Hezekiah C Stanley

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Hezekiah

or, Bible Lessons on Church Truth

by Charles Stanley

http://www.biblecentre.org

Revival times

It is important to notice, that, at this time in the history of God’s people, both Judah andIsrael had utterly departed from the Lord. Sad, and low indeed, was Judah s condition, asdescribed in Second !hronicles "#. $ll was wrong, all apostasy and idolatry. %hat ahopeless picture& 'ut a picture drawn for us, written for us. Is it not a picture of all

around(

$ man said to me the other day, as an e)cuse for remaining in what he *new to be wrong:'I have read, and compared the cts, the early days o! the Church, "ith all I seeno"# and all is so di!!erent !rom "hat I read, that I have no hope o! thin$s bein$ri$ht, and so I $o on as I am'%

In contrast with this man, we read of +e e*iah: ' nd he did that "hich "as ri$ht in thesi$ht o! the Lord' -" !hr. " :" . 0es, in the midst of all that was wrong, he did thatwhich was right1 and mar*, not in his own sight, not in his own opinion, but in the si$hto! the Lord% 2his, then, is the foundation principle of our present lesson: God can raise

up a man, can enable +is child, to do that which is right in the sight of the Lord, in themidst of all that is wrong.

2hese things were written for our instruction, and how 3ery stri*ing the analogy& +as not!hristendom departed as far from the inspired teaching of the +oly Spirit, as Judah haddeparted from the inspired words of 4oses( %hen the one is seen as a picture of theother, then e3ery 3erse contains instruction to our souls.

The doors, the lamps and the o!!erin$s

Let us notice three things here in connection with the temple, as especially illustrating the present condition of !hristendom:

-5 6irstly: 'They have shut up the doors o! the porch'%

-" Secondly: ' nd put out the lamps'%

-7 2hirdly: ' nd have not burned incense, nor o!!ered burnt&o!!erin$s, in the holyplace' -" !hr. " :8 .


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a$ainst it' -that is, the golden candlestic* @ the 3ery command of Jeho3ah, when +espo*e the first time from between the cherubim -9um. #:5


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Let us thin* of the established !hurch of the Scriptures& 2he +oly Spirit re3ealing theglory of !hrist, using whom +e will, in the $ssembly. 2he prophets thus spea*ing, two or three.

'ut the sad and solemn fact is that for many, many centuries, man, as far as lies in him,

has shut up the doors, and put out the lamps. 2he Spirit has been Fuenched, until!hristendom was so conscious of its distance from God, and its dar*ness, that it wasconstantly ta*ing the place of the Jew before !hrist died, and the Spirit was sent down toabide to the end.

4any prayers are li*e those of the Jew afar off @ cries for mercy1 and on all sides, in thedar*, may be heard prayers for the +oly Spirit to come, as though the 6ather had refusedto send +im, and +e had not come.

Is not all this far more sad than the state of Judah in the days of +e e*iah( 0es, forcenturies cries for mercy, distance and dar*ness, instead of incense and burnt offerings,

worship and adoration, in the full, blessed enAoyment of our acceptance, in all the sweetsa3our of !hrist.

Hezekiah restores temple "orship

In the first year of +e e*iah s reign, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. 9odoubt he lighted the lamps, but this is not recorded. +owe3er we may ha3e grie3ed andset aside the +oly Spirit, +e is still here. +e has not to come again. %e ha3e to own +im,in unfeigned dependence.

