“May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.”
I like this verse. It shows that Hezekiah had mercy, and was willing to go to God on behalf of the people who were seeking him. A lot of the Old Testament is SSSOOO rule based. Here's a guy who saw through it to what is really important. Evidently, God saw it that way too.
Lesson to take?, I guess maybe I need to look at my role others relationship with God. I don't know that I've ever thought of it that way. Can I make a positive difference in their lives, just by lobbying God on their behalf? I pray for others in terms of health or something out of their control. But, I'm not sure I talk to God about how he views other people.
I think its an interesting idea. He has a lot of those.
tp
18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm rushing to catch up a bit, but affirmed when I see I selected the same verse as you. I was thinking too that usually its all rules based in the OT but here is an example of how if you truly give your heart to God he will respond with his mercy--its a heart thing not a rules thing. He does give us rules to help us live our lives but in the end its our hearts that he wants.
knut