Setting Your House In Order
SETTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
Isaiah 38:1-6 (ESV)
1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 and said, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
Recently, on the website of the National Institute of Aging, there’s an article that caught my attention, because it provides four essential steps that aging people like me should prepare in case I get seriously disabled or die. Here is what they enumerated:
Put your important papers and copies of legal documents in one place - You can set up a file, put everything in a desk or dresser drawer, or list the information and location of papers in a notebook.
Tell a trusted family member or friend where you put all your important papers - Someone should know where you keep your documents in case of an emergency.
Discuss your end-of-life preferences with your doctor – The doctor can explain what health decisions you may have to make in the future and what treatment options are available.
Give permission in advance for your doctor or lawyer to talk with your caregiver as needed - There may be questions about your care, a bill, or a health insurance claim. Without your consent, your caregiver may not be able to get the needed information.
How many of us are well prepared if in case disability or death happens to us? Will our children and grandchildren know what to do if in case we get incapacitated? According to the American Bar Association statistics, more than half (55%) of Americans die every year without any legal will or trust. Obviously, since life is so unpredictable, lawyers insist it would serve our entire family well, and us if we try to prepare earlier.
About two weeks ago, I had the privilege of watching the memorial service for a great man of God and one of the most prominent apologists of this generation, Ravi Zacharias. As many of us know, he died last May 19 at the age of 74, because of bone cancer. I believe, in a little over a month prior to his death, his family was told that he was going to die, so they were able to prepare everything. The impression I got during the memorial service was that all his children and grandchildren were able to gather with him during his last hours, and everyone had the opportunity to say their final goodbyes before he passed. And I also believe that he even had a hand in planning for his memorial service and really making it a celebration about God’s grace on his life.
But the reality is that not every one of us will have the privilege of knowing exactly when we are going to leave this world and be with our Creator. For many people, death happens like a thief in the night, always unexpected and unannounced.
In the passage, which we read earlier, King Hezekiah was one of those who had the privilege of knowing exactly when his time was up. God sent his own prophet, Isaiah, to tell him that he was nearing his end. If you notice our theme this morning, it really centers on what God told King Hezekiah at the bottom part of verse 1, saying, “set your house in order.” Now, since we really don’t know when our time is going to be up, I really believe that we definitely need to properly prepare in advance setting our houses in order, and not wait for the last minute. So, as we prepare in advance, the critical question would be, “What are those things we seriously need to set in order? Of course, my main focus would not be the financial or legal matters, because I am not the best person to give you that advice. I feel that I’m within my territory if I stick on giving you counsel on spiritual matters. Here are the three things you should prioritize:
I ENSURE THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF THE FAMILY
When King Hezekiah was told that his death was coming, and he must set his house in order, his reaction in the passage was not uncommon. He humbled himself before the Lord and desperately begged Him to extend his life and give him more years to live. I’m thinking. If any of us were on his shoes, we probably would have done the same, right? If we were sick, we would probably beg God to heal us and continually preserve our life.
Generally speaking, the main difference between believers and unbelievers, who are at the point of dying, is the absence of fear. Those dying who knew they had received Jesus Christ in their life are more confident in death compared to those who do not believe in Him. I have seen this truth so many times whenever I got called to minister to our people dying. Evidently, this assurance of eternal destiny takes away the fear of uncertainty that is often associated with death.
Unfortunately, there are so many people who think that you will only know where you are going after you die and leave this world. This idea is absolutely false! The Bible plainly states that while you are still alive, you can know exactly whether or not you have eternal life. This truth is found in 1 John 5:11-13 (ESV): 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
If you examine these words, especially verse 13, the apostle John is explicitly saying that the very reason why he wrote his letter was to help his readers practically know that because they believe in Jesus, they have eternal life. So, while we are still alive, we can definitely know our eternal destiny.
But this assurance of salvation should never be for personal consumption only. This eternal guarantee should be for the whole household. In the book of Acts, you will find a great example wherein once the Philippian jailer came to know Jesus Christ, there was also an effort to ensure that the whole family was won to Him. Acts 16:31-34 (ESV) 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
The plain statement in verse 16 is very comforting, “you will be saved, you and your household.” Let’s not misinterpret this verse to mean that it is automatic that because one person in the family got saved, then, everyone in the family is saved. Not at all! Salvation in Christ must be a personal decision. The proper interpretation of this is that the moment one receives Jesus, the “sanctifying work” of the Holy Spirit begins in the family until everyone gets saved. As you will find in the passage, beginning in verse 32, the jailer brought Paul and Silas to his home, so the whole family heard the Gospel and invited Jesus in their lives.
