Faith in Time of Political Crisis

Dr Ng Kam Weng, 28/08/2010
 2Ch 29:1-11  Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.  (2)  In GOD's opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David.  (3)  In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having first repaired the doors of The Temple of GOD, threw them open to the public.  (4)  He assembled the priests and Levites in the court on the east side 

(5)  and said, "Levites, listen! Consecrate yourselves and consecrate The Temple of GOD--give this much-defiled place a good housecleaning.  (6)  Our ancestors went wrong and lived badly before GOD--they discarded him, turned away from this house where we meet with GOD, and walked off.  (7)  They boarded up the doors, turned out the lights, and canceled all the acts of worship of the GOD of Israel in the holy Temple.  (8)  And because of that, GOD's anger flared up and he turned those people into a public exhibit of disaster, a moral history lesson--look and read!  (9)  This is why our ancestors were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken prisoner and made slaves.  (10)  "I have decided to make a covenant with the GOD of Israel and turn history around so that GOD will no longer be angry with us.  (11)  Children, don't drag your feet in this! GOD has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship--this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well."
2Ch 31:20-21  Hezekiah carried out this work and kept it up everywhere in Judah. He was the very best--good, right, and true before his GOD.  (21)  Everything he took up, whether it had to do with worship in God's Temple or the carrying out of God's Law and Commandments, he did well in a spirit of prayerful worship. He was a great success.
2Ch 32:1-8  And then, after this exemplary track record, this: Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah. He put the fortified cities under siege, determined to take them.  (2)  When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib's strategy was to take Jerusalem,  (3)  he talked to his advisors and military leaders about eliminating all the water supplies outside the city; they thought it was a good idea.  (4)  There was a great turnout of people to plug the springs and tear down the aqueduct. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria march in and be furnished with running water?"  (5)  Hezekiah also went to work repairing every part of the city wall that was damaged, built defensive towers on it, built another wall of defense further out, and reinforced the defensive rampart (the Millo) of the old City of David. He also built up a large store of armaments--spears and shields.  (6)  He then appointed military officers to be responsible for the people and got them all together at the public square in front of the city gate. Hezekiah rallied the people, saying,  (7)  "Be strong! Take courage! Don't be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops--there are more on our side than on their side.  (8)  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.

Dr. Ng enjoys visiting mamak stalls. Different people go there for different things. Many went there to complain about the political situation, offering mamak strategies. There are many worrying developments.
Instead of running away from the problems or escaping in worships, is there a better way to face political crisis.

Hezekiah was raised as a leader in a time of crisis. Justice was sold for a pair of shoes. The court was corrupted. Israel was religious – holding on to the form but not believing in the power. Israel was corrupted internally. Externally, they were suppressed by Assyria, the superpower then.
What is need is a god-fearing leader and a god-fearing people. For this to happen, several conditions must be met.

Consecration and cebelration

Godly people must put God first before personal interest.
Hezekiah did not live for his own pleasure. Being a king, he had a lot of distractions. He dedicated his life for the renewal of the covenant for the strengthening of Israel. He supervised the work under the hot desert sun.
Hezekiah was second only to David in his influence. He knew where to start. He made God his benchmark. He didn’t follow the bad examples of his uncles. He put the Word of God first. But God’s Word must lead to action.

2Ki 18:1-5  In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz began his rule over Judah.  (2)  He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.  (3)  In GOD's opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David.  (4)  He got rid of the local fertility shrines, smashed the phallic stone monuments, and cut down the sex-and-religion Asherah groves. As a final stroke he pulverized the ancient bronze serpent that Moses had made; at that time the Israelites had taken up the practice of sacrificing to it--they had even dignified it with a name, Nehushtan (The Old Serpent).  (5)  Hezekiah put his whole trust in the GOD of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after.
Hezekiah destroyed the idols. Nehushtan has been turned into an object of worship. What God mean as a blessing has been turned into a curse. Hezekiah got rid of all those and cleaned up the temple to prepare a place of worship for the people.

We must move from worship to covenant – to serve God. The people responded accordingly. Godly leadership inspires a good following.
The unity between the leader and the people was evident. Hezekiah constantly challenged the people to serve the Lord.

When one sins or disobeys God, one tends not to turn back to God perhaps due to pride or fear. Here, Hezekiah told the people if they turn away from their sins, God will turn back to them. A change of heart is the real result of a revival.

It’s easy to trust God during good times. Hezekiah trusted God even with the dark cloud of the Assyrians looming. Hezekiah was unique in his trust in God. “There was no king quite like him.”
Without spiritual courage, there can be no moral courage. When there is no moral courage, there is no moral guidance. Tell the truth boldly in love.

confrontation

An earnest heart to obey God and to serve God will always face opposition. King Sennacherib rose up against Hezekiah. His army surrounded the city. King Hezekiah eliminated the water supply outside the city. He encouraged his people reminding them there is a greater power with them, their Lord who would find the battle for them.

Was Israel ready to engage the outside world?

The church must prepare the leaders and mobilize them to be ready to engage the community.
The world knows how to put us in our place. Do not think we are the only ones who are familiar with the Bible. The children of darkness think so much better than the children of light. Who controls the media?
If we want to take a stand, use not just words but also action.

When the enemy’s propaganda (via Rabshakeh) came, the people kept silent.
King Hezekiah tore his garments and went to pray. He pleaded for God to act. Ultimately, salvation came from God.

God heard the prayer and strike down 185000 Assyrian soldiers. (2 Kings 19:35)

Some Christians are like a papaya tree. It grows fast but it’s very fragile. Some are like durian trees. It takes many years to grow and it will bear fruits for a long time. We should definitely not be potted plants.

We read about Hezekiah and Sennacherib. In the end, only one is in control – our God.