Prophetic Analysis of Hezekiah

This is the point where we take the Lord at His words. We will use concordances to link historical events to prophecies of the future through the word of the Lord. There is very little contrast between the steps taken by Hezekiah and Josiah to restore Israel/Judah to true worship. There will be additional examples of righteous kings who repeat these steps as well. What Hezekiah's example is rich with is verbal ties to prophecies of future events. That will be our focus for now.

Hezekiah's actions (2 Chronicles 29-31) when he ascended to throne exemplify Malachi's words that Moroni told Joseph Smith would be fulfilled in a future day:

"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." (Malachi 3:2-3)

After sanctifying the Levites and preparing the Temple, Hezekiah had "set in order" the Lord's house. In section 85:7 of the Doctrine and Covenants the "One Mighty and Strong" is said to: "Set in order the house of God and arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints." The phrase "set in order"

Hezekiah- (continued)

There are considerable similarities between Hezekiah and Josiah. Repetition of the pattern continues when Hezekiah moves to destroy everything associated with false gods in Israel. Chapter 31 of 2 Chronicles begins with:

"Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities." (2 Chronicles 31:1)

Having destroyed all images associated with idol gods, Hezekiah returns his focus on the Temple and the continued sanctification and organization of the priests and Levites. Priests and Levites were wholly dedicated to service in the temple and the Lord intended to provide for them from tithes and offerings from the other tribes. Tithes and offerings also provide the means for sacrifice in the Temple of God.

We see the law of tithing instituted/restored by Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 31:5-8:

"And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord, and his people Israel. And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store."

The final act of Hezekiah we will examine is the miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army by Judah. Rather, the Lord's miraculous deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian army. The confrontation is "David and Goliath" like, in that the Assyrian army is dwarfed Judah's army. Hezekiah organizes and prepares his army and people for war. In the face of significant disadvantages Hezekiah says to his soldiers:

"Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." (2 Chronicles 23:7-8)

Hezekiah's remarks alert us by drawing on language of an earlier time when divine intervention was used to save a servant of the Lord. Note how closely Hezekiah's remarks mirror the words of Elisha who earlier said: "And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2 Kings 6:16) The Lord revealed to Elisha's servant the presence of angelic ministrants who intervened to protect the servant of God. By using similar verbiage, Hezekiah implies the Lord will intervene to save His people. Just as Elisha was saved by the Lord smiting the Syrian army with blindness, Hezekiah and the tribe of Judah were saved from Assyrian soldiers by an angel of God.

The general representing the king of Assyria spoke to those of Judah in their own language trying to undermine their faith in the Lord and Hezekiah. He pointed out Assyria's many successful campaigns and how none of those countries were saved by their idol gods. "He also wrote letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand." (vs.17)

In response to the Assyrian general's mocking remarks and actions about the Lord to those of Judah the Lord sends an angel:

"And the Lord sent an angel which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword." (vs.21) What is not said in this account is why the general returned "shame of face." He returned because the angel of the Lord smote his army the night before they were to attack Judah. The outcome was I believe a 140,000 soldiers out of 185,000 were found dead the next morning.

Tomorrow we will look at prophetic links to this account in both ancient and modern scripture.

Good day.

Scott

Hezekiah- Example #2

Our first example of the king of Judah restoring the covenant relationship between the Lord and his people was Josiah. In the last post we listed the steps taken by Josiah to restore Judah's covenant relationship. Review those steps and then we will look at Hezekiah to see how he seeks to do the same thing in 2 Chronicles 29.

1. Hezekiah does that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. (2 Chronicles 29:2)

2. Hezekiah opens the doors to the Temple and repairs them. (vs.3)

3. Hezekiah gathers the priests and Levite's and commands them to sanctify themselves. (vs.4-9)

4. Hezekiah seeks to renew the covenant with the Lord and turn away his wrath from Judah. (vs.10)

5. Hezekiah calls the priests and Levite's "my sons" and exhorts them to perform their responsibilities with all diligence so the covenant relationship with the Lord may be renewed. (vs.11)

