When Hezekiah became king of
Judah, his first order of business was to turn the heart of the nation back to
God and rid it of idolatry.
During the first month of the
first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened up the doors of the house of The Lord,
gathered the priests and the Levites and gave them instructions.
Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the
LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For
our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they
have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the
LORD, and turned their backs on Him. They have also shut up the doors of the
vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt
offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the
LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation,
and to jeering, as you see with your eyes. For indeed, because of this our
fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives
are in captivity. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of
Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, do not be
negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him,
and that you should minister to Him and burn incense. (2 Chronicles 29:5-10 NKJV)
King Hezekiah was definitely a man
after God's heart. And when you are a man or woman after God's heart, worship
is always a priority. It grieved the
heart of Hezekiah that the very people God had chosen for Himself repeatedly
turned their hearts away from Him and worshipped other gods.
So, he did what a true worshipper
does. He aggressively dealt with everything that was in opposition to God. He
wanted to make sure that the nation of Judah was once again in a place of
covenant and right standing with the Creator.
He started in the house of the
Lord, giving specific instructions to the priests and the Levites. They were to
sanctify themselves, sanctify the house of the Lord and to carry out the
rubbish from the holy place.
In order for worship to be
reestablished, they had to cleanse the temple of the Lord. It could not be
neglected.
These same instructions hold true
for the body of Christ today. The Spirit of the Living God no longer dwells in
elaborate tabernacles of brick and mortar with stained glass and steeples.
1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us that
we are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of
God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.
For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (I Corinthians 3:16-17
NKJV)
Our assignment is the same assignment given to the priests of
Hezekiah's day; sanctify ourselves and remove all rubbish from the holy place;
God's temple.
There is no room for rubbish in
the temple of the Most High God. Rubbish defiles the temple and hinders
worship.
For some, it has been allowed to
accumulate for years: the opinions of man, hurt, fear, and much other garbage.
It is all rubbish, which defiles and contaminates.
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves
from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward
complete holiness because we fear God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT)
It is our responsibility to make sure we cleanse ourselves and pursue
holiness.
This rubbish has controlled and
affected your worship long enough. Remember what true worship is...
Your lifestyle; the way you live before God.
Worship is being fruitful and honoring
God with your life. We are made to live from the inside out; to be led and
controlled by the spirit of God. However, rubbish often adversely affects this
kind of living.
There is a whole new level of
worship that must take place. We must worship God with all that we have and all
that we are.
As His sons and daughters, we must
live righteously in the Earth, with dominion and authority, while being
fruitful. This life is a life of worship, and pleases the very heart of God
greatly.
In order to release this level of
worship, our temples must be cleansed of everything that is not God. We cannot afford
to neglect the temple that He inhabits daily.
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the
temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk
among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore, come
out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is
unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My
sons and daughters," Says the LORD Almighty. (II Corinthians 6:16-18 NKJV)
Why not invite the Lord to cleanse your temple of anything that hinders
your lifestyle of worship?
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