My friend Paul Powell observed many years ago in a time of an unpopular President of the U. S., “Sometimes God gave Israel Kings who were better than they deserved. Sometimes God gave Israel Kings who were worse than they deserved. Sometimes, Israel received the Kings they deserved.”
All the kings of Judah were descendants of David. Some of these kings were really terrible rulers, like Manasseh. Some of them were really wonderful rulers like David and Josiah. Hezekiah falls in the good category. He purified the temple for worship again. Later, Hezekiah spread out a threatening letter before God in prayer. Seeking the Lord, he also realized Israel had not celebrated the Passover for a long time.
This is hard to comprehend. The point of the Passover was to remember what God had done for his people in delivering them from captivity in Egypt. How did they forget? This reminds me of Hans Kung’s book on the Christian life. Someone asked him why he never mentioned prayer. Kung admitted, “I forgot.” If we are not careful we forget the most important things. Hezekiah sent word to all of Israel so that they would all celebrate the Passover together.
In the Lord’s Supper, we remember what Christ has done for us. This celebration is more than “just” a symbol. In the Lord’s Supper we remember and reenact Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. We remember God’s unforgettable grace. How long has it been since you ate the bread and drank from the cup of remembrance? Be sure to partake of it every chance you get. Some things are too important to forget.
