King Heze\u00adki\u00adah had an extre\u00adme\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult inhe\u00adri\u00adtance to bear. His father did ever\u00ady\u00adthing the Lord had for\u00adbidden. Heze\u00adki\u00adah bro\u00adke away from his fami\u00adly histo\u00adry and took a stand of his own. He bur\u00adned all the idols and uten\u00adsils of ido\u00adla\u00adtry in the Kidron Val\u00adley and rein\u00adtro\u00addu\u00adced wor\u00adship. Cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristic of Heze\u00adki\u00adah is his trust in God. Becau\u00adse of this, he suc\u00adcee\u00added in ever\u00ady\u00adthing he did. When he was death\u00adly ill, God gave him an addi\u00adtio\u00adnal 15 years of life. They were not good for him. He ove\u00adre\u00adsti\u00adma\u00adted hims\u00adelf, which hin\u00adde\u00adred his trust in God. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel had to bear the con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces after his death.<\/p>\n
It is wort\u00adhwhile to take King Heze\u00adki\u00adah (750 \u2013 696 BC<\/span>) as a role model, becau\u00adse he was a well-hee\u00adled man. By well-hee\u00adled we mean suc\u00adcessful and wealt\u00adhy. That is what Heze\u00adki\u00adah was. Howe\u00adver, well-to-do comes from the Hebrew word batuach, which means to trust. \u00abHeze\u00adki\u00adah trus\u00adted (batuach) in the Lord, the God of Isra\u00adel. Neither befo\u00adre nor after was the\u00adre a king in the land of Judah like him\u00bb (2 Kings 18:5 NL<\/span>). Can it be that peo\u00adp\u00adle who trust God are bles\u00adsed people? \tWhat does it mean to trust God? King Heze\u00adki\u00adah had an extre\u00adme\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult inhe\u00adri\u00adtance to bear. His father did ever\u00ady\u00adthing the Lord had for\u00adbidden. Heze\u00adki\u00adah bro\u00adke away from his fami\u00adly histo\u00adry and took a stand of his own. He bur\u00adned all the idols and uten\u00adsils of ido\u00adla\u00adtry in the Kidron Val\u00adley and rein\u00adtro\u00addu\u00adced wor\u00adship. Cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristic of Heze\u00adki\u00adah is his trust in God. Through this he had\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3224","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nTrust ver\u00adsus fami\u00adly tradition
\nHezekiah\u2019s father was cal\u00adled Ahaz. He tried ever\u00ady\u00adthing to suc\u00adceed. In the pro\u00adcess, he intro\u00addu\u00adced occult prac\u00adti\u00adces and sacri\u00adfi\u00adced to various idols. Among other things, he even had his son burnt in the fire as a sacri\u00adfice. When he heard that the\u00adre was just a gre\u00adat wave of suc\u00adcess in Damas\u00adcus, he had a priest flown in from the\u00adre who had to pro\u00addu\u00adce the same dei\u00adty in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. Ahaz also pro\u00admi\u00adsed hims\u00adelf suc\u00adcess if he would sacri\u00adfice to this built god. To give this for\u00adeign dei\u00adty its due place, he had the who\u00adle temp\u00adle area rebuilt. Alt\u00adhough he left no stone untur\u00adned, he suf\u00adfe\u00adr\u00aded one defeat after ano\u00adther. To his advan\u00adta\u00adge, he also wan\u00adted to buy the gre\u00adat Assy\u00adri\u00adan empire. To get the money, he plun\u00adde\u00adred the gold and sil\u00adver from the temp\u00adle. The money was gone, peace did not come. During this dark time, even the temp\u00adle was clo\u00adsed. Wor\u00adship no lon\u00adger took place, which was a fron\u00adtal attack on the Jewish religion.