$nd has not God, rich in mercy, opened again the doors of the house of the Lord( +as +enot restored to our souls, in these days, the disco3ery, that, instead of saying we are Jews,and standing afar off, we ha3e boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus(+as +e not swept away to faith the rubbish of all human, worldly sanctuaries( 4ay wene3er forget the all


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+oly Spirit( 6uller and deeper disco3eries of the infinite 3alue of the blood of Jesus& 2heglories and perfections of +is Eerson&

In each of these offerings the number was se3en @ the one offering of !hrist, perfect ine3ery aspect. 2he blood was sprin*led on the altar, before hands were laid on the sin<

offering, in identification. ;ear reader, dwell on this @ yes, go a little further, for it is thesame principle. Cn the day of atonement see the golden censer, and the sweet incense, beaten small, and the fire from off the altar, and the cloud of incense co3ering the mercy<seat. 2hat censer had no pattern, its manufacture is not on record. 9o1 in this figure seethe uncreated, eternal Son @ the +oly, +oly, +oly Cne& as *nown only to the 6ather.

$nd why all this first, before the blood was ta*en in, and sprin*led before God( ;oes notGod solemnly tell us in this, that no less a 3ictim could ma*e reconciliation for sins(Such +is wrath against sin, no other propitiation for the sins of men could be made. $nd,more, nothing could meet the claims of God but that which is eFual to God. +e who inthe beginning was with God, and was God1 all things were made by +im, and without

+im was not anything made that was made.

Just as the blood was first ta*en in, and sprin*led before God, and then afterwards sins,all transferred to the people s goat, and borne away, so, in our chapter -" !hr. " , thethree sevens @ the bulloc*s, the rams, and the lambs were first *illed, and their bloodsprin*led upon the altar, thus presented before God, and then hands laid on the sin<offering.

%hat, then, is this distinction( and what its lesson to our souls( Surely that the death ofJesus has first met the infinite claims of God, +is righteous, holy claims. 2he blood wasta*en into the holiest, figure of the hea3en of hea3ens. 0es, the blood of Jesus must be

shed, or how otherwise could God ha3e dwelt in this sin


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2his is important. 2he atonement is not merely for those who attain to a certain path ofholiness, but for the whole !hurch of God, where3er found @ for all belie3ers who ha3e

passed from death unto life1 though many such may be found in re3olted tribes of men.2hin*, then of the sins of the whole redeemed !hurch of God: transferred to the holy,spotless ictim, who died, the Just for the unAust, to bring us to God& %hat a sight& %hat

a sin


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Is it not e3en so( Instead of standing at a distance, uttering prayers of unbelief, ha3e wenot been brought to own again the presence of the +oly Spirit( +as +e not brought

before us the glory of the Eerson of !hrist, and boldness to enter the holiest by +is precious blood( $nd instead of cries for mercy, has +e not put songs of praise in our lips,and worship and gladness in our hearts(

'Then Hezekiah said 0o" ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, comenear' -" !hr. " :75 . %hat is consecration( 2he margin reads, filled your hands. 0es, ifthe +oly Spirit re3eals the immutable Eerson and wor* of !hrist, the effect is, we arefilled with !hrist1 and that is consecration. If this is not so, we shall be ta*en up withmen, and things, and so


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9ow the in3itation goes forth to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to *eep the passo3er unto the Lord God of Israel. $nd in wisdom and counsel, both of the *ing, the princes, and all the congregation, this must be, not in the appointed time, the fourteenthday of the first month, but in the second month. 6or they could not *eep it at that time,

because the priests had not sanctified themsel3es sufficiently, neither had the people

gathered themsel3es together at Jerusalem -" !hr. 7 :7 .

If we read carefully Lu*e "", we see how the Lord s supper too* the place of the passo3er. ')ith desire have I desired to eat this passover "ith you be!ore I su!!er' -Lu*e "":5? . 2he last passo3er before +e suffered: +imself the fulfilment of it. +e then

presented +imself to faith, no longer the body of the lamb, or the cup of the passo3er.

2he passo3er loo*ed forwards @ the Lord s supper is a remembrance. 'This do inremembrance o! me'% 2he blessed Lord +imself, our Easso3er, is slain. It is no longerthe wine of the passo3er, but the cup, in remembrance of +is blood shed for us.

