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King Hezekiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers
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  Speaker 1: of the city, and went up to the house of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20 Dear God, as you increase
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  Speaker 1: the works of my hands, and multiply all that I
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  Speaker 1: touch today, I make a covenant with you, that as
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  Speaker 1: much as it remains with me, I will make sure
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  Speaker 1: that I use my influence and affluence to build the
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  Speaker 1: local church. so that others can have a place to
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  Speaker 1: be restored and healed. Like King Hezekiah, I will place
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  Speaker 1: my focus on bringing excellence to your house. I will
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  Speaker 1: be a resource to help bridge the gap between those
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  Speaker 1: who are lost and those who can help guide them
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  Speaker 1: back to your presence. I declare that this will be
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  Speaker 1: a season of restoration and reconciliation. I declare that the
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  Speaker 1: lost shall be found, and that I can be trusted
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  Speaker 1: to do more and become more for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: King Hezekiah In our last story, we learned about the
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  Speaker 2: tragic downfall of Israel. Fully immersed in evil, they found
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  Speaker 2: themselves captive to the dark nations they swore allegiance to.
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  Speaker 2: Fish hooks were driven into their mouths as they tugged
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  Speaker 2: away from their homes. They were captives, stolen away from
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  Speaker 2: their country, and yet they still did not cry out
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  Speaker 2: to God for help. Now we return to the kingdom
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  Speaker 2: of Judah. where the wicked king Ahaz perished. In his
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  Speaker 2: place was Hezekiah, a young king whose righteousness was unmatched,
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  Speaker 2: not even by David himself. Inspired by the books of
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  Speaker 2: 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
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  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book That's yours
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
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  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
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  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
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  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
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  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 3: slash stress. In yesterday's episode, we heard about the fall
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  Speaker 3: of Israel under the cowardly reign of King Hosea. Generations
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  Speaker 3: of idolatry and rejection of God's ways culminated in the capture, enslavement,
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  Speaker 3: and exile of the Israelites who were dispersed throughout Assyria. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll return to Judah to find a shining example of
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  Speaker 3: a king who followed the Lord and did his will,
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  Speaker 3: King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the complete opposite of his wicked
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  Speaker 3: father Ahaz. And his righteousness exceeded even King David. It's
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  Speaker 3: a beautiful example of a life lived well in true
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  Speaker 3: heartfelt worship and service to our God. So let's listen
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  Speaker 3: joyfully to his story.
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  Speaker 2: Judah was suffering like a withered plant without sunlight. Their
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  Speaker 2: time under the reign of Ahaz produced a great deal
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  Speaker 2: of pain. As king, he was supposed to be a
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  Speaker 2: symbol of hope. Instead, he was a symbol of dread.
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  Speaker 2: The children of Judah grew up in a land filled
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  Speaker 2: with uncertainty and instability. Idols erected in the streets loomed
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  Speaker 2: over the citizens like dark watchmen. Their presence brought a
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  Speaker 2: great deal of distress among the people. At any moment,
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  Speaker 2: Ahaz or one of his priests could snatch them up
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  Speaker 2: and sacrifice them. However, as all kings do, Ahaz died.
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  Speaker 2: His body was buried in dust and the people did
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  Speaker 2: their best to forget him. Ahaz's son Hezekiah was next
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  Speaker 2: in line to take the throne. Hezekiah was a young man,
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  Speaker 2: only 25 years old. At first the people truly wondered
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  Speaker 2: if he would be different. Hezekiah bore the name of
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  Speaker 2: Ahaz as his father, but he was nothing like him.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah grew up as a survivor of his father's cruelty.
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  Speaker 2: He watched as false gods poisoned his father's mind. As
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  Speaker 2: a result, he held fast to the Lord with all
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  Speaker 2: his might. Hezekiah was anointed as king over Judah. The
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  Speaker 2: crowds cheered, the elders nodded in confidence, and the Lord
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  Speaker 2: rejoiced over him. Hezekiah took no time to celebrate. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: he walked straight to the temple of God. The place
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  Speaker 2: had been neglected under his father's rule. Dust collected in
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  Speaker 2: the corners of the halls, the altar was stained, and
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  Speaker 2: the gold pillars had lost their shine. The temple was
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  Speaker 2: empty and quiet. All he could hear was the sound
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  Speaker 2: of his own footsteps. He ran his hands against the walls,
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  Speaker 2: looked up at the ceiling above. He breathed in deeply
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  Speaker 2: and closed his eyes. Hezekiah listened to the quiet. There
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  Speaker 2: were no sacrifices, no prayers, and no service to the people.
