was its Creator, as a sign for His servant. If He had reversed the rotation of the earth, then things would have been thrust forward into space, right?

Keeping that in mind, our chapter does not give that detail of the conversation, but it says Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him and he became proud. So the LORD's anger came against him and Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the LORD's anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah's lifetime.

Could this pride have come after his healing, his seeing time stop, and God keeping His promises?

David Guzik said that Hezekiah was given 2 gifts: the gift of extended life and knowing he only had 15 years to live.

Although he had 15 more years given to him, Hezekiah should have left his lot to the Lord, accepting his time of death, for the son he had during those years became the most wicked king Judah had.

Can we leave our lot to the Lord Jesus? Or do we beg Him for more years or time? We should trust His timing for us to be best, not our timing.


LET IT GROW

We read where Lord took care of Assyria by killing 185,000 in his army. Also, Hezekiah lived 15 more years, was very wealthy, and highly honored, both were given by God. He had full storehouses, added cities, and possessions.

Even though all of this was a blessing, pride crept into Hezekiah's life once again. When ambassadors of Babylon came for a visit, he exposed everything in his treasury to them. Showed them around, did he? Honestly, did he have no common sense? To reveal such wealth to an enemy? One day, in 612 B.., Assyria would return to claim all of Judah's possessions for themselves. I suppose it was a blessing that this did not happen during Hezekiah's lifetime, but it did happen to his ancestors some 116 years after Hezekiah died.

As I recall, when a woman kept begging a judge for something, he finally gave it to shut her up, which was a parable of Jesus'. How merciful is our Judge! We deserve to be cast into Hell, but it is because of the blood of Jesus being shed for you and me, as well as our sins being washed away with it, that this doe not happen. What a glorious Savior! Even when we mess up, as Hezekiah did often, He still  forgiving and shows us grace. Glory to God in the highest!


LET IT GO

Have self control and discernment.

Surrender to God's will in His timing.