'ut they were to come to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord. Is there any such house ofthe Lord now( any place of worship, or earthly sanctuary( 9o, there, is no such placenow. $ll this belonged to the first co3enant, or to Judaism. 'Then, verily, the first covenant had also ordinances o! divine service, and a "orldly sanctuary' -+eb. :5 .

%hat, then, ha3e we now, if all the system of worldly sanctuaries, called the house ofGod @ places of worship with di3ine ser3ice1 all this is simply Judaism1 not a 3estige ofwhich ha3e we in the 9ew 2estament. %hat ha3e we, as the true centre of gathering(+a3e we not !hrist +imself( Jesus said: '(or "here t"o or three are $athered to$etherin my name, there am I in the midst o! them' -4att. 5#:" .

I *now that in millennial days to come, Jerusalem shall be the city of the Great Hing. 'utlet us remember that at present +e, as their Hing, is cut off, and has nothing1 and that nowthe only place of gathering is to +im, the reAected Cne.

'ut why did they *eep the passo3er on the fourteenth day of the second month( If weturn to 9umbers :5


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made for all Israel. $ll Israel were in3ited, and responsible, to come and *eep the passo3er. So they resol3ed to 'make proclamation throu$hout all Israel, !romBeersheba even unto *an, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lordod o! Israel, at -erusalem# !or they had not done it o! a lon$ time in such sort as it"as "ritten' -" !hr. 7 :? .

2his deeply important principle as to the Lord s table, also, is little understood. 2heanalogy is stri*ing: souls e3erywhere, who ha3e been led to own the +oly Spirit in the$ssembly, li*e the lamps in the sanctuary1 ha3e been also led ne)t to remember theLord s death, in the brea*ing of bread. $nd still more, they ha3e learnt from Scripture thatGod’s people had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. I am not aware ofan instance for se3enteen centuries, where !hristians bro*e bread as it was written, untilwithin about the last fifty years. 2here was always something omitted, or added, to whatwas written.

I need not dwell on the 4ass. 'ut what were we doing( 2a*e one thing added, which we

all thought right @ a minister administering the sacrament. %as this written in theinspired %ord( %here( 2he disciples came together to brea* bread -$cts " :8 .

In 6irst !orinthians 5 and 55, is there a thought of such a person at the Lord s table(2his is not a Fuestion of the gifts of !hrist: the e3angelist to preach the gospel, and theteacher to teach the !hurch of God. 'ut at the Lord s table we enAoy a common pri3ilige:'The cup o! blessin$ "hich "e bless, is it not the communion o! the blood o! Christ3The bread "hich "e break, is it not the communion o! the body o! Christ3 (or "e,bein$ many, are one bread, and one body# !or "e are all partakers o! that onebread'%

Elace a man unscripturally to administer, and the communion is lost sight of& It is thee)pression, essentially, of eFual co


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9ot only those gathered, and owning allegiance, to !hrist, but e3ery redeemed soul ine3ery re3olted sect on earth, from 'eersheba e3en unto ;an.

$s there was the perfect substitution offered, the se3en goats for all Israel @ we mustunderstand here Israel as a type of the whole redeemed !hurch of God, whate3er their

outward position. $nd this is a great truth, that e3ery belie3er, passed from death untolife, stands in all the immutable perfection of !hrist, accepted in the 'elo3ed @ sins andiniFuities to be remembered no more , no more &

Is not the Lord s table, as it is written, the true place for e3ery one of them( 0es, the basis of gathering to !hrist to brea* bread, our passo3er, is as wide as the atonement. ;oes notJesus say to e3ery reconciled soul: '*o this in remembrance o! +e' ( $nd would +e notha3e each one enAoy communion with +imself( Cther Fuestions will arise, but the basisof true fellowship is seen to be eFual to the e)tent of the atonement.

So the runners passed from city to city, but they laughed them to scorn, and moc*ed

them. Ch, when did not men despise the message and the messengers of the Lord( It wasso in the days of 9oah, and of Lot, and also when the Son of God wal*ed in the midst ofmen. $nd e3en so now, the present wor* of God in lo3e is despised of men.

