Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-06-05
HEZEKIAH A GOOD KING.
LESSON X, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, JUNE 7.

mission OF Ii. >. holman, fnuaue
phia-
l. "Hezekiah began to reign when he
was five-and-twenty years old, and he
reigned Internationally years in Jeru-
salem"
Having in the last lesson stepped back
about 100 years to consider the revival in
the days of Joash, we now return to about
the time of the lesson of two weeks ago,
for it was in the beginning of the reign of
Hezekiah that the ten tribes were carried
into captivity OH Kings, xviii, l0). He was
the last but one of the good kings of Ju
dab. His father Ahaz was a wicked king,
and his son Manasseh was the worst of
all (xxviii, 10, %; xxxiii, 0,l0).
And his mothers name was Abijah, the
daughter of Zecharah."
.. "And he did that which was right in
the sight of the Lord, according to all that
David, his father, had done"
3. "He, in the first year of his reign, in
the first month, opened the doors of the
house of the Lord, and repaired them"
What grand beginning he makes, and
how promptly He does not allow month
to pass after he becomes king without at
tending to the house of the Lord. Ahaz,
his father, had destroyed the vessels, shut
up the doors, and made affairs in every cor
now seeks to undo his fathers sin, and he
loses no time about it.
4. And he brought in the priests and
the Levites, and gathered them together
into the east street"
There was time when the head of each
family acted as the priest of the household,
Offering sacrifice unto the Lord dob /, 5;
Gen. viii, 90; xii, :, s.. But since the build
! ing of the tabernacle at Sinai the house of
Aaron and the tribe of Levi were set apart
to stand between the people and God and
to offer sacrifice.
s. And said unto them, Hear me, We
Levites sanctify now yourselves, and
sanctify the house of the Lord God of your
fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out
of the holy place"
1t took them sixteen days to cleanse
the temple on this occasion Tvs. 1910,
but it takes much longer than that to
cleanse some believers from the filthiness
of flesh and spirit which clings so closely
6. For our fathers have trespassed, and
done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God,
and have forsaken him, and have tur ned
away their faces from the habitation of
the Lord, and turned their backs"
So, also, said Jeremiah a little later in
their history DER ii, 10, ~, and so said
Moses ere the nation was yet forty years
old (Deut. tx, s, "a. Their history might
be called IA continued forsaking of the Lord
who redeemed them.
Z. Also they have shut up the doors of
the porch, and put out the lamps, and
have not burned incense, nor offered burnt
offerings in the holy place, unto the God
of Israel"
s. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was
upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hat h
delivered them to trouble, to astonish-
ment, and to Kissing, as ye see with your
eyes"
In Lev. XVI and Deut xviii IL was
clearly foretold that the wrath of the Lord
would thus come upon them if they were
disobedient, and Moses added, Il call
heaven and earth to record this day against
you, that l have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing; therefore
choose life that both thou and thy seed may
live (Deut. xxx, 19). AS God by His SER
want foretold so it came to pass.
8. For, 10, our fathers have fallen by
the sword; and our sons and our daughters
and our wives are in captivity for this"
One hundred and twenty thousand fell
in one day, and 100000 women, sons and
daughters were carried captive because
they had forsaken the Lord God of theiI
fathers CHAP. xviii, 6, s.. This also had
been plainly foretold (Deut xviii, 25 32)
and so it came to pass. Think for moment
at the more than 100000 who in heather
dom are dying every day, without knowl
edge of God, besides all in Chrstendon
who have heard, but do not believe,
TO- "Now it is in mine heart to make
covenant with the Lord God of Israel that
his fierce wrath may turn away from U.S.
60 AGA af lafa ,nI hn
miah CHAP. XIV, Ii; Neh. X, 29), and each
obtained blessing from the Lord See the
encouragement to act thus in III Chron. vii
IA. David found comfort in the unchange
ableness and fullness of Gods covenant
with him, and Gods faithfulness should
ever be our resting place Oh Sam. xiii, 5
Ps. lxxxix, l, 2; | Cor. i, 9; X, 49,. Yet lei
us do as HeZekiah did, and enter into
covenant with the Lord to present oul
bodies a living sacrifice, with all we ar,
and have, that, like the lads loaves in The
hands of Jesus, we may be blessed, broken
multiplied and made to feed hungry soul,
with the bread of life, that 50 the Gospe
may be preached in all the world for wit
ness the body of Christ FASTENED to com
pletion and the kingdom come. Let III
covenant to be wholly His for His service
II. MY sons, be not now negligent"
Cursed be he that doeth the work of thu
Lord negligently DER. Xviii, TO- marginJ
Whatever we do in His service should b,
done most thoroughly as unto Him, and i
we live as in His sight how can we b
negligent or deceitful?
For the Lord hath chosen you to stan,
before him."
Not before men, to please them or rely OIL
them, but before God, in humble and who'll
hearted reliance upon Him. He said t,
Abram: 81 am God Almighty. Walk thol
before me and be thou perfect" upright o
sincere). Gen. xvii, |, and margin, Elijal
in great fearlessness said to Ahab, "Th
Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom
stand" And Gabriel said to Zacharias
81 am Gabriel, that stand in the presenc,
of Cod Il Kings xvii, l; Luke i, l9). Thu
consciously to stand before God is the grea
secret of strength for fearless service.
ITO serve him, and that We should min
lister unto him"
, While serving people and ministerinl
unto them, in "A sense, yet we are MS priest
of God ministering unto Him, for what
ever is done unto the least of His, II
counts as done to Himself Matt. XIV, +0J
But our motive must always be to pleas