he article by Alden Thompson invites discussion and reflection-by both individuals and groups. The following thoughts and questions are designed to facilitate that process.
1. Review the central passage of the article (2 Chron. 29 and 30). What were the circumstances that made it necessary for King Hezekiah and his people to act in apparent violation of divinely established religious practices?
2. Reflecting on the developments in the passage, Thompson suggests that God sometimes "bends the rules" He has Himself laid down. What reasons does he give for such action on the part of God? Do you find his arguments persuasive? Why or why not?
3. Thompson argues that "Hezekiah was being neither foolhardy nor blasphemous." How central is this assertion to the message Thompson wants to convey?
4. Study the following passages (selected at random): Joshua 7:19-25;
1 Sam. 13:5-14; 2 Sam.l 6:3-7; 1 Kings 12:26-33; Matt. 21:12, 13; Acts 5:1-10. How do they relate to the central theme of the article? What cautions do they provide? How do they help to change or broaden your perspective?
5. What would you say is the undergirding principle to keep in mind in coming to grips with the issues raised by the article?
What Makes the Difference?
Thompson's study opens up an intriguing dimension about God, a dimension that should bring encouragement to all who've ever found themselves in situations in which divine stipulations, requirements, and rules come into conflict with the exigencies they face at a particular moment. It's in those desperate or urgent times that we most appreciate the God of Hezekiah.
In a memorable passage in Matthew's Gospel, the Pharisees condemn the hungry disciples of Jesus for plucking and eating corn on the Sabbath. In His response Jesus reminded them of an extraordinary day in the life of an ancient fugitive fleeing capture by an envious king: "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?" He asked them. "He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread-which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests" (Matt. 12:3, 4, NIV).
Extraordinary, isn't it? David eats consecrated bread and is safe. Uzzah puts forth his hand, ostensibly to keep the sacred ark from falling, and is slain (2 Sam. 6:3-7). What makes the difference?
Motive-that's what.
It's motive that makes us innocent when we break the speed limit to reach someone in distress. It's the reason we're guiltless when we "violate" the Sabbath to help someone in critical need. It's what made heroes of those who, during the Nazi era, prevaricated with the truth to save the lives of targeted innocent people. As in the case of Rahab (see Heb. 11:31; James 2:25; Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 483, 491), God approved their action and their courage.
Motive. It's perhaps the most honest dimension of the human spirit. We cannot manufacture it. We cannot fake it before God. It's simply there-whether good or bad or neutral. God sees it. God knows it. And in the context of the article before us, it's what makes our actions approved or disapproved in His holy sight.
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Roy Adams is an associate editor of the Adventist Review.