9e3ertheless, some humbled themsel3es and came. $lso in Judah, the hand of God wasto gi3e them one heart to do the commandment of the *ing, and of the princes, at theword of the Lord -" !hr. 7 :5" . $nd is not the hand of the Lord seen now gatheringsouls to !hrist, and gi3ing them one heart( If it is not this, it is only another sect inselfwill. 0es, it is the hand of the Lord. ;ear reader, are you asleep, or awa*e1 can youdiscern the present heart and hand of the Lord( If so, it is a little thing to be laughed toscorn.

2he ne)t point in order is this: when the Lord had thus gathered a company to *eep the passo3er, it led to public reformation: 'They arose, and took a"ay the altars that "erein -erusalem, and all the altars !or incense took they a"ay, and cast them into thebrook 4idron' -" !hr. 7 :5= . 2hus, where the Lord has now gathered a company to

brea* bread, as it is written, the first thing, is to put away from themsel3es e3erythinginconsistent with the holiness of +is presence.

Just as when the doors were opened, the cleansing away the rubbish began in the 3eryholiest. 2he holiest we enter in perfect peace with God. 2here, surely, holiness becomesthat holy place. 2his is a solemn point to all whom the hand of the Lord does gather, to

*eep the Lord s supper, as it is written.

The truth o! sancti!ication

2he effect of *illing the passo3er was, that the priests and the Le3ites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves -" !hr. 7 :5? . It is 3ery important rightly to di3ide the %ord oflife, as to the subAect of sanctification. 2here are three *inds of sanctification in Scripture:


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-5 6irstly, the absolute, immutable sanctification of e3ery belie3er by the one offering of!hrist. Immutably perfect, this can ne3er change. 2his, as we ha3e noticed, is abundantlyseen in +ebrews 5 :5


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honour, sancti!ied, and meet !or the master's use, and prepared unto every $ood"ork' -" 2im. ":5


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2his bring us to the Fuestion of fruit


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9ow this is a notable fact, that since the +oly Spirit has been *nown, and oneness withthe risen !hrist belie3ed, the most astonishing numbers of tracts and pamphlets, boo*sand periodicals, ha3e been sent forth, without any sectarian moti3e, but unto the Lord ,and for the food and edification of +is people.

2racts, periodicals , said a brother to me the other day, I do not *now what to do withthem1 it is impossible to read them all . I dare say it would ha3e been impossible for+e e*iah to ha3e eaten all the o)en, and rams, and heaps, heaps of fruits. 'ut was thatGod s intention( $nd, my brother, you may ha3e mista*en the Lord s intention1 it may not

be that +is only thought is, that you should eat all the heaps of precious fruits, thus laidup in the chambers, or depMts, of the treasuries of the Lord.

The duties o! the doorkeepers

2his Aust brings us to the Fuestion: %hat is the situation of the porter or door*eepertoday( Cbser3e, in this business of the fruits, each name is *nown to the Lord, andregistered1 enough for the ser3ant of the Lord. 2his passage tells us: ' nd 4ore, the sono! Imnah the Levite, the porter to"ard the east, "as over the !ree"ill&o!!erin$s o!od, to distribute the oblations o! the Lord, and the most holy thin$s' -" !hr. 75:5= .

Let us e)amine the Scriptures on this deeply interesting subAect @ the trusteeship andresponsibilities of the porter. 2he first thought generally as to a porter in anyestablishment is, that it is the lowest situation. $nd it is true here also1 if any man wouldser3e the Lord, he must ta*e the lowest place.

%ill you turn to 6irst !hronicles ( Elease read 3erses 58


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Elease dwell on each of these types of !hrist, and then say: +a3e you e3er understood the porter s trust @ all the treasures of the house of the Lord( 2he opening of those treasurese3ery morning. 2he fine flour @ the perfection of !hrist in +is blessed humanity. 2hewine @ the Aoy of heart in God. 2he oil @ the anointing with the +oly Spirit. 2hefran*incense and spices @ the infinite preciousness of !hrist. 2he meat


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!hrist1 to guard the person of the hidden Hing of glory1 to guard foundation


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Is +e not the same God now @ can +e not lead +is children now thus to do that which isgood, and right, and truth before the Lord( Ch, that we may ha3e faith in God, to see*only thus to do +is will, and to do it with all our hearts&

Then the tu$ o! "ar

%ell, and after these things, and the establishment thereof, then we get the tug of war -"!hr. 7" . %hat after the doors were open, the +oly Spirit owned in +is true place1 theinfinite 3alue of the blood of Jesus1 the worship and the gladness1 the Lord s Supper in itstrue place1 testimony against all e3il1 abounding fruits of the Spirit1 the porters 3ast rangeof trust and responsibilities1 hearts fully awa*e to distribute the precious things of theLord1 sanctified, separated to the Lord in holiness1 ser3ing the Lord with purpose ofheart. Is not this the end(

9o, indeed, now Satan comes with all his power: 'Sennacherib, kin$ o! ssyria, came,and entered into -udah, and encamped a$ainst the !enced cities, and thou$ht to "inthem !or himsel!' : or, as in the margin, to brea* them up -" !hr. 7":5 . Such is thefact, and it is well to *now it1 where3er God has gathered a little company to !hrist, it isSatan s obAect to brea* it up.

In Isaiah 7D we learn that Sennacherib too* the cities of Judah @ sad ha3oc, and at sucha time& 'ut was it more terrible than the ha3oc Satan has made in the professing !hurchof God( So early as the third stage of its history, we find, e3en in Eergamos, Satan s seatwas there ->e3. ":57 . In 2hyatira, or >ome, we find the depths of Satan spo*en of.

$nd at this moment, the Lord says: 'Behold, I "ill make them o! the syna$o$ue o!Satan, "hich say they are -e"s, and are not, but do lie behold, "ill make them tocome and "orship be!ore thy !eet, and to kno" that I have loved thee' ->e3. 7: .'That I have loved thee; . 'ut this is 3ery solemn. 4y reader may be of the synagogue of Satan, or lo3ed of Jesus: which is it( %hat a Fuestion&

9ow, as +e e*iah was deli3ered, we shall do well to study carefully how he met the power of the ad3ersary. 2he first thing he did, when he saw the purpose of the enemy,was this: 'He took counsel "ith his princes to stop the "aters o! the !ountains "hich"ere "ithout the city# and they helped him'% 2hen, also, they stopped the broo* thatran through the midst of the land -" !hr. 7":7


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'ut not only must the wall, the hated wall, be built up, but we must put on the wholearmour of God. Soldiers of the Lord, young men, chosen to stand before +im in these lastdays, study the %ord. 2a*e the whole armour of God. 'e well eFuipped with the %ord ofGod, spiritual weapons and shields in abundance. It is the last conflict, before we rise tomeet our Lord. It is well to be informed of the enemy s intention. Satan is specially

occupied with, and determined to destroy, the assemblies gathered to the Eerson of !hrist.

Such was the obAect of Sennacherib to ta*e the cities of Judah. Gi3e all diligence, independence on the Spirit, not to help the enemy in his wor* in any one thing.

'ut +e e*iah encouraged the people, saying: 'Be stron$ and coura$eous, be not a!raidnor dismayed !or the kin$ o! ssyria, nor !or all the multitude that is "ith him !orthere be more "ith us than "ith him% )ith him is an arm o! !lesh, but "ith us is theLord our od, to help us, and to !i$ht our battles' -" !hr. 7":8absha*ehs.

9ow what is all this rage against( $ feeble little company, who desire to do that which is

right in the sight of the Lord, and, whilst answering not a word, place their entireconfidence in the Lord. $nd thus, through +is lo3ing care, they abide in the siege.

