Before we move on to the thing Hezekiah did in the second month of his reign, I would like to dwell briefly on the issue of “repentance.”
·
What is repentance? It is not feeling sorry for your sins,
although in repentance there must be a recognition of sin which should be
accompanied by sorrow. It is not
merely changing your mind about sin, although we believe the mind must be
changed in order for repentance to take place.
It is not “penance,” where you do good works to make up for your
sin, although genuine repentance results in a change of life and thus should
result in good works.
o Repentance
is a change of direction. In true
repentance we have turned to God. Think
about this in the matter of our conversion.
We rightfully insist that there are no “works” involved in this (Eph.
2:8-9). Yet, we do say that we must
believe, because salvation is by faith.
But faith is not a work.
It is, in fact the lack of works and a receiving with the empty hand
what God gives graciously. In my
understanding of all this, repentance is an inseparable part of the act of
faith. When I have received Christ I
have had no choice but to turn from sin.
This is all going on in the heart.
Thus it is not penance or some work.
I do not have to return all my stolen goods to their rightful owners in
order to then come and believe on Christ.
Think of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10).
He said he would return all the goods he had stolen. That told Jesus where his heart was so that
Jesus could say, “Today salvation has come to this house today.”
o In
Hezekiah’s situation I think it’s interesting.
In the OT “repentance” is usually expressed in the words “turn, turn
again, return.” In 2 Chron. 29:6 the
NKJV has the word “turn” twice, two different Hebrew terms, and neither used of
repentance. The people had “turned”
their faces away from God, they had “given” Him their backs. Hezekiah was preparing the temple for worship
in hopes that God would “repent” (turn back) from His wrath. Then, that same word used of God is central
to the proclamation that was made to the remnant of the Northern Kingdom in
30:6-9. To me this is an incredible
display of the grace of God in the OT.
Hezekiah sent runners throughout the NK, still calling the people that
were left from the Ten Tribes. They were
in a pitiable situation because of their sin.
Yet, they were still the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Israel/Jacob
(30:6). Six times this “repent” word is
used.
“6 Children of Israel,
return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel; then He will return
to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. …
7 do not be stiff-necked … but yield yourselves to the LORD … that the
fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you … 9 if you return
to the LORD your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by
those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land;
for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from
you if you return to Him.
When the Spirit is working to bring us into a
right relationship with Christ, He begins with a ministry of conviction (John
16:9-11) that we might believe in Christ.
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