\nHeze\u00adki\u00adah was born into this situa\u00adti\u00adon. It says of him: \u00abIn the very first month of his first year in office, Heze\u00adki\u00adah had the doors of the house of the Lord unlo\u00adcked and repai\u00adred. [\u2026] Our ances\u00adtors were unfaithful to the Lord and did what disp\u00adlea\u00adsed our God. They for\u00adso\u00adok the Lord and his sanc\u00adtua\u00adry; they tur\u00adned their backs on him\u00bb (2Chronicles 29:3,6 NL<\/span>). From the begin\u00adning, it is clear that Heze\u00adki\u00adah wants to go a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent way than his father. His trust began by brea\u00adking away from the fami\u00adly and brea\u00adking with his father\u2019s beha\u00adviour. In doing so, it is noti\u00adceable that Heze\u00adki\u00adah does not make light of his father\u2019s actions, nor does he bad\u00admouth them. He breaks with it becau\u00adse it was wrong. The\u00adre are fal\u00adse depen\u00adden\u00adci\u00ades in fami\u00adlies that need to be bro\u00adken. Never should we hide behind the beha\u00adviour of par\u00adents. \u00abThe child\u00adren are not punis\u00adhed for the sins of the par\u00adents and the par\u00adents are not punis\u00adhed for the sins of the child\u00adren. The righ\u00adteous will be reward\u00aded for their righ\u00adteous\u00adness, the wicked will be punis\u00adhed for their wicked\u00adness\u00bb (Eze\u00adkiel 18:20 NL<\/span>). We are not respon\u00adsi\u00adble for what our par\u00adents did, and ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly for what our child\u00adren do. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for their own life and whe\u00adther they take cer\u00adtain steps or not. Heze\u00adki\u00adah was awa\u00adre of this and lived accor\u00addin\u00adgly. Quite often we have to take steps in our fami\u00adly if we want to grow in trust. This invol\u00adves clea\u00adring up fami\u00adly sto\u00adries, distancing our\u00adsel\u00adves from cer\u00adtain things or, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, detaching our\u00adsel\u00adves from occult machinations.
\nIn addi\u00adti\u00adon to resol\u00adving, it is also about taking one\u2019s own clear posi\u00adti\u00adon. Under Ahaz, thou\u00adsands of peo\u00adp\u00adle went to their deaths in unneces\u00adsa\u00adry wars. Heze\u00adki\u00adah took a stand and said, \u00abWe trust in God again.\u00bb As a result, a gre\u00adat bles\u00adsing came upon the who\u00adle nati\u00adon. It is also important for us to take a clear stand in the fami\u00adly. A gre\u00adat bles\u00adsing will come from this.
\nTrust requi\u00adres radi\u00adcal decisions
\n\u00abHe cal\u00adled all the priests and Levi\u00adtes to him and gathe\u00adred them in the squa\u00adre on the east. He said to them: \u00abYou Levi\u00adtes, lis\u00adten to me! Puri\u00adfy your\u00adsel\u00adves so that you can car\u00adry out your ser\u00advice again! Puri\u00adfy also the temp\u00adle of the LORD<\/span>, the God of your ances\u00adtors, and remo\u00adve from the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry ever\u00ady\u00adthing that belongs to ido\u00adla\u00adtry!\u00bb \u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 29:4\u20135 Hfa). Heze\u00adki\u00adah deci\u00added to trust in the living God again. This invol\u00adved thro\u00adwing out all the rub\u00adbish. \u00abThe priests went into the temp\u00adle and car\u00adri\u00aded ever\u00ady\u00adthing that belon\u00adged to ido\u00adla\u00adtry out into the outer court. The Levi\u00adtes took the artic\u00adles and car\u00adri\u00aded them away from the city to the Kidron Val\u00adley\u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 29:16 Hfa). Heze\u00adki\u00adah not only threw the\u00adse uten\u00adsils out of the temp\u00adle pre\u00adcincts, but into the Kidron Val\u00adley out\u00adside the city. Unli\u00adke some of his pre\u00adde\u00adces\u00adsors, he clea\u00adned up radi\u00adcal\u00adly. He pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly bur\u00adned the idols so that they could never be rein\u00adtro\u00addu\u00adced. For Heze\u00adki\u00adah it was clear that such things had no place any more. In addi\u00adti\u00adon to this clea\u00adring out, he also bro\u00adke away from the king of the Assy\u00adri\u00adans, to whom his father had sold hims\u00adelf. Heze\u00adki\u00adah took the risk of stan\u00adding up to this bru\u00adtal world domi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. He trus\u00adted in the Lord and kicked out ever\u00ady\u00adthing that hin\u00adde\u00adred this trust.
\nSome\u00adti\u00admes it also takes a con\u00adsis\u00adtent approach in our lives, thro\u00adwing into the Kidron Val\u00adley the things in our lives that hin\u00adder wor\u00adship, trust in God and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with God. What hin\u00adders our trust in God? The con\u00adsump\u00adti\u00adon of media? Our pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty and wealth? Our repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon? Let\u2019s ask Jesus to look at us and point out the things that dimi\u00adnish trust in Him \u2013 and then throw them away into the Kidron Valley!
