RESTORATION PRINCIPLES - THEIR BIBLICAL BASIS (5)
RESTORATION PRINCIPLES - THEIR BIBLICAL BASIS (5)
by Yeow Chin Kiong
The work of restoring service to,- and worship of,- our Father is a seriously difficult task to begin and carry through completion. Thankfully, we have Divinely-preserved records of Old Testament works of restoration we can reflect upon for guidance and encouragement. As Romans 15:4-6 instructs us, "4. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scripturess might have hope. 5. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Before looking at the details of a specific example of Old Testament restoration, the Romans passage alerts us to the need for like-mindedness among brethren who are committed to the goal of restoring God's things and ways. Disunity of purpose among restorers will almost surely doom their noble intention.
Let us see what lessons we can learn about restoration from the effort of King Hezekian of Judah, 14th descendant of King David, whose reign we read about in 2 Kings 18:1 to 20:21; 2 Chronicles 29:1 to 32:33 and Isaiah 36:1 to 39:8.
The need for the restoring of the worship of God according to the Divinely-revealed law of Moses arose right after King Solomon completed the building of the first temple and its dedication to God (1 Kings 5:1 to 8:66). Despite God's clear warning that His favor concerning the temple and the royal linage of its builder was conditional upon Solomon's faithfulness to His commandments and statutes (1 Kings 9:1-9), the king, in his old age, sought to please his many foreign wives by patronizing their worship of their gods (1 Kings 11:1-5), angering God (1 Kings 11:9-13). When, resulting partly from the presence of state-sanctioned idoltary in Jerusalem, the kingdom of Israel divided during the reign of King Rehoboam, Solomon's son, King Jeroboam of the splintered Northern Kingdom sought to keep his people's allegiance by devising an alternative religion altogether, comprising idol-worship and a religious calendat and priesthood different from Moses' Law (1 Kings 12:26-33). Hence, some two centuries before King Hezeķiah's reign, there arose a need to restore correct worship according to Moses' Law throughout Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
We do not know what motivated King Hezekiah to initiate restoration of true worship of God very early in his reign but it must have had something to do with his humble and prayerful character. He showed this aspect of himself when be turned to God when he faced the might of the Assyrian military (2 Kings 19:14-19) and again when he was gravely ill (2 Kings 20:1-3).
As for his work of restoration, King Hezekiah, "4 ..... removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the woden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it and called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were befire him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following him, but kept His commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went ....." (2 Kings 18:4-7).
As regards King Hezekiah's restoration of the worship of God in the temple, he first opened the doors of the temple and repaired them (2 Chronicles 29:3) and re-established the role and duties of the priests and Levites for them to minister to God and burn incense (2 Chronicles 29:4-11). After he had set in order the service of the house of the Lord, King Hezekiah called all Judah and Israel to keep the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread in Jerusalem. The King's wide-ranging restoration also included arrangement for the collection and distribution of supplies to those who served in worship and to others. The 2 Chronicles record concludes with, "20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered." (2 Chronicles 31:20-21).
From King Hezekiah's experience of restoration, we learn that it may sometimes require much work including human resource realignment and drastic physical activity (like removing idols). Personal zeal, along with initiative, are necessary simply because inherent authority alone,- even kingly authority,- is insufficient for the task. Ultimately, there may arise poor response to calls for restoration, much like the less-than-enthusiastic response of the Israelites of Northren Israel to Hezekiah's call.