Reforms Among God’s People

MEMORY VERSE: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” —Isaiah 55:7

II KINGS 18:1-6; 23:21-25

HEZEKIAH reigned over the two-tribe kingdom for twenty-nine years. Unlike the kings of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel, “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.” However, by the time Hezekiah began his reign, the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel had been destroyed, and many of the Israelites involved in that regime had been taken captive into Assyria, although many remained in the land. Hezekiah, therefore, instituted a great reform throughout the entire land.

The record is that Hezekiah “removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves.” In other words, he undertook to destroy the heathen worship which had prevailed so long within the bounds of the ten-tribe kingdom, which had also intermittently menaced the subjects of the two-tribe kingdom. It was a colossal task, but he accomplished much.

Moses had erected a brazen serpent in the wilderness; when the Israelites gazed upon it, they were healed of the bites of the poisonous snakes which invaded the camp. This brazen serpent had been preserved, and used as an idol. Hezekiah ordered that it be destroyed, for he realized that while it served a good purpose in the wilderness, it was not intended to be an object of worship. Jesus said that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also must the Son of man be lifted up; and surely those who look upon him in belief and obedience will be saved.—John 3:14

The record gives a beautiful tribute to Hezekiah: “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.” One of the secrets of Hezekiah’s righteous reign was his unfaltering faith in the God of Israel. When the nation was about to be attacked by the mighty Assyrian army, he said to his subjects, “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.”—II Chron. 32:7,8

The last part of the lesson (II Kings 23:21-25) pertains to another good king of Judah, Josiah. In fact, he was the last of the righteous kings to reign over the two-tribe kingdom. During his reign, while repairs were being made in the temple, the Book of the Law was found; and when Josiah had it read to him he realized how far short of obedience to the Law the people had really come. The record states, “When the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.”—II Kings 22:11

Two wicked kings reigned in Jerusalem just preceding Josiah’s reign—Manasseth and Amon. Josiah was the son of Amon. Manasseh reigned fifty-five years, and Amon reigned two years. During these fifty-seven years the Law of the Lord was completely neglected. Since the Book of the Law was lost, the people were unaware of the Law’s requirements.

One of these requirements was the observance of the passover, which had been neglected since the days of Hezekiah. The passover lamb pointed forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God. Hezekiah, in his reform movement, called for the commemoration of the passover, although its observance was a month late “because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.”—II Chron. 30:1-3

On learning about the passover from hearing the reading of the Book of the Law, Josiah called for its observance. It was a wonderful occasion for the king, the priests, the Levites, and the people! The record states, “Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah.”

Our memory verse emphasizes God’s willingness to forgive those who return to him, and without doubt many in Israel realized the abundant manner in which this was true with them.

QUESTIONS

Who instituted the reforms in Israel recorded in this lesson?

What was represented by the brazen serpent ordered destroyed by Hezekiah?

Who was represented by Israel’s passover lamb?

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