6. Under Hezekiah's direction the priests and Levite's sanctify themselves and begin to sanctify the Temple. (vs. 15-19)

7. Hezekiah gathers the rulers of the city and began to offer sacrifice in the Temple. (vs.21-25)

8. Hezekiah follows the ordinances in accordance with the commandment of David, Gad, the kings seer and Nathan the prophet. (vs.25-27)

9. "So the service of the the house of the Lord was set in order. (vs.35)

10. "And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly." (vs.36)

11. Hezekiah sends letters to all tribes of Israel, (including Ephraim and Manasseh) inviting them to the house of the Lord to keep the passover. (2 Chronicles 30)

12. Hezekiah's exhortation to Israel:
"Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the land of the kings of Assyria. and be no ye like your fatherrs, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him." (vs.6-9)

13. Responses to Hezekiah's letter:
A. Ephraim, Manasseh to Zebulun, "laughed them to scorn, and mocked them." (vs.10)
B. Some of Asher,Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. (vs.11)
C. Much people came to Jerusalam. (vs.13)

14. The remove all the alters for worshiping idol gods and threw them in the brook at Kidron. (vs.14)

15. Priests and Levite's sanctify themselves and people. (vs.15-18)

16. Hezekiah intercedes with the Lord on behalf of Israel saying, "The good Lord pardon everyone that prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people." (vs.19)

17. Hezekiah encourages the Levite's in their teaching Israel of the good knowledge of the Lord. (vs. 22)

18. "And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people" and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." (vs.25-27)

We will finish the rest tomorrow and demonstrate how you have just read the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-3.

The Pattern of King Ship and the Gathering of Israel

I've been out of town and away from the computer but I have not been idle. I spent yesterday morning review our example of Josiah as a possible type or pattern for the gathering of Israel. Here's what I found:

1. Josiah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." 2 Kings 22:2

2. Josiah walked in the way of David. (vs.2)

3. Josiah repaired the Temple. (vs.5)

4. Josiah has the "book of the law of God" read to him and causing him to repent and humble himself before the Lord. (vs.11 & 19-20, 2 Kings 23:25)

5. Josiah seeks the will of the Lord. (vs.13-17)

6. Josiah is promised the Lord will bless him. (vs.18)

7. Josiah gathers together the elders of Judah, and all Judah and reads the words of the covenant. 2 Kings 23:1-2

8. Josiah makes a covenant with the Lord to: Walk after the Lord and keep His commandments, testimonies & statutes with all their hearts and souls. Also perform the works of the covenants. (vs.23:3)



We will compare other accounts of kings with similar experiences.

Josiah Summary

I realize most of you must feel confused about much of what we have covered. This is a different way of learning that is foreign to most of us. Think of it as panning for gold. We put the ore in our pans and we've been running water over it in the hope a nugget of gold will remain once we have washed the material thoroughly.

Our next step is to review what we have learned and condense the content down to something more understandable.

In Josiah, we have a king who sits on the throne of Judah. The throne of Judah was occupied by David, the son of Jesse. During David's reign, Saul reigned over the remaining tribes of Israel until the death of Saul and his sons. The two groups became one when the elder's of Israel approached David and asked that Judah be combined to the remaining tribes and the two would become one.

Josiah was a descendant of Jesse through Hezekiah. Whenever the king sought to sanctify his people and restore a tribe of Israel the Lord directed the process through a redundant pattern repeated through out the scriptures. The king began the process by remodeling the Temple and directing the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves. They were the ministers of the Temple and had to be in place before Israel could begin to renew covenant mandated sacrifice.

Once the Temple is repaired and the priests and Levites sanctified, Judah had to repent of their idolatry and false worship. This was done by teaching them the content of the book of the law stored within the Temple. Under the kings direction the people were exhorted to repent and prepare themselves for true worship of God at the Temple. A willingness to obey God's commandment that there would be no other gods before him was demonstrated by the destruction of all idols and idol worshiper's from among them. Josiah carried out his commission and secured peace and safety for his people during his tenure as king. He was not able to deliver Judah after his reign, however and their eventual desolation was complete following Josiah's death.

