HEED THE WARNING SIGNS
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8
Warning alarms come in all shapes and sizes. There are smoke alarms that alert people to the danger of fire, house and car alarms to warn if a break-in or theft is attempted, back-up warning alarms signal that vehicles are going in reverse, and civil defense sirens warn communities of approaching danger.
Second Chronicles 29 contains multiple warning signs that the fire was extinguished in the Temple and in their hearts. It’s a chapter that details how King Hezekiah purified the Temple in the first month of the first year of His reign.
1. The doors were closed (2 Chronicles 29:3). Closed doors, closed hearts, closed eyes and ears all indicate that the fire has grown cold. God told Judah through the prophet Jeremiah, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). Open wide your mouth and God will fill it (Psalm 81:10), open your eyes to see wonderful things in His law (Psalm 119:18), open your lips and declare His praise (Psalm 51:15). Feed the fire by opening the doors of your heart!
2. The lamps were put out (2 Chronicles 29:7a). When we put out our lamps by hiding them under a bowl, we fail to be the shining lights in this dark world that God intends for us to be (Matthew 5:14-15). Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Feed the fire by shining brightly in your home, your neighborhood, your workplace, and your church!
3. The incense altar was cold (2 Chronicles 29:7b). No burning incense indicates that there were no prayers. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2). Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “This much is sure in all churches, forgetting party labels; the smallest meeting numerically is the prayer meeting. If weak in prayer we are weak everywhere.” If you typically prayer for 10-minutes a day, pray for 15. If you pray for an hour a day, pray for an hour and 15 minutes. No matter how shallow or deep our prayer life, we can and should pray more (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Feed the fire by being a woman of prayer!
PASSION Step: Are there warning signs that the fire in your heart has been extinguished? If so, purify it (James 4:8).
The Pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended . . . They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts.
Jeremy Taylor
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