You Haven't Got Time

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

~ James 4:17

In the days of kings, Israel's story was troubled. Not too far off from their history with the judges God appointed --the obedience, apostacy, judgment, repentance, obedience cycle in which they remained for years. Only, in the period of kings, kings were not their rescuers; kings led the people one way or the other, into rebellion against or into relationship with God. King Ahaz of Judah was one of those "against" sort of fellows. His son, Hezekiah, was the polar opposite, and by God's mercy, he became king when his father died. In 2 Chronicles 29, King Hezekiah's reform is recorded, and it began with the opening and restoration of the temple of God which Ahaz had looted, defiled, and barred from use; returning the people to worship God's way, beginning with the priests themselves. 

Hezekiah's words to the priests (v.5) in The Complete Jewish Bible are rendered this way:

consecrate yourselves now, consecrate the house of Adonai the God of your ancestors, and remove the filth from the Holy Place.

In other words, and to us today, "Wash up! Dust off your Bible and get to reading! Gargle with a bit of salt water and start singing praises at the top of your lungs! Toss out all of your distractions, brain rot, and foolishness! Review your schedule and your finances; start pledging those things to the Lord! Give your legs the workout they've been missing and kneel in prayer!" Remove the filth from God's holy place, your heart.

In Verse 10, Hezekiah explains:

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Adonai the God of Israel,

God put it on his heart. King Hezekiah was open to hearing from the Lord. He was open to receiving correction and obeying it immediately and to the full. He spent the time being still and waiting for God to speak.

Verse 11:

My sons, now is not a time for being negligent; for you are the ones Adonai chose to stand before him and serve him as his ministers, offering him incense.”

As Hezekiah was called to lead the nation, so the priests had been called to lead all of the people in their worship of God. The burden Hezekiah had on his heart, he shared with those leaders and encouraged them to obey immediately and to the full. It's interesting that these priests were probably much older than their earthly king (Hezekiah began ruling at the age of twenty-five), but he spoke to them with affection and authority --My sons. And he communicated the urgency and gravity of the task ahead. Hezekiah saw a window of opportunity; he had no idea how long he would reign, if any would oppose him or assassinate him. He had no idea if God's judgment would come so quickly on Judah, they wouldn't have time to repent. He, perhaps, realized something about himself: If I don't act on this now, I will get waylaid by all sorts of other things, and it will never get done. He knew God had given him the authority and the desire: it was time to act. And act they did! (I'll leave you to read on and discover that for yourself.) Hezekiah didn't waste any time. In fact, Hezekiah approached the situation as though he didn't have time to waste time. He knew what needed to be done, and he did it immediately and to the full. As a result, he and the people of Judah were blessed because of the covenant they had made to follow the Lord and obey Him in all things. 

Is there something God has spoken to you through His word? Is there something that has been on your heart, something you believe God wants you to do? Are you even listening, taking the time to hear Him speak? Maybe you have completely lost your way, and the weight of doing life without God is His beckoning you to return to Him. We never know what life holds and we never know how little time we will have to worship God with our voice and our service. Obey today. You haven't got time to waste time.