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  Speaker 2: The silence was deafening to Hezekiah. The absence of ministry
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  Speaker 2: within the walls of the temple represented the emptiness of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: People's hearts were empty. They were far from God. They
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  Speaker 2: were scared and without the joy of the Lord. Tears
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  Speaker 2: streamed down his face. Hezekiah would not allow people to
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  Speaker 2: stray even further. Hezekiah looked to the front of the temple.
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  Speaker 2: The doors were heavy and rusted from being shut for
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  Speaker 2: so many years. Hezekiah's heart started to beat faster. He
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  Speaker 2: could feel the presence of God. The strong hand of
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  Speaker 2: the Lord was upon him. His voice was silent, but
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  Speaker 2: clear in his heart. Hezekiah ran towards the temple doors
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  Speaker 2: and burst them open. Light beamed through the open doorway,
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  Speaker 2: and a cloud of dust left the halls. People who
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  Speaker 2: were passing by were startled at the sudden sound. Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: gathered his servants to find the priests and Levites. Then
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  Speaker 2: he sent word for the best builders in the land.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah was going to mend what was broken. He was
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  Speaker 2: going to restore the temple and restore the hearts of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: The first month of Hezekiah's rule was spent on the
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  Speaker 2: restoration of the temple. He and his men spent days
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  Speaker 2: fixing doorways, replacing beams, and polishing altars. The once dusty
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  Speaker 2: building was restored to its former glory. Solomon himself would
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  Speaker 2: have been pleased with Hezekiah's work. After the restoration was complete,
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah gathered all the priests and Levites. The men had
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  Speaker 2: been cast away by King Ahaz and had finally come
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  Speaker 2: out of hiding. As they gathered, Hezekiah stood up in excitement.
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  Speaker 2: Hear me, Levites, he shouted. Prepare yourself and the temple.
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  Speaker 2: Our fathers were unfaithful. Their hearts were dim and filled
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  Speaker 2: with corruption. They forsook God, but we do not have to.
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah began to choke up. He could see the emotions
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  Speaker 2: welling up from the priests that sat before him. Hundreds
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  Speaker 2: of them sat in awe of their king's words. Hezekiah
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  Speaker 2: continued with passion, saying, They shut these walls. They shut
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  Speaker 2: the temple. They shut themselves off to God. No wonder
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  Speaker 2: Judah has fallen so far from power and glory. Our
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  Speaker 2: fathers were killed by swords and spears. Our sons and
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  Speaker 2: daughters have been taken away in captivity. Hezekiah was speaking
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  Speaker 2: with a great deal of strength. He paused for a
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  Speaker 2: moment and turned his face to the temple. He spoke
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  Speaker 2: with a whisper now, as if it was just him
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  Speaker 2: and God speaking. The whole congregation leaned in to listen.
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  Speaker 2: It is in my heart to make a covenant with God.
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  Speaker 2: He turned back to the leaders before him, my sons.
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  Speaker 2: Do not be idle. Do not neglect the Lord. He
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  Speaker 2: has chosen you to stand before him with honor. He
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  Speaker 2: has chosen you to minister to God and to the people.
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  Speaker 2: As Hezekiah spoke, all the priests, elders, commanders, and the
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  Speaker 2: Levites stood to their feet. They answered the call of God.
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  Speaker 2: One by one, they entered the temple with purpose. As
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  Speaker 2: the months passed, the temple began to awaken with activity again,
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  Speaker 2: Men and women were blessed once again with closeness to
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  Speaker 2: God through the ministry of the priests. Not only was
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  Speaker 2: the temple prepared, but all the past idols and instruments
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  Speaker 2: of torture used by Ahaz were burned and destroyed. Beautiful
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  Speaker 2: music filled the city and streets near the temple. Harps, trumpets, lyres,
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  Speaker 2: and cymbals played to the glory of God. Praises were sung,
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  Speaker 2: and the old Psalms of David were recited in the
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  Speaker 2: presence of the whole nation. With gladness in their hearts
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  Speaker 2: they bowed in worship, and joy filled the streets of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Revival was echoing across the nation, and the broken were
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  Speaker 2: being made whole again. Not only did Hezekiah worship the
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  Speaker 2: Lord with all his heart, but he also protected the
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  Speaker 2: people from evil. He outlawed parts of the country where
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  Speaker 2: dark arts were practiced. He banned the worshiping of idols,
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  Speaker 2: and he made laws that pointed people in the direction
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  Speaker 2: of God. He trusted God with all his being. No
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  Speaker 2: king before him or after him clung to the presence
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  Speaker 2: of God more honestly. He did not depart from the
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  Speaker 2: goodness of the Lord, and his nation was blessed for it.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's passage in the aftermath of a truly
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  Speaker 3: terrible king. Ahaz had utterly rejected God, clung to countless
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  Speaker 3: foreign gods, and defiled himself and Judah in ways no
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  Speaker 3: king before him had done. When he died, Judah was suffering,
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  Speaker 3: and the people lived in fear. Human sacrifice, something totally
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  Speaker 3: abhorrent to the Lord, was commonplace under Ahaz. How far
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  Speaker 3: the people had fallen from the days of good king Jotham.
