6/17 2 Chronicles 29:36

³⁶ And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had prepared for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.

Ahaz was one of the wicked kings of Judah. He closed up the temple of God, destroyed many of its instruments, built altars to other gods, and made metal idols upon which he sacrificed his sons. God brought about a great defeat of the nation. They were almost completely crushed and helpless against their enemies.

After Ahaz' death, his son Hezekiah reigned. Hezekiah began a great reform. He opened the temple, instructed the priests to clean out all the idols and repair what was damaged, and also reinstituted the sacrifices. He removed the altars his father had built. The entire nation turned back to God. It was an overnight transformation of the nation. Hezekiah even invited the northern tribes to join in the Passover celebration. It was a Passover that topped all those since the time of Solomon.

This godly king stood for righteousness and called the nation to understand that their idolatry had caused God to lift His hand of protection. Never underestimate the power of God through a person completely submitted to Him. Hezekiah would be the last great king that ushered in one final time of blessing before the nation was judged.

Prayer: LORD, though it seems to man that such a thing could never happen in our nation, would You please raise up such an instrument in our day.