9ow, as we sit in the watch


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In li*e manner Satan can point to the churches of $sia. %here is the church which was at$ntioch, at Bphesus, and all the assemblies in Greece( >ome also( $nd all the churchesof the >eformation( %hat is their condition now( $nd are you the feeblest of all1 are youstronger or better than they( %hereon do you trust, that you abide in the siege( SolemnFuestions.

'ut did any of the assemblies of Ealestine, Greece, or Burope @ or ha3e any of thechurches of the >eformation continued in lowly dependence on the guardian care of Godthe +oly Spirit( 9o1 an arm of flesh, poor puny man, too* the place of the +oly Spirit ine3ery one of these @ and hence the o3erthrow. 'e it episcopacy, or the popular will, allwas of man, and the +oly Spirit set aside.

9ow, as we loo* from our watch


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$nd how he pleaded with the Lord that dwelt between the cherubim& It is written: 2heyo3ercame him by the blood of the Lamb’ ->e3. 5":55 . It is true, the mercy


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%ill you read +e e*iah s own account of his e)perience in learning this unsettledFuestion -33.


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;ear reader, it is true, Fuite true @ rest in it. Ch, thin* of the lo3e of God in deli3eringyou from the pit of corruption. +ad +e left you to your wretched self @ ah, the pit, the

pit. 2han*s be to God. 9ow a little further disco3ery for you. It is blessed to be broughtto the foot of the cross @ yes, to the 3ery gra3e of !hrist @ dead and buried with +im.2his is the answer to the old man: death, and the gra3e of !hrist.

'ut do not be too sure that that is all @ that you are to remain there. 9o. '(or the $ravecannot praise thee# death cannot celebrate thee# they that $o do"n into the pitcannot hope !or thy truth'% Is not this also most true( If !hrist be only dead for us1 andif we are only dead, and e3en buried with +im1 all is in 3ain. 'I! Christ be not raised,your !aith is vain# ye are yet in your sins' -5 !or. 5?:58 .

+e e*iah e)claimed: 'The livin$, the livin$, he shall praise thee, as I do this day'% 0es,we are not only dead with 2hee, Lord Jesus, but risen in 2hee. 'The livin$, the livin$,shall praise thee, as I do this day'% 2hus, through the death of !hrist, we ha3e passedthrough death into life. Cld things are passed away, all things new, and all of God. %hat a

new creation&

It is not now bitterness of soul, and doubts, and misery. 9o, said +e e*iah: 'The Lord"as ready to save me# there!ore "e "ill sin$ my son$s all the days o! our li!e in thehouse o! the Lord'% Ch, that is far better1 yes, let us sing +is praise with adoring hearts.

!inal "arnin$

2hen there is the business of the ambassadors of the princes of 'abylon. If we are left butfor a moment, to pro3e us, alas& all is failure again. %hat a danger, e3en in much blessingand prosperity& 'Hezekiah "as $lad o! them, and sho"ed them the house o! hisprecious thin$s' -Isa. 7 :" . '+ine house', '+y treasures' -3. = .

0es, if left to oursel3es, it will be: our precious truth , our testimony , our table , ourtreasures . >ich, and increased in goods, and ha3e need of nothing. 2here is only a stepfrom Laodicea to 'abylon.

%e cannot praise our God and 6ather too much for the precious truth +e gi3es, for thetreasures of +is %ord, for the restored table of the Lord. 'ut are these treasures to be

boastingly shown as ours to the princes of 'abylon(

If +e e*iah humbled himself, surely we ought to ta*e the lowest place1 indeed, not ta*e it @ it is ours. 2he Lord *eep us near +imself, in lowly dependence, and enAoying thediscernment of the +oly Spirit. 2hus may +e enable us to do that which is right in thesight of the Lord, in the midst of all that is wrong.

Charles Stanley

Hezekiah C Stanley

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