the idolatry of the Canaanites. The prophets thundered against this sort of thing again and again. Hezekiah knew what it was doing to his people. “ Images” or “ the pillars” (R.V.) were broken. These were stone ob jects, such as may be seen today at the Petra high place, definitely con nected with the worship of pagan deities. The “ groves” were cut down. These groves were associated with vile practices connected with the worship of the female goddess of fertility whose name was Asherah. Unspeak able practices were common in this worship. The lengths to which Judah had gone in its spiritual declension is seen by the fact that they had turned the brazen serpent (Num. 21:5-10) into an object of worship. It could have remained to Israel an interesting and instructive monument of God’s goodness and mercy to Israel but Judah’s degeneracy had made this impossible. It had to be broken in pieces. Then this revival consisted in the positive aspect of trusting in the Lord (w . 5-7). Hezekiah took the leadership in so doing and was fol lowed by many of his subjects. Com pare Second Chronicles 29:3ff. for a fuller account of this revival. Hindrance to Revival Isa. 31:1-3 At the time when the Assyrian was a threatening power, Judah was tempted to make an alliance with Egypt for the sake of protection. The prophet warned his people against this sort of thing. They ought to trust in the Lord, not in men. Egypt is a type of the world to which the unre generate world is in bondage. God’s people have no business becoming linked up with the world. Let them trust in the Lord who is able to pro vide all the protection and help that is needed:
May 20, 1951 RELIGIOUS REVIVAL IN A NATION'S LIFE 2 Kings 18:1-7; Isa. 31:1-3 Pointers on the Lesson The Southern Kingdom was con taminated with the same evils that afflicted the Northern Kingdom but it did have a few kings that sought to please the Lord and guide the na tion aright. The Northern Kingdom did not have a single king who “ did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” and as a consequence went farther and farther away from God, deeper and deeper into sin and ended their national existence in 722 B.C. when they became captives of Assyria. On the other hand the Southern King dom had eight kings of whom it is said that they “ did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” As a result Judah continued its existence as a nation until 586 B.C. Hezekiah, the Subject of today’s study, was one of the best of Judah’s kings and did much to keep the fires of spiritual devotion burning. The Time of the Revival 2 Ki. 18:1-3 At the same time that things were at their worst in Israel, Judah enjoyed better things largely because it was blessed with a good king. When Heze kiah assumed rulership in Judah, Hoshea was king in Israel. (Cf chap ter 17.) Under Hoshea the Northern Kingdom went into captivity due to their awful sin (17:7ff.). From the very beginning of his reign Hezekiah sought to lead his kingdom in the ways of righteousness. It may seem a bit strange that such a wicked king as Ahaz should have such a righteous son as Hezekiah. But it goes to show that none of us is bound by our heredity. We are free to make our own choices for or against God. The kind of parents one has does not de termine his destiny though it is a factor of tremendous influence. We learn also from Judah’s revival, that it is possible to have a spiritual awakening no matter what the con ditions of the times may be. It was dark in the Northern Kingdom. Things were not much better in Judah when Hezekiah took the throne. But they had a revival! Accomplishment« o f the Revival 2 Ki. 18:4-7 There were both negative and posi tive aspects to Hezekiah’s revival. First, there was a turning away from the things of idolatry and sin (v. 4). The “ high places” were removed. High place worship was connected with
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