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  Speaker 3: Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, was anointed king in this context. It
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  Speaker 3: would certainly be understandable for the people to expect more
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  Speaker 3: of the same bad news. But Hezekiah could not have
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  Speaker 3: been more different than his father. Listen to the words
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  Speaker 3: of Hezekiah found in 2 Kings 18 verses 5 and 6.
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  Speaker 3: He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so
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  Speaker 3: that there was none like him among all the kings
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  Speaker 3: of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him,
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  Speaker 3: for he held fast to the Lord. He did not
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  Speaker 3: depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the
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  Speaker 3: Lord commanded Moses. I love those words, he held fast
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  Speaker 3: to the Lord. That is a true measure of genuine
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  Speaker 3: success in a person's life, to hold on to God
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  Speaker 3: and never let go, and also to know that God
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  Speaker 3: will never let go of us. That's precisely what Hezekiah did. Immediately,
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  Speaker 3: when he became king, he set about fixing what his
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  Speaker 3: father had destroyed. The temple of God which Ahaz had
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  Speaker 3: plundered and shuttered was a pathetic sight. It grieved Hezekiah
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  Speaker 3: to see the Lord's house in such a state. But
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  Speaker 3: as sad as that picture was, what it represented was
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  Speaker 3: even a greater tragedy. The people's hearts were in shambles.
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  Speaker 3: They were so far from God, disconnected from His life-giving presence.
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  Speaker 3: So Hezekiah resolved to make both things right, both at
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  Speaker 3: the temple and with the people. He called the priests
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  Speaker 3: and Levites as well as the best craftsmen. Work began
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  Speaker 3: immediately to repair and restore the temple. God's servants, priests
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  Speaker 3: who had gone into hiding in fear of the evil king,
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  Speaker 3: stepped into the light again to begin guiding God's people
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  Speaker 3: and their hearts back to the Lord. Hezekiah knew he
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  Speaker 3: must lead the people and inspire them to change their
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  Speaker 3: way of life. So he stood up and spoke loudly
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  Speaker 3: and clearly. The many sins that had been committed by
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  Speaker 3: their fathers hung heavy upon the people. But there was
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  Speaker 3: a way out. Judah was suffering the consequences of generations
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  Speaker 3: of sin. This was not God's cruelty, but it was
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  Speaker 3: the natural outflow of their sin and the righteous judgment
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  Speaker 3: of God. It was clearly time for the people to repent.
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  Speaker 3: Hezekiah's words are a clear message to all of us today.
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  Speaker 3: We do not have to live in the sins of
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  Speaker 3: our fathers. We don't need to live in generational disobedience.
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  Speaker 3: We can break the power of sin in our lives
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  Speaker 3: through repentance. Hezekiah was calling God's people back into a
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  Speaker 3: relationship with the Lord, who is provider and sustainer, and
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  Speaker 3: the people listened, and we should listen today. In America,
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  Speaker 3: we know that we stand in the face of an
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  Speaker 3: impending judgment from God. In fact, the whole world is
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  Speaker 3: ripe for judgment. But there is a way out. There
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  Speaker 3: is a way through. And that is through the cross
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  Speaker 3: and the resurrection of Christ and personal salvation, but also
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  Speaker 3: the revival of God's church and God's people. Judah experienced
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  Speaker 3: a revival of hearts, and the symbols of evil and
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  Speaker 3: idolatry were purged from the land. Songs of praise fill
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  Speaker 3: the air as the people worship the one true God again.
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  Speaker 3: Our great God, our good God, accepted their praise and
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  Speaker 3: their worship because they came to him sincerely. And what
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  Speaker 3: a sweet song it must have been for the Lord
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  Speaker 3: to hear the songs of revival, the songs of repentance,
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  Speaker 3: and the songs of faith. Dear God, how we thank
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  Speaker 3: you for the example of Hezekiah, who gave his entire
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  Speaker 3: life to following you and to holding fast to you.
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  Speaker 3: and leading your people. Thank you that you forgive when
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  Speaker 3: we are ready to repent. And today, we're reminded that
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  Speaker 3: when we are prodigal children, that we can always come
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  Speaker 3: back to you because of your love for us. And
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  Speaker 3: in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before
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  Speaker 3: we go, I want to let you know about a
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is that
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: it will help you conquer the daily task and pressures
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download your
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.