Vol.5, No. 23 – June 21, 2020
Respect can lie with a title, or with the person; better applied to both . . .
Leadership in a Time of Crisis — 2 Chronicles 31:21
Every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered. –2 Chronicles 31:21
Some people simply do not like a new leader. They always are questioning the leader’s right to exercise their office. It may be due to recent or past history; however, it is more often that they simply do not abide in the political stances of the new leader. They are an opposing party to the leader; holding to the bent of the opposing group (regardless of what God chooses).
Some leaders are not politically correct, yet bring necessary changes that benefit the masses of people, the country, or the nations.
Sometimes there is jealously because someone else is chosen to be the leader instead of their party’s choice.
Hezekiah began his reign as king at the age of 25. It seems that he had the worst example for a father, and another almost as bad for a son. At the beginning of his reign, he found the Temple at Jerusalem in a shocking state of neglect and misuse. That reflects, mirrors, the condition of the nation’s people before God.
Leaders with a lack of integrity, morality, and ungodliness most often leave difficulties for the next in line to rule. They kick the can down the road. The choice of the following leader is to simply go with the flow (remember, even dead fish are adept at going with the flow), or that new leader can put their effort in stabilizing a stagnant nation, moving it forward in what is right to do. There seems to be an echo in those remarks for our own nation. We have a putrid swamp that needs to be drained.
Hezekiah is an example of one man making the difference for a nation. The entire movement back to the worship of Jehovah God begins with a one-man-movement. This is Hezekiah giving attention to Almighty God; doing what he ought to do, regardless of a shifting the power structure and stopping the “going with the flow.”
A righteous people, grown in the midst of fashionable and deep corruption, present the stronger, becoming agents of reform, and begin to replace the people and systems that attempt an overthrow. Hezekiah comes to a tottering throne, with a heart for his God and for his nation.
Hezekiah becomes a link. A link to the time of godly giants. A contrast to the inglorious mind-presence of his father, Ahaz. There seems to be an ancient proverb that fits here: “a new boom sweeps clean.” The 2020 version of that proverb is: it is past time to drain the swamp when the muck of politics has the nation mired.
The test for Hezekiah in this new venture is what to continue, and what to stop. In addition, the test includes a commitment to sticking with the right thing. This “stickability” is required even in the times it seems that the nation might become unglued.
We cannot miss his prompt action. In the first month of his first year, he confronts his reluctant staff, consistently replacing the reluctant. Either get with the program, do your job, or get out. See to it that you hasten the matter. Get with it. Assembling the priests, and the Levites, in the eastern courtyard of the Temple, Hezekiah commands they consecrate themselves, remove what is defiling the Temple (the paraphernalia of heathen worship), and re-establish the worship of the Lord Almighty.
First things first is probably the moto over his desk. He lets no grass grow under his feet. The popular enthusiasm of the day does not control his decisions. Political correctness and plans of the left-minded, are in conflict with the ecclesiastical-minded king. The mood of reform is euphoric and invigorating to the new king on the block.
Three factors highlight Hezekiah’s service to the Lord (31:20-21):
- His pious zeal reaches to ALL of the kingdom
- In his ALL, he sincerely desires to please God and approve himself to Him in ALL he does
- What he begins, permeates ALL his heart, ALL his nation, and ALL his endeavors
Life Application
When I was in college, many, many years ago, I had a professor give a definition of ALL. He said, “All means all, and that’s all, all means.” When one’s life is committed to God, that one is enabled to work God’s wonders in a wider circle. Are you God’s one person willing to be ALL to the Lord Almighty? Give your attention to what God is doing right now; life is in the moment. I recall the story of a young lad observed throwing starfish back into the ocean. They had washed ashore. The man observed commented to the boy, “Son, you cannot save them all.” The young lad responded,as he threw another back in the ocean, “Well, here is one that will live.” He then continued to throw the starfish back into the ocean, offering life to those he touched.
Every person God creates leads someone. We say to another, follow me, I know the way to go, or I know the right decision to make.
Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. –Matthew 6:34
How are you and I doing with the lives we are near? Are we throwing them into life — the kind of life that affects them eternally? Pray that we might be those kind of people.
Leadership in a time of crisis is always available—if we would but ask our Almighty God, submitting our ALL!
