John 2

Jesus entered into the temple and drove away all those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, as well as the money changers doing business in the temple. He must have made quite a mess, pouring out the changers’ money and overturning tables, and exclaiming, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16)

The temple of God ought to be a holy place. It is a place of worship to God. However, if we allow secular activities to have their place within the temple, not only do we find it difficult to worship God wholeheartedly, it is also disrespectful to God.

The Bible tells us that our body is the temple of God, having the Spirit of God dwelling in us (1 Cor 3:16) and this record of Jesus cleansing the temple reminded me about us cleansing our own temple of God.

Have we kept our temple free from oxen, sheep, and doves that are sold in the marketplace? Have we kept the money changers away? These things may mean different things to different people. Whatever it may be, when we start to find our temple messy, we need to make the effort to cleanse it. Throw away the things that should not be there. Organise the things that should remain. Sometimes, we may even need to use a whip to drive out unwelcomed guests. It may be painful, but it will be worth it. What you will get in the end is a nice and clean temple. It is a place where the Holy Spirit will be pleased to dwell in.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:2)

Let us cleanse our hearts before God, so that He may enter in. Just as In Hymn 360, while we have room for pleasure and room for business, do we also have any room for Jesus?

2 Kings 18

Hezekiah was a good king. His relatively long reign of twenty-nine years was testimony of God’s blessing as he did what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 18:2-3).

He removed the high places, forbidding people to worship at places other than where God has instructed. He broke the bronze serpent made by Moses more than 800 years ago to deliver the people from a plague of fiery serpents (Numbers 21:1-9), but which had became an idol of worship.

The Bible described Hezekiah as one holding fast to the Lord and did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments. God was with Him, and he prospered wherever he went; he rebelled against Assyria and subdued the Philistines.

During Hezekiah’s reign, he also saw for himself how Israel fell captive to Assyria because they did not obey the voice of the Lord. This perhaps was significant for him and all the rest in Judah, both as a warning of the consequences of sins and as an affirmation of their faith.

However, the time came for his faith to be tested. The fortified cities of Judah were taken by Assyria. What would King Hezekiah do now? We saw that he tried to appease Assyria by giving the king of Assyria silver and gold. However, that did not stop the king of Assyria who later sent his men to taunt Hezekiah. He was mocked for putting his hope in an alliance with Egypt, and his faith in God was discouraged.

Perhaps this may reflect our life of faith in Jesus today? We are good Christians who readily obey the commandments of God. We keep the Sabbath. We pray. We follow the Lord. We might even have seen how some others have fallen away from the faith and the consequences that follow. We saw it as a warning to ourselves and also a resolution never to follow in their footsteps. However, the test really only comes when we are faced with the same situation. What would we do now? Would we still rely on God or rely on our own wisdom? Will we give up on God and seek help in worldly strength?

What did Hezekiah do (2 Kings 19)? J

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7)

Have you met with any trials which really tested your faith? How did you pass the test?