THE KING’S BUSINESS
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LORD your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and null not turn away His face from you, if ye return unto Him.’’ Not only was there to be deliverance for themselves from the wrath of God if they turned again to the Lord and ceased their stiff-neckedness and yielded themselves wholly to the Lord, but their brethren and children were to receive blessing also, they were to find compas sion before them that had led them away captive, and were to be restored .to the land. All this bright prospect of what would follow upon repentance, surrender, communion and service was founded upon the fact that Jehovah “is gracious and mer ciful” (cf. Ex. 34:6, 7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Ps. 85:5, 15; Ps. 111:4; Ps: 145:7, 8 ; Jonah 4:2; Micah 7:18). vs. 10-13. "So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Eph raim and Manasseh even unto Zebulon: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulon hum bled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah the hand of God was (was the hand of God ) to give them one heart (add ,) to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, (omit ,) by the word of the LORD. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened b?ead in the second month, a very great congregation.” In a large measure, with those whom he would help, Hezekiah’s efforts came to nothing. They treated his messengers with contempt,, “they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.” That is the way in which men treat God’s loving calls to repentance and pardon (cf. 36:16, Gen. 19:14). Alas for them that men do so treat God’s call to repentance ! The wrath of God will rise at last until there is no remedy. If we are faithful ambassadors of the Lord we must expect to be laughed at and mocked. So they mocked the prophets, and so they
cries, and to the average man there is great force in the cry, but Jehovah again and again exhorted Israel not to be and do like their fathers (cf. Ezek. 20:13-18; Zech. 1 :3, 4) and Jehovah must often have to say, “Be not yet like your fathers.” If our fathers were wrong, that is no reason why we should follow in their steps. Two particulars are given wherein their fathers had been wrong: (1) “They had tres passed against the LORD God of their fathers.” So Hezekiah went back of the fathers to the grandfathers. Jehovah, God of their fathers, against whom they had trespassed “had given them up to desola tion” (or “made them for an astonish ment”). So it is God deals with those who trespass against Him. This desola tion was apparent to them all—“as ye see. So today anyone with open eyes can see the desolation of the individuals, families and nations that trespassed against God. (2) They had been “stiffnecked.” Jeho vah had called them to repentance, but they would not hear (cf. ch. 36:13; Ex. 32:9; Rom. 10:29). Stiff-neckedness was and is peculiarly characteristic of Israel, but is characteristic also of all sinners. It is a dangerous disease (Prov. 29:1). In place of being stiffnecked, Hezekiah calls upon them to “yield yourselves unto the LORD.” That is God’s’ call today (Rom. 6:13). It means a good deal. It means total, absolute surrender. This is the great ^ secret of blessedness and Rower, absolute’ surrender to God. Having thus yielded themselves to God. they were first to enter into communion with Him, enter into His sanctuary which Be has sanctified for ever;” and second, to “serve” Him (cf. Deut. 6:13, 17; Rom. 6:22; Pol. 3:22-24; John 12:26; Rev. 7:15). If they gave up the sins of their fathers, ceased to be stiff necked, and surrendered wholly to the Lord, most blessed results were to follow for them, and for their children also. In the first place Jehovah, if they turned to Him, would turn the “fierceness of his wrath” away from them, v 9. “For if ye turn again untox the
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