Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

We just finished day 200 of our reading plan. I'm blown away by all God is teaching us through this.

So let's jump in. Hezekiah, the son of King Ahaz,

reigned in Judah after Ahaz died. While Ahaz was terrible, one of his sons who survived his child

sacrifices, Hezekiah, turned out to be one of Judah's two best kings. And we know this

because he's one of the only two kings

scripture says lived up to the level of David. We'll get to the other really great king

soon, but in the meantime, if you're a parent and you feel that you're setting a bad example

for your kids, take heart because Ahaz the wicked was fathered to Hezekiah the great,

so there's still hope for your kids.

So what did Hezekiah do that was so awesome? Lots of stuff. Right out of the gate, in year

one of his reign, he starts making aggressive religious reforms. First, he restores the temple

and reinstates the sacrificial system. The people bring so many animals to sacrifice

that the priests have to call for backup to handle it all. Hezekiah also reinstates the festivals,

like Passover, which they hadn't really celebrated regularly in a long time. And this is important

because remember how God had told them to do that every year as a reminder of what he had done?

When they stopped celebrating God's goodness, their hearts disengaged from worshiping God.

Celebration is important, especially when it's worship adjacent.

Hezekiah, who is king in Judah, also invites the people of Israel to celebrate Passover with them in Jerusalem.

And while some of them mock and shame him, people from about half the tribes come.

This is the first time since Solomon was king that both kingdoms have celebrated together as one.

The people are singing and praising God, and most importantly, they're finally beginning to repent.

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