June 5

Day 83: Consistent World View

Hezekiah was a reforming king of Judah. He had already witnessed the overthrow and exile of Israel (the northern 10 tribes) by the Assyrians.

The Assyrians then surrounded Jerusalem as well. Their record of conquest was unmatched. Hezekiah knew he were outnumbered and under gunned. Not a positive prognosis.

So he prays. And God answers. God saves them from the Assyrians.

Hezekiah then gets sick. A boil (if you've ever had one, you know) is not pleasant, but this boil was to result in certain death. Even the prophet Isaiah tells him to "get your house in order." Not a positive prognosis.

So Hezekiah prays. And God answers. God preserves his life, granting him another 15 years to live and be king.

Hezekiah responds (in Isaiah 38:17) with, "Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back."

Sounds pretty gospel-centered, right? Right!

Hearing he had been sick, some (maybe) well-meaning Babylonians come to pay their respects. Hezekiah shows them around. Shows them everything.

Isaiah comes by later and asks, "What did you show them?" Hezekiah answers, "Everything!" And Isaiah then drops a truth bomb. "They're gonna own everything you showed them." Even worse, "They're gonna carry off your children and make them slaves." Not a positive prognosis.

Instead of responding with a gospel statement, Hezekiah says in Isaiah 39:8, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my days."

In other words, "As long as it's okay for me, I'm good; too bad for the kids!"

Same guy. Two divergent world views. One full of humility before God. The other looking out only for himself, mindless of others.

Before you judge, consider this: Hezekiah is not unlike any of us. We're all prone to alter our world view in any given moment. All based on what we think is best for us, at least in the short term.

Like "situational ethics" is what you believe and do in any particular moment, we all interpret our own circumstances based on the circumstance. We're fickle that way.

14% of Christian people polled in the US last week have said they now have no interest in physically gathering with their church again. They like how it's been the past 3 months. Comfort trumps serving others.

25% of Christian people polled in the US last week have said they've been watching live streaming services from churches not their own. The majority of those polled also admit they've ignored their own church. Quality trumps commitment.

Why do I bring this up?

These same Christian people in the US would likely profess they staunchly believe in the importance and necessity of being a part of a local church. The local church, they would likely say, is an expression of the Body of Christ. They would be correct.

However, and like Hezekiah, we're all too accomplished at caring for our own needs, even our own preferences. To the possible exclusion of others.

The local church needs us as much as we need the local church. This means, all of us will have to rightly consider the weight of our own preferences against the reality of the gospel.

When we're adopted by God, we're adopted into His family. We express that adoption by our participation in the local church. Our church becomes our family.

And it's our church family, looking to Jesus, that helps us, over time, to learn to adhere to one consistent world view. A gospel family world view.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau