Berlin in 1945. That’s the kind of destruction that Jerusalem faced when Hezekiah came to power. This king had seen the results of forsaking God, of relying on alliances with deceitful nations. He had seen in dramatic fashion, the loss of life(120,000 killed in one day of battle).
One of Israel’s most successful rulers, Hezekiah, began his reign at the age of 25 and within the first month of his reign, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Why was that notable? His father, King Ahaz, had destroyed the country by forsaking God, then had shut the doors of the house of the Lord and made altars to false gods in every corner of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah’s first act wasn’t to strengthen his country’s defenses, tax the rich or seek help from neighboring kingdoms. His first act was to open the doors to God’s house. He told the Levites to repair the temple and in sixteen days the temple was cleansed. The musical instruments that King David had made were found and the “congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded.”
Hezekiah commanded the Levites to sing the Psalms of King David. He invited his subjects to bring their sacrifices and free will offerings and the people responded. In fact, the citizens of Jerusalem responded in such numbers that the priests could not flay all the burnt offerings and had to ask their brethren the Levites to help. Chronicles 29:36 reads, “Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people (rejoiced)…God had prepared the people–for the thing was done suddenly.”
When one man, one woman opens the doors to God, others follow and the time trajectory of that ascent to Him can be swift and dramatic.
Paul wrote, ” The night is far spent, the day is at hand.”