I certainly want to challenge each one of us to do the same. If you truly know Jesus Christ as your Savior, while you are still healthy and able, make sure that you have led every member of your family to the Lord. Remember, the greatest gift we can give to our loved ones is Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself emphasized this truth by asking two rhetorical questions: Mark 8:36-37 (ESV) 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Both questions have one obvious answer – “Nothing!” So, if you will set your house in order, your number one priority should be the eternal destiny of your family.
II ENTREAT THE GODLY LEGACY OF THE FAMILY
The next truth I want to highlight in setting our houses in order would be found in verse 3 - “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” One of the interesting parts in this story is that when King Hezekiah went to God and asked for God to extend his life, he boldly made an appeal based on his personal godliness. Some have criticized this appeal as a spiritual pride on the part of the king. Are they correct with their assessment? Absolutely not! The backdrop for this prayer is the covenant that God has made to King David. Listen to these words in 2 Chronicles 6:16-17 (ESV): 16 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ 17 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.
These words came from King Solomon when he dedicated the temple he just built for God. Notice, King Hezekiah reminded the Lord regarding His promise of special blessings to David’s descendants when they have lived their lives according to His laws. Of course, in addition to this truth, we cannot also ignore the fact that even today, the righteousness of a believer can increase the effectiveness of his or her prayers. James wrote about this spiritual reality in his letter:
James 5:16 (ESV) 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
The last sentence in this verse affirms the value of righteous living in our prayers – “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” In other words, there is a greater manifestation of God’s power in the prayers of believers who are committed to living a righteous life.
Going back to King Hezekiah’s request for a life extension, we would find in verse 5 that God would be gracious to him and allow him to live for another fifteen (15) more years. I loved the response of God when He said to him, “I have seen your tears.” This statement is quite interesting because it shows God as someone who is sensitive to our emotions. He is deeply affected when we are truly hurting or in pain.
But, what is more critical for us to see is the godly legacy of King Hezekiah. What kind of reputation will he leave the nation of Judah regarding his reign? Listen to this description in 2 Kings 18:1-5 (ESV): 1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
Verse 5 is a great summary of the twenty-five years reign of King Hezekiah over Judah. These 25 years could definitely be described as one of the best times in the nation of Judah.
The godly legacy of King Hezekiah should be the biggest reason we want to entreat (plead) for the loved ones we are leaving to continually live for God. The blessings of prayers being answered and the victories over their enemies that King Hezekiah enjoyed should be enough for us to desire that the family remain devoted to God, especially after we are gone.
III ENTRUST THE FUTURE BLESSINGS OF THE FAMILY
As we come to our last point, the emphasis is more on entrusting our family to God that they remain close to God, so that His blessings will abide with them. Whether we like it or not, the memories and example we are going to leave our family can only go to a certain extent. Our loved ones still have to decide if they will be responsive and walk with God. It is unfortunate to see that after the reign of King Hezekiah, his son and successor, King Manasseh, took over. Here’s how the Bible described him: 2 Kings 21:1-4 (ESV) 1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the
people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
Isn’t this tragic to see? The oldest son of King Hezekiah, Manasseh, who took over the Kingdom, decided to go against the Lord and forfeit the blessings his father enjoyed during his reign. But this reality can really happen. It is possible that the next generation would turn their backs from the Lord and totally ignore His laws and guidelines for a blessed life.
This possibility should compel all of us to pray diligently for the upcoming generation to remain faithful in following the Lord so that they will continually enjoy His blessings. The perfect example of this is Jacob, placing his hands over the sons of Joseph, and praying for all of them. His prayer is found in Genesis 48:15-16 (ESV): 15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Parents, how consistent are you in praying for the future blessings of your children? The Bible has concrete examples for us of parents who did this for their children.
As I close, I simply want to remind all of us that life on earth is too short, and we cannot afford to be careless; we have to always live decisively. I trust that God’s words to King Hezekiah—“to set his house in order”—will be planted in our hearts and minds. I believe that if we commit to doing the three priorities we highlighted today, we can be just like Joshua who, at the very end of his life, was able to declare before the nation of Israel these words: Joshua 24:15 (ESV) 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana
Wouldn’t it be great to say at the end of our life – “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” May this generational declaration be true for all of us!