This pattern is repeated frequently in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. Failure to recognize it limits our ability to see how the Lord will gather Israel in the last days. Israel's current condition mirrors the fallen condition Israel currently remains in. Our inability to recognize this pattern is greatly influenced by our assumption the Church will gather Israel through the efforts of the missionary program of the Church. While the missionary program will successfully gather Ephraim and Manasseh, (the tribes of Joseph/repentant Gentiles) the body of Israel will be gathered in the patterned demonstrated by David, Hezekiah, Josiah and king Benjamin.

Call it a pattern, type, template or prior precedent. It is all the same. The Lord follows a predictable pattern in gathering His covenant people. It will be done in accordance with Priesthood authority and will result in Israel gathering to an ensign and then finding their way back to Ephraim to receive their Melchizedek covenants and becoming one with the brethren of the scattered tribes, never to be divided again. We will look at these examples so we all may witness how the Lord will do His work of gathering in the last days.

Easter Message to Family and Friends

Following Church on Easter Sunday I will be leaving on a business trip to Las Vegas so I won't be with you at the Sunday dinner table. I will miss you all very much. You are all that matters to me in this world. There is always a silver lining in everything that happens however. In this instance, it is the ability to take control of the table for a few minutes by pressing you to read this together. Everyone will have to pay attention and that is virtually impossible when we are together. We love each other too much to stop talking and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This morning the Spirit brought to mind two extraordinary events from my mission I feel I should share with you. They will not be new but my perspective on them is new. These two experiences are two of my most personal experiences with Christ and became cornerstones to my testimony and faith in our Savior. I never kept a journal and so this will be something I want to add to your individual notebooks to be passed on to future generations.

My first experience was a mission conference convened in Seattle, Washington. Over three hundred missionaries from Washington and Idaho were brought together to participate in a conference designed to cleanse our hearts and purify our souls. We did not know this at the time but that was the outcome. My friend, John Lund spoke about the importance of cleansing our inner vessels and his talk was so powerful the entire missionary force lined up to speak with President Stapley. Many confessed sins that were not particularly serious but we all shared the desire to rid ourselves from anything that might impede the Spirit of God.

That evening the local missionaries performed a musical and narrative on the life of the Savior called, appropriately, "Behold the Man." Near the conclusion of the program the subject of the crucifixion of Jesus was addressed. To the shock and amazement of all, the lights in the Chapel were turned off and simultaneously the Holy Ghost was poured on the congregation. I have never felt so overwhelmed in my life. We were all breathless and speechless. We sat in darkness we all collectively felt. After what seemed an eternity the lights began to turn back on but profound silence prevailed. My eyes were drawn to floor underneath the bench in front of me. My head remained bowed but the voice of the Spirit whispered to me that if I would raise my head and look to the upper right hand side of the chapel I would see the Savior of the world. Given this experience for all, the title of the program, "Behold the Man" could not have been more appropriate.

I struggled with the invitation. Intellectually I was tempted to look but to do so was impossible. I did not feel condemned by God but neither did I feel worthy to lift my gaze to look upon Him. It was if gravity intensified and the only appropriate direction for my head to move was down. I wanted to move under the bench but thought it inappropriate to do so in the chapel. Minutes passed before someone rose to the pulpit and concluded the program. I don't remember a thing said in the program after this experience. We all were in deep reflection and pondering. Our minds could not focus on anything else.

In conversations later with others in attendance, I found there was at least one missionary who saw His face in the exact location I was told to look. Years later in a phone conversation with President Stapley he shared with me that other missionaries saw angels in the room. This experience is even more profound to me as I reflect upon it.

Although I could not bring myself to gaze upon the face of our Savior, I know without question He was present. I know He lives. I know that my Redeemer lives!

It almost feels sacrilegious to continue but the second experience influenced me as much or more than the first. Each member of my family has been told of events leading up to this experience so I won't repeat them entirely. Lauren is a little impatient with redundancy and I don't want to lose her attention.

One day my companion and I attended Bishop John Lund's institute class in Olympia, Washington. One of his topics addressed the subject of prayer. His message resonated with my soul and I could not stop thinking about it throughout the day. We worked hard and returned to our apartment late that evening. I had a few thoughts about what I had learned but determined I was too tired to apply them and retired to bed.

