After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of
Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking
to conquer them for himself.
I came across this article from ‘The Natural Child Project’ which talks
about and against rewards and praise to children. The method according to
R.Grille ‘springs from the work of
psychologists who painstakingly discovered that they could train rats to run
mazes, pigeons to peck at colored buttons, and dogs to salivate at the sound of
the dinner bell - by giving them a controlled schedule of rewards.’ He rebukes parents like me who use external motivations
with a demand for better results instead of appreciating our kids for who they are
and what they are doing NOW. Why should their self-worth be others-based? Why
should their work be valued for its promised reward instead of being enjoyed as
grace?
King Hezekiah probably never experienced such parental pampering. With
the ungodly Ahaz as father, he most likely vowed to become other than what the
family expected of him. He may had been the least favorite son for not
following their idolatrous ways, notably by not allowing himself to be
sacrificed in the fire. Instead he grew up pleasing God alone. His joy was not dependent on the rewards of
his faithfulness, but on the relationship itself. Today’s chapter was proof to
that. After three long chapters of his diligence to reform Judah’s ways, the
verse above opens with the mighty Assyria threatening the land. That would be
disappointing – if he was after God’s ‘fair’ remuneration. To the faithless, peace
and prosperity are fitting rewards for obedience. But if we know that God is
faithful, no fear or discouragement can make us insecure.
‘I don’t deserve this!’ We’ve heard and said it many times. We know
of hardworking students failing board exams; homemakers with unappreciative
family members; hundreds of overworked but underpaid employees; and yes, godly
men and women in deep pain. But what do we expect actually? If we really want
to go along that line of ‘deserving’, the Bible refers to us as sinners
deserving death. If we feel we’re way above the sinners-status, the Bible also
narrates of the sinless Jesus who suffered undeservedly in our stead. King Hezekiah embraced the truth of grace and
so was unshaken amidst life’s threat and seemingly ‘unfairness’. God’s presence
is already more than what we all deserve. But if He is not enough for you, nothing else
will.
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