Peace and Truth in My Days

Peace and truth in my days sounds like a good statement.  I took it from II Kings 20:19, “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.  And he said, “Is it not good, if peace and Truth be in my days?”

Well, context is vital.  Isaiah is the prophet, the man of God, speaking on God’s behalf. Hezekiah is the king receiving the message and answering to it. When Hezekiah became king, the nation was in a bad state and not doing well.  From the very start of his reign, (we have heard the phrase the first 100 days) Hezekiah changes things around.  He starts by restoring right worship, which led to other moral changes in the country.

He removes and destroys that which was wrong and according to God’s laws and re-establishes that which is right.  Whenever people study national revival, desiring to emulate these ‘great awakenings’, they study the few revivals found in scripture which includes Hezekiah’s; II Kings 18-20, greater details II Chronicles 29-32.

Later in years as Hezekiah becomes sick unto death, he appeals to God on his track record; he not only recovers, but is granted 15 more years to live.  He also learns that the nation will go into captivity and that their children will not be treated as free men.  It is prophesied their sons will be fixed males (eunuchs) in this foreign land.

This leads to the text, “Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?”  In my King James Bible, I have a double wide margin for notes, ideas, and cross references.  I wrote, what about your sons and daughters?

What type of a father would be grateful for peace when such awful predictions were made for the future of his posterity?  I would think (and hope) that most good and caring parents would like to leave a better future for their children. They would gladly pay the price for that to happen. I would hope the same for pastors and conscientious civic leaders.

With all of that said, I look back over the last 40 years of my life. When I read history or follow current events, I reflect on what I am leaving for the future. I look at where we were and where we are today. Some may call it progression, while others would call for the old paths; principles founded on scriptural truths which have been tried and true.  Am I satisfied with peace and truth in my days?

I know ultimately the answer is the return of Christ to establish His kingdom on this earth, where He will be the government, and where we live by His teachings. I am NOT looking for the world’s ‘savior’, the one world leader.  Only one offers ultimate peace and truth.

Pastor Mark Englebert, Door Bible Baptist Church