2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48 (19th July) – Andrew Khong

2 Kings 18: 1-8

Hallelujah! 2 Kings 18:1-8 talks about Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, succeeding his father as the king of Judah. Unlike his father, Ahaz, King Hezekiah “did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight” (verse 3).

Verses 6-7

Dear Livingstoners, these two verses told us about why King Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.

“So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.” – verse 7

Why was the Lord with him? The reason is that King Hezekiah, unlike his father King Ahaz, was faithful to the Lord and carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given to Moses.

“He remained faithful to the Lord I everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses.” – verse 6

Therefore, if we want to succeed in everything we do, be it our studies, careers or relationships, we should always remain faithful to God and carefully obey all His commands and He will always be with you and then you will definitely be successful.

2 Chronicles 29-31

2 Chronicles 29 talks about King Hezekiah succeeding his father as the king of Judah. One amazing thing that he did was to reopen the Temple of the Lord that his father, King Ahaz, closed during his time of reign in Judah.

He gathered all the Levites and Priests and allocated them back to their duties in the Temple.

“They were careful to follow all the Lord’s instructions in their work.” – verse 15

There’s one word from this verse that caught my attention and that is the word “careful”. Why would the Levites and the Priests be careful in following all the Lord’s instructions in their work? It would mean that they are committed to serving God.

Well, some of us serve in church as the log team, some as ministry team and others as celebration team. On the smaller scale, some serve in Livingstones tribe meeting as Levites or during tribe camp or Young Arrows, we should wholeheartedly committed to serving God as He had put us into the different ministry field.

2 Chronicles 30 talks about King Hezekiah gathering his people to celebrate the Passover of the Lord. He sent messages throughout Israel and Judah to encourage the sinful people to re-dedicate themselves back to the Lord and to celebrate the Passover of the Lord.

“But most of the people just laughed at the messengers and made fun of them.” – verse 10

This verse suddenly reminded me about the 100K campaign that is currently going on. I’m sure most of us who went to bless other people would most often be turned down by them. However, good news await.

“However, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.” – verse 11

Even when most peoples we want to bless turn down our offer, at least there’s still some who are willing to accept our offer. And just wanna encourage you all not to get disheartened and continue to pray for open hearts among the people so that more people will be blessed.

2 Chronicles 31 talks about how King Hezekiah re-dedicated the Temple of the Lord and sacrificed the different types of offerings to God.

“In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow the law and the commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” – verse 21

We should be like King Hezekiah – seeking God wholeheartedly and obeying His commands and laws (fearing God). And then, we will be successful. This year is the year of victory. Some of us may not feel that way. Why? Maybe we never seek God wholeheartedly or never make efforts to follow His commands and laws. Let us as a tribe be on fire for God together and then by the end of this year we will see the victory in us.

Psalm 48

This is the psalm that praised the Lord. Let us remember this psalm and by the end of this year, the year of victory, we will be able to sing this psalm unto the Lord. Amen!