“Take a hike.” Best advice ever.
I love to go for walks in the park. On any given sunny morning, I can feel the warm favor of the Lord shining down through the trees from above. Each step feels like a gift from a loving God. And yet, when I’m walking in the park, I must be very careful not to be blinded by the sun or distracted by the verdant beauty around me. It’s so easy to do. Rather, I have to continually watch my FEET—watch where I’m walking lest I trip and fall. I’m a born klutz, and even on a perfect day, there are still rough spots and open cracks in the pavement that create trip hazards for me.
In our previous study, we looked at the reign of Judah’s King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 38.) He was a very good king who walked with God, did what was right, and worked hard to turn the people back to Him. In return, God shined down on him in His mercy and favor, healing him of a terminal illness and promising to extend his life another fifteen years, which also extended his reign as king. As if that wasn’t enough, God gave him a token of His promise with the “miracle of the sundial” … i.e. Hezekiah’s Replay.
However, possibly blinded by the overwhelming favor of the Lord, Hezekiah stumbled. He responded to his miracle with an attitude of “favor fever” that turned this good king into one who was prideful and oblivious to dangers around him. During his “borrowed time,” he did some foolish things—even putting the kingdom at risk for invasion by the Babylonians.
To make matters worse, he also fathered a heir to the throne during that extension of time—a son, Manasseh. Though born in a time of blessing, Manasseh became infected with pride and evil, and he turned out to be one of the worst of the worst kings of Judah. Instead of invoking God’s favor, he provoked Him to anger. He undid all the good deeds of Hezekiah, his father, and he ended up over-sinning even the heathen of the land. (2 Chronicles 33:9)
It’s interesting that the name that Hezekiah chose for his late-in-life son meant “God has made me forget.”
Pray tell, Hezekiah … forget WHAT?? The abundant blessings of ADONAI?! His commandments? Judah’s victories … or the revival that came during your reign? Your cleansing of the nation from pagan worship? Your miraculous healing and deathbed resurrection?! God FORBID you’d forget all that!
Favor fever will make you forget things you should NEVER forget to remember.
The ultimate symptom of Hezekiah’s favor fever was displayed in his famous last words—marking a disappointing end to his glorious reign. When Isaiah stepped up and pronounced God’s dire prophecy of doom for Judah, including the king’s descendants, Hezekiah glibly declared, “That’s okay, as long as ‘peace and truth continue during my lifetime.’” (Isaiah 39:8 CJB) That wasn’t just a stumble; that was a full-on face plant.
GOD FORBID—that when the Lord shows us His unmerited love and favor, our hearts would be lifted up in pride, like a spoiled child thinking we can do no wrong in His eyes. “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12 KJV) The favor of the LORD is not a medal; it’s a shield.
GOD FORBID—if we ever think that our feeble attempts at faithfulness would entitle us to special blessings. Obedience and humility are what pleases God—He hates an arrogant spirit (Proverbs 6:16-17). The key to the favor of the LORD is the FEAR of the LORD.
GOD FORBID—that we think, because we walk with the Lord, our souls have acquired a kind of Teflon coating—that sin will always just slide off and never stick. As children of God, we are saved from sin, yes, but we are never safe from it while we live on earth. We cannot be blinded by the brightness of God’s favor—we must watch our FEET. We must walk very carefully, every day, as trip hazards of sin perpetually lie in our path, daring us to stumble. And when we do, humble repentance is the only remedy.
GOD FORBID—that our prayers, our plans, and our provision would be for ourselves alone—for our own generation only. Remember Hezekiah’s last words. We cannot grow so calloused that we couldn’t care less about what we pass down to the generations to come. The truth is: what we possess is far less important than what we pass on.
As it turned out, it was Hezekiah’s own great-grandson, young King Josiah, that lamented, “Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 34:33 NIV) Josiah determined to walk with the LORD, circumspectly, in faithfulness and favor.
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. (2 Kings 23:25 NIV)
The GOOD NEWS: Finding favor with God is “delight” that flows two ways—the LORD delights in the person who delights in Him. Anyone can have it, and His favor is forever.
- “The (favor) of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.” (Psalm 103:17).
- “The hand of our God is favorable toward all those who seek Him …” (Ezra 8:22 AMP)
- “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy [favor].” (Psalms 89:15 KJV)
