There seems to be no good reason for Hezekiah to turn out right. His father, Ahaz, had made a royal mess of things; when he died, the people wouldn't even bury him in the royal tombs.
Maybe Hezekiah's mother, Abijah, played the key role in the spiritual formation of her son, nurturing in him the precious knowledge of Israel's God. But however it happened, the Lord had blessed, for in Hezekiah's day He sparked a revival, the likes of which Jerusalem hadn't seen since the days of Solomon. The story is told in 2 Chronicles 29 and 30, a story of God's bending the rules to make good things happen.
Now, someone as wise as God should know how to make rules that don't need to be bent. Or that can't be bent. In fact, for most of us, God is more than just the maker of "the rules"-He is "the rules."
So what does He do with unruly creatures? Smash 'em? Burn 'em? Nuke 'em? Or does He find some way to save them-perhaps by bending the rules? Precisely. And Hezekiah's story is about God's eagerness to do just that.
Now, that may seem surprising, for the God of the Old Testament has a reputation. He rattles mountains, strikes down rebels, sends out the bears to maul disrespectful boys. (And the stories aren't just imaginary; they really are there!) That's why many gentle Christians avoid the Old Testament; it simply hurts too much to read it.
Hezekiah must have known all the hard stories too. Scripture says he was worried about the "fierce anger" of the Lord (2 Chron. 29:10).* Maybe fear drove him into the work of reform the moment he became king. In any event, he reopened the temple, repaired its doors, and commanded the priests to clean out the "filth" (verse 5).
Excitement rippled through the city. Good things were happening and the Passover was coming. Israel was returning to the God who bore them on "eagles' wings" (Ex. 19:4) from slavery in Egypt.
But the calendar was relentless. Hezekiah desperately wanted to celebrate the Passover and to celebrate it right. But could they get ready in time? He gave it all he had. So did the workers. But the priests-of all people, the priests-were dragging their feet.
By the sixteenth day of the first month everything was scrubbed, clean, and sanctified. But alas, it was too late, two days too late, for the Passover. According to the rules and the calendar, that great celebration of Israel's deliverance from Egypt fell on the fourteenth day of the month.
Why had the priests been so slow? The people were willing and eager to return to the Lord. Would it be possible to bend the rules and celebrate the Passover anyway? It seemed like such a marvelous opportunity. How tragic to be so near and yet so far!
The king huddled with his counselors. Would the Almighty bend the rules? Could they bend them for Him? They decided to try. They would celebrate the Passover one month late.
Unprecedented
The word went out, and the people streamed toward Jerusalem. The city was alive with a spirit of hope and expectancy. The people were hungry for the Lord-and the Lord was doing good things for His people.
But then the rules once more. Many out-of-town guests hadn't prepared themselves properly for the Passover. The priests and Levites pitched in to help with the sacrifices. But if the people were to participate fully in the Passover, they would have to fly in the face of the rules.
King Hezekiah faced the dilemma squarely. Following the rules was an important part of the reform. But if the people were hungering and thirsting after righteousness, wasn't that longing of their souls more important?
He took the plunge. "Go ahead," commanded the king, "let them worship." And they did, eating the Passover otherwise than "as prescribed" (2 Chron. 30:5). They didn't just bend the rules; they broke them.
But Hezekiah was being neither foolhardy nor blasphemous. He had been in touch with God. In the words of Scripture: "Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, 'The good Lord pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary's rules of cleanness'" (verses 18, 19).
And "the Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people" (verse 20).
Nor was that the last of it. As the worshipers celebrated the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread that followed, the renewal of their faith awakened such joy and gratitude that they decided to bend the rules again-and extend the feast for another seven days.
Incredible. Unprecedented. "Since the time of Solomon son of King David of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem" (verse 26).
If that's what happens when God bends the rules, may He bend them to His heart's content!
But should we? Hezekiah did. Cautiously. Prayerfully. The result was a great blessing to God's people. In actual fact, bending the rules was a first step toward taking God and God's rules more seriously.
Is there a glimmer of hope in your heart, a longing to walk with Him-but the rules seem insurmountable?
Don't wait to put your house in order. The king's invitation is in your hand. Head for Jerusalem. Now. Plant your feet on the road to His kingdom, and God will move heaven and earth to help you. He'll even bend the rules in order to bring you home.
*Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations in this article are from the New Revised Standard Version.
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Alden Thompson teaches in the School of Theology at Walla Walla College in College Place, Washington.
T WAS STILL SOME 700 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST. And though David's descendants still ruled as kings, the glitter had long since departed. Those who followed David and Solomon on the throne were mostly a lackluster bunch. Some were downright evil. But there were exceptions. One was Hezekiah.
