Set your House in Order
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ " (2 Kings 20:1 NKJV)
One of the Good Guys
Hezekiah was a good king as far as God was concerned. We are told, “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses (2 Kings 18:5-6 NKJV).” He was more devoted to the Lord than any other King of Judah. Since David was King of Israel (all ten tribes) and Hezekiah was only King of Judah (two tribes), I am assuming that David was as devoted or perhaps more so than Hezekiah. However, Hezekiah was one of the good guys. I am not sure if those under his authority who wanted the fleshly, emotional, licentious (look the word up, it is x-rated), worship of the pagans would have liked him, but God liked him. And yet, he had an apparent infection that was going to kill him. He faced a death sentence as we all do. However, he prayed to the Lord for a longer life and the Lord granted it to him.
I marvel that we who are saved all claim to believe that being “with the Lord is far better,” yet unless a person is so depressed as to be suicidal, most want to live just a little longer here on this earth. I am one of those. If you are reading this, I am sure that you are one of those who want to live a little longer or maybe a lot longer. But even though Hezekiah was blessed with fifteen more years, he still died.
What does it Mean to set Your House in Order?
Most people would want to have their wills up to date and their funeral arrangements made. They might want to say goodbye to friends and relatives. If you are like an Old Testament Patriarch, you might want to tell each of your children how you think they will be used of the Lord and how they will be remembered by those who write history books. You might want to get your bills paid and you might want to get right with any that you have offended or treated in an ungodly way. However, while it is nice to be right with our fellow man it is more important to be right with God. I am afraid that many people have taken the word of friends and preachers and priests about whether their house is in order. Most will tell you (if you are a decent person and I assume you are), “If anyone is going to heaven, you are certainly going there!”
However, it might be well to answer some questions that only you and God can answer. Have you been saved or “born again?” Do you even know what that means? If you have been saved, from what have you been saved? Do you remember what it was like to be lost and the relief that came when you found out that the Son of Man had come to seek and to save the lost?
One of the thieves in Luke 23 that was crucified with the Lord set his spiritual house in order in the eleventh hour on a felon’s cross. As long as we can breathe and think, it is never too late to “set our houses in order.” I would suggest that it would be best to set our houses in order now and not wait until the eleventh hour since we may not have one.
My house was set in order the weekend that President Kennedy was assassinated. That is when I realized for the first time that what Christ had done to save me two thousand years ago was sufficient to take me to heaven. I thanked God for His promise of eternal life then and I am still thanking Him for it. I honestly do hope that I have some good years left to enjoy life on earth, but if the Lord sees fit to take me “home,” I have set my spiritual house in order. I hope you have as well.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of May 19, 2019