Hezekiah
the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to
the LORD
with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises
with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped. 2nd
Chronicles 29:30 (ESV)
When
God is Enough
In
past devotional thoughts I've talked about the kings of Israel and
Judah. Only 5 kings of Judah obeyed and served the Yahweh. Sadly to say though some of
the 5 who began serving Him later fell into apostasy.
One
king who stayed the course of righteous obedience to the end of his
life was the 13th king, Hezekiah. He is considered a very righteous
king by the author of the books of First and Second Kings and is one
of the most prominent kings of the Bible. He is also in the genealogy
of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:9-10). He loved the Lord with his whole
heart (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37) and God blessed him and the
land of Judah because of it.
Today
many people, without the church and many within, look at the
commandments of God and His Son with a laid back outlook and treat
them mostly as statements to be questioned or even totally ignored. Why practice them? 'Obey'
to many is a four letter word or they have such a low opinion and
perspective of God they can ask “What's in it for me?”
Well,
let's take a look at the advantages of obedience. Obedience leads to
glory,
honor,
and immortality
(Romans 2:6-8). It leads to being blessed
(Luke 11:28). Christ
has called us to it
(John 14:15). It is an act of worship
(Romans 12:1). God
rewards obedience
(Genesis 22:18, Exodus 19:5, Luke 11:28, James 1:22-25). It
proves our love
(1st
John 5:2-3, 2nd
John 6). It demonstrates
faith (1st
John 2:3-6). It
is better than sacrifice
(1st
Samuel 15:22-23) and through it we
experience the blessing of holy living
(Psalm 119:1-8, Isaiah 48:17-19).
David
said “I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall
not be put to shame, for I find my delight in Your commandments,
which I love” (Psalm 119:47). Desiring to
truly know God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in
all His power, glory, and active attributes can bring the purest
delight to every aspect of our being. When we have nothing left but
God and we gladly bow down and worship, faithful to do His best
for us in His commandments, we come to discover that He is truly enough.
Ken
