And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
2 Chronicles 32:31 (ESV)
In my reading this morning, I was surprised to find this verse seemingly tagged onto the end of the recounting of the life of Hezekiah. Surprised in the sense that it reads somewhat harsh in the context of the chapter. Yet, it is a truth that speaks to not only how God dealt with Hezekiah and the people of the Old Testament, but how he continues to deal with His people. There is a general feeling today that if God is distant or if has seemingly hidden himself from you, then there is something wrong with you. We often treat these moments of God leaving us to ourselves as though we have done something to offend or that the love of God vacillates. In our pride, we continue to believe that the love of God is conditional and dependent upon on strict obedience. We neglect the beauty of God’s love in this moment with Hezekiah. God leaves Hezekiah to himself not out of punishment and not out of spite but out of love. He does this in order to test the heart of Hezekiah and reveal his motivations and intentions. Does God do this because he doesn’t already know Hezekiah’s heart? Quite the opposite. God knows the depth of Hezekiah’s heart. The person who is oblivious to this is Hezekiah himself.
Continue reading “Heart Reveal”