\n\u00abHe had the high shri\u00adnes des\u00adtroy\u00aded, the memo\u00adri\u00adal stones hewn down and the Ashe\u00adrah images over\u00adtur\u00adned. He bro\u00adke the bron\u00adze ser\u00adpent that Moses had made becau\u00adse the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel had begun to wor\u00adship it by bur\u00adning incen\u00adse befo\u00adre it. The bron\u00adze ser\u00adpent was cal\u00adled Nehusht\u00adan\u00bb (2 Kings 18:4 NL<\/span>). Cer\u00adtain cults had taken root in Isra\u00adel that ori\u00adgi\u00adnal\u00adly had a good pur\u00adpo\u00adse. The bron\u00adze ser\u00adpent was very important after the Exodus from Egypt. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel muti\u00adnied and were unfaithful, so God sent poi\u00adso\u00adno\u00adus sna\u00adkes. In distress, Moses cried out to God and was told to rai\u00adse up a bron\u00adze ser\u00adpent. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne who loo\u00adked at this ser\u00adpent was hea\u00adled (cf. Exodus 21). This is the ser\u00adpent of life that can be seen at every phar\u00adma\u00adcy today. This ser\u00adpent, which was remi\u00adnis\u00adcent of a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal high\u00adlight, beca\u00adme a sym\u00adbol of ido\u00adla\u00adtry becau\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle had for\u00adgot\u00adten that it was about trust towards the living God and not about the ser\u00adpent its\u00adelf. Peo\u00adp\u00adle ido\u00adli\u00adsed the ser\u00adpent by giving it incen\u00adse. I can ima\u00adgi\u00adne that Heze\u00adki\u00adah faced a lot of resis\u00adtance: \u00abThis sna\u00adke saved the lives of our ances\u00adtors! You can\u2019t just throw it away.\u00bb
\nThe\u00adre are also pious, reli\u00adgious things that pre\u00advent our trust in God. This can be a pas\u00adtor with inspi\u00adring You\u00adtube ser\u00admons, a good book that once spo\u00adke into our lives, even the Bible if I value it more than Jesus. So quick\u00adly we put our trust in a per\u00adson or an ideo\u00adlo\u00adgy ins\u00adtead of God. Such things also need to be reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded and uproo\u00adted from the root. Heze\u00adki\u00adah took a radi\u00adcal approach to such things.
\nThe good news for us is that we no lon\u00adger have to go to Kidron. 700 years after Heze\u00adki\u00adah, the\u00adre came one who also went out\u00adside the city. \u00abSo Jesus also suf\u00adfe\u00adr\u00aded and died out\u00adside the city gates to sanc\u00adti\u00adfy his peo\u00adp\u00adle by his shed blood\u00bb (Hebrews 13:12 NL<\/span>). The same prin\u00adci\u00adple appli\u00ades here: becau\u00adse filth belongs out\u00adside the city gate, Jesus had to suf\u00adfer out\u00adside Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. Sin has no place near the sanc\u00adtua\u00adry. Jesus took with him to the cross ever\u00ady\u00adthing that wants to des\u00adtroy our trust in God. We speak of sin. Sin does not pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly mean a moral offence, but sin is when I put my trust in some\u00adthing other than the living God. Jesus died so that we could have this rela\u00adti\u00adonship of trust: \u00abHis grace is so gre\u00adat that he bought our free\u00addom with the blood of his Son, so that our sins might be for\u00adgi\u00adven us\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 1:7 NL<\/span>). HE<\/span> went to the cross so that our trust in the living God could be restored.
\nCon\u00adfi\u00addence ver\u00adsus overconfidence
\n\u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre the Lord was with him and gave him suc\u00adcess in ever\u00ady\u00adthing he under\u00adtook\u00bb (2 Kings 18:7 NL<\/span>). Heze\u00adki\u00adah trus\u00adted God and was thus a well-off man. After reig\u00adning for 14 years, he beca\u00adme death\u00adly ill. He prays: \u00abRemem\u00adber, Lord, how I have always been faithful to you with all my heart and have always done what plea\u00adsed you. And Heze\u00adki\u00adah wept bit\u00adter\u00adly\u00bb (2 Kings 20:3 NL<\/span>). He was then told by the pro\u00adphet Isai\u00adah that the Lord wan\u00adted to add 15 years to his life. From that moment on, his mot\u00adto was \u00abone more\u00bb. Isai\u00adah put a fig cake on the ulcer and he got well. As if the exten\u00adsi\u00adon of life was not enough, Heze\u00adki\u00adah mas\u00adsa\u00adged hims\u00adelf to demand one more sign from God. In doing so, God not only rea\u00adched deep into the \u00abbag of tricks\u00bb, but also into the geo\u00adme\u00adtry of the hea\u00advens. He chan\u00adged the direc\u00adtion of the earth\u2019s rota\u00adti\u00adon so that the shadow of the sun\u00addi\u00adal went back ten hours.
