When the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do? In my observation, people and institutions never drift closer to God. The currents of culture pull us away from God but never toward him. In ancient Israel, the kings went from bad to worse. Their disobedience mirrored the idolatry of the people. The Northern Kingdom was carried into captivity. Assyria threatened the Southern Kingdom of Judah as well. All hope seemed lost.
Then, right on God’s standard time, came Hezekiah. The son of ungodly Ahaz ascended the throne with a heart for God. He chose to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor David instead of his father. This one choice impacted a whole nation for good. Hezekiah exposed the idolatry of the nation for what it was. He destroyed the bronze serpent which Moses used to heal the people in the wilderness from their snake bites. This good snake had gone bad when the people started worshiping it and named it Nehushtan.
Even God’s good gifts can replace God in our hearts as we begin to drift away. The challenge in the church today is still idolatry. When God becomes a means to our end instead of the end itself, we are drifting. When we syncretize our devotion to God with consumerism and nationalism, we are drifting. The good news is it is not too late. When all hope seems lost, one person who trusts God like Hezekiah can make a huge difference. His faith was exemplary among the kings. Ponder this statement and make it your own: “He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him.” When everything that is not nailed down starts coming loose, we do well to hold on to the Lord. We follow him to the finish. As we hold on and follow the Lord, we find that he is always with us. One plus God is always a majority!