The next morning I arose early and immediately thought about the importance of honesty in prayer. Although I prayed my entire mission, I spent more time praying for things I thought I should pray for, than praying for what I honestly felt. Today was going to be a bomb thrower day. All of my mission I expressed gratitude for a mission I hated. I had been miserable and rebellious and found little joy in serving.

I rose from my bed, closed my bedroom door and knelt by my bed. For the first time in my life I poured out my soul to God. I told Him I was not happy and I didn't enjoy serving. I don't recall the specifics of what was said but I do recall thinking it would be a miracle if I was not struck by lightning. My honest expressions were so starkly contrasted to the insincere prayers I had spoken that I fully expected retribution for my hypocrisy.

Contrary to my expectation, my words began to resonate with my soul. Rather than anticipated condemnation I felt a calm peace come over me. Sunlight from the early morning streamed through my window and its warmth fell on my face. What happened next is difficult to describe. What I felt was physical, but there was no physical evidence to prove it. I felt a "fluid" sensation surround my body. It began at my feet and gradually rose to encompass my entire being. My sense was that of being immersed in a tank and feeling a warm sensation gradually surround me. I have written this account many times but today, for the first time I have come to recognize the experience in a way I failed to understand before. I am describing my baptism by fire, (though instead of burning I felt immersed in the love of Christ.) In moments such as this you reflect and feel a sense of wonder about what you are experiencing. It can only be described as surreal. My mind was filled with a sense of amazement when I realized the Lord could love me for who I was at that point in time. There was no mystical level of righteousness I needed to attain. I had, however, repented and entered a covenant with God earlier. As I reflect on it now, He was honoring my covenant by changing my heart.

Words cannot adequately express the joy I felt when I realize the Lord loved me for who I was at that point on. Since then I have been a different person. I still say and do goofy things but I continue to strive to sanctify my life and seek the Lord's face. I live for that day when the invitation to gaze again upon His face is extended and I may look forward with reverent awe, confidence and faith into the eyes of He who died that I might live.

I bear you my testimony this day with solemn certainty that I know He lives. Of that I am as certain as if I gazed upon His countenance that dark evening in Seattle. I have felt His Spirit often and continue to try and follow that straight and narrow path He marked, leading back to the Father.

I hope the purpose of your lives is to do the same. May we rejoice together and send our testimonies forward for future generations. May they hear our testimonies and know that we knew, even as those disciples who went before us knew. This is my prayer. I love you! He lives!

In the Holy name of Jesus, amen.

Your father,

A. Scott Roderick

Happy Birthday Chad!

Today is Chad Hemelstrand's the 30th Birthday. Happy Birthday Chad!

Chad is one of three additions to our family and I want to go on record that Sherri and I are pleased and happy to have Chad in our family. Every parent frets about the person their son or daughter will marry. We always feel no one is ever good enough for our kids. Fortunately Sherri and I can say without reservation we love the guy's our daughter's have brought home. Chad has a funny and wonderful personality but he is also one of the most Christ like people I know. The latter is more important to me than the former but what a blessing it is to have someone with both.

I don't believe I was blogging on Ryan's birthday or if I was it didn't occur to me to acknowledge his birthday. Anyway, we love Ryan as well. Ryan is the energizer bunny of love and enthusiasm. His positive attitude and instant smile are just what Bryndee needs. What a great Dad for Ella Bella. There is great irony in the fact Bryndee and Ryan had a daughter first. Had they been given a son first he would likely been the friendliest assassin on the football field by the age of five.

I wish everyone could feel the joy we feel sitting around the table at Sunday dinner or in the back room of Cafe Rio listening to continuous banter and laughter. Every family should feel the joy we feel when we break bread (or burritos) with you.

To Chad, Ryan and God we say thank you for the joy and happiness you bring our family. Thank you for the joy and happiness you have brought our daughters. We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you.

As for the third addition to our family, Ella Bella Boosky Boo, Ryan, Bryndee and God get credit for her. The whole family circles the wagons around her and we marvel as her vocabulary grows and her sweet little personality continues to emerge. It is such a great feeling to see a protective circle of love and safety drawn around her. It is unfortunate all children don't enjoy this great blessing.

To Chad and Ryan we say thanks for the love you bring to our family. May God bless you both in all your endeavors.

Scott and Sherri