\nThe\u00adse events cau\u00adsed a huge stir far bey\u00adond the country\u2019s bor\u00adders. Peo\u00adp\u00adle came from all over to mar\u00advel at Heze\u00adki\u00adah. Heze\u00adki\u00adah hand\u00adled the fame bad\u00adly and pro\u00advi\u00added con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon for the pro\u00adverb \u00abPri\u00adde comes befo\u00adre a fall\u00bb. Sud\u00adden\u00adly, nega\u00adti\u00adve sen\u00adten\u00adces about Heze\u00adki\u00adah also appear: \u00abYet Heze\u00adki\u00adah did not app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adte the kind\u00adness the Lord had shown him, but he beca\u00adme arro\u00adgant\u00bb (2Chronicles 32:25 NL<\/span>). In the gre\u00adat pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty, Heze\u00adki\u00adah not only beca\u00adme richer and richer, but also prou\u00adder and prou\u00adder. He real\u00adly let hims\u00adelf be admi\u00adred. But then Isai\u00adah had to make the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing announce\u00adment on behalf of God: \u00abLet the Lord tell you this: a time will come when ever\u00ady\u00adthing you own \u2013 ever\u00ady\u00adthing your ances\u00adtors have gathe\u00adred up to now \u2013 will be brought to Baby\u00adlon. Not\u00adhing will remain here, says the Lord. Your own des\u00adcen\u00addants will be car\u00adri\u00aded off. They will ser\u00adve the king of Baby\u00adlon the\u00adre in the palace\u00bb (2 Kings 20:16\u201318 NL<\/span>). Heze\u00adki\u00adah hum\u00adbled hims\u00adelf. The announ\u00adced cata\u00adstro\u00adphe is not can\u00adcel\u00adled, but only post\u00adpo\u00adned \u2013 until after Hezekiah\u2019s death. Did God per\u00adhaps even reg\u00adret giving Heze\u00adki\u00adah 15 extra years? In any case, during this time, which was mark\u00aded by pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty, suc\u00adcess and ans\u00adwers to pray\u00ader, he fell into a self-ove\u00adre\u00adsti\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon that tor\u00adped\u00adoed his trust in the LORD<\/span>.
\nThe first 14 years of his minis\u00adtry were chal\u00adlen\u00adging and dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, but spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly a time of flou\u00adris\u00adhing. Heze\u00adki\u00adah ser\u00adved God, trus\u00adted Him and reli\u00aded ful\u00adly on Him. The given life exten\u00adsi\u00adon of 15 years was a flou\u00adris\u00adhing time world\u00adly, but spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly it was downhill. When ever\u00ady\u00adthing goes smooth\u00adly in our lives and we are real\u00adly suc\u00adcessful, the\u00adre is a gre\u00adat dan\u00adger that we for\u00adget Jesus. Dif\u00adfi\u00adcult years in which we expe\u00adri\u00adence cri\u00adses and suf\u00adfe\u00adring are often spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly very valuable.
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\nTrus\u00adting the living God is the best thing we can do. To do this, we have to detach our\u00adsel\u00adves from events in our fami\u00adly histo\u00adry and take a clear posi\u00adti\u00adon our\u00adsel\u00adves. Then it is a mat\u00adter of clea\u00adring out and dis\u00adpo\u00adsing of all that hin\u00adders trust in God on the cross. Whoe\u00adver trusts in the living God in this way is well-dis\u00adpo\u00adsed. This is much more than wealth and honour. It is suc\u00adcess. Suc\u00adcess is wal\u00adking in step with God.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: 2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 29:1\u201311.15\u201319<\/p>\n
\n\tHeze\u00adki\u00adah lived radi\u00adcal\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly from his father. Are the\u00adre also inci\u00addents in your fami\u00adly histo\u00adry from which you have to detach yourself?
\n\tHave you taken a clear posi\u00adti\u00adon in your fami\u00adly for a life with God? What is pre\u00adven\u00adting you from doing so?
\n\tWhat things in your life hin\u00adder you in your rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God? What does it mean today to burn them in the Kidron Valley?
\n\tWhat is sin? What defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon of sin is found in the sermon?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"