When King Hezekiah took over the throne of the kingdom of Judah, his priority was to put its spiritual condition into order. To understand why, we must look at the terms of the Mosaic covenant.
The people of Israel had been given a choice between blessings and curses under the Mosaic covenant and were asked to choose life and blessings instead of death and curses. Unfortunately, when King Ahaz sinned against God, the wrath of God was against them, and it brought curses unto the kingdom of Judah. Thankfully, King Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah understood that their transgressions had resulted in curses and hardship, and he wisely opted for life and blessings. He restored the place of worship, put the priests and Levites in their areas of duties, and offered sacrifices according to the teachings. He committed to follow God.
Despite the similarities between the curses that fell on the people of Judah then and people’s conditions today before they accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour (including alienation from God, no hope or standing before God, controlled by the senses, blinded by Satan), Christians today are in a very different position from the people in Hezekiah’s time. Even though the sin nature binds sinners in a continuous cycle of transgression, if they choose to accept Christ, through their faith in the work of atonement of Jesus Christ, they are redeemed from the curse of the law, because Jesus has become the curse of the law for us.
Galatians 3:13 (NKJV) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
Temporary appeasement of God’s wrath achieved through animal sacrifices has been superseded by the work of atonement by Jesus Christ, because Jesus’s blood provided a solution to the sin issue once and for all. His blood has satisfied God’s wrath towards sin completely and thoroughly, resulting in the forgiveness and remission of sins. As a result, believers are transferred into the Kingdom of God and become new creations. They are justified by their faith in Jesus’s blood and have peace with God. The curse of the law has ended at the cross of Calvary, and believers today have entered a New Covenant through Jesus’s blood. They have chosen life eternal and blessings!
Sermon Series: Wise Leadership
昔日和当下
申命记 15:1-2,15 你若留意听从耶和华－你神的话，谨守遵行他的一切诫命，就是我今日所吩咐你的，他必使你超乎天下万民之上。 你若听从耶和华－你神的话，这以下的福必追随你，临到你身上：……你若不听从耶和华－你神的话，不谨守遵行他的一切诫命律例，就是我今日所吩咐你的，这以下的咒诅都必追随你，临到你身上：
当希西家接掌犹大王国的王位时，他的首要任务是整顿国家的属灵状况。要理解这一点，我们必须看一下摩西之约的条款。
以色列人被赋予了在摩西之约下选择祝福和诅咒的权利，并被要求选择生命和祝福而不是死亡和诅咒。不幸的是，当亚哈王得罪上帝时，上帝的忿怒临到了他们，给犹大王国带来了诅咒。幸运的是，亚哈的儿子希西家明白，他们的过犯导致了诅咒和困难，他明智地选择了生命和祝福。他恢复了敬拜的场所，让祭司和利未人按照教导履行职责，并按照规定献祭。他承诺跟随上帝。
尽管当时犹大人所受的诅咒与今天尚未接受基督为其救主的人们的光景有相似之处（包括疏离上帝、在上帝面前无望或者无法站立，受感官控制，被撒旦蒙蔽），而今日的基督徒的地位已迥异于希西家时期的人。即使罪性将罪人束缚在连续的过犯循环中，如果他们选择接受基督，通过对耶稣基督救赎工作的信念，他们就蒙赎脱离律法的咒诅，因为耶稣已经为我们成为了律法的诅咒。
加拉太书 3:13 (新标点和合本) 基督既为我们受了咒诅，就赎出我们脱离律法的咒诅；因为经上记着：“凡挂在木头上都是被咒诅的。“
通过动物献祭来暂时平息上帝的愤怒的方式已被耶稣的救赎工作所取代，因为耶稣的血为罪的问题提供了一劳永逸的解决方案。祂的血完全并彻底地满足了上帝对罪的愤怒，结果就是罪的饶恕与赦免。于是，信徒被转入上帝的国度，并成为新造的人。他们凭信靠耶稣的血而称义，并与上帝和好。律法的诅咒已在加略山的十字架上终结，今天的信徒已经通过耶稣的血进入了新约。他们选择了永生和祝福！
讲章系列：智慧的领导力
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