mfairlady
mfairlady

2 Kings 18-19 Hezekiah’s Good Reign

By Mary Fairchild

Clovermap

1581 Bunting Clover Leaf Map; Israel in the center.

HEZEKIAH : With the northern kingdom of Israel under Assyrian captivity and her population deported, King Ahaz led the southern kingdom of Judah into fearful idolatry. God, therefore, allowed him to be defeated and distressed by Syria, Israel, and Assyria. Thus Judah was also on the brink of calamity when God extended His mercy and brought Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, to the throne of Judah in 715 B.C., just six years after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel.

The new king, who probably co-reigned with his father Ahaz for 13 years, was a refreshing opposite of his father. “Hezekiah throughout all Judah…wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chron. 31:20-21).

2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 29-32; Isaiah 36-37—HEZEKIAH’S GOOD REIGN: Hezekiah’s love for truth and righteousness necessitated many drastic changes. He thoroughly smashed the idols (2 Kings 18:4). He removed the high places and destroyed all the pagan shrines and images before which the people had bowed, even the brazen serpent of Moses’ day (Numb. 21:5-9); for the brazen serpent had been made into a relic and was being worshiped in superstition. He restored the Temple, cleansing it of relic and the filth of idolatry. He opened the doors and made repairs. The vessels of worship were replaced and set apart for their holy purposes. He assembled rulers and the people to offer sin offerings, burnt offerings, and thank offerings. Sounds of orchestra music, ceremonial trumpets, and singing filled the air once more as they during David’s reign. The congregation brought so many offerings to the Temple that the priests would not take care of them and had to ask the Levites for help.

THE HEART OF MAN IS ALWAYS PRONE TO WORSHIP OBJECTS. Moses brazen serpent had started out as a revered object, but soon it became hallowed; later it was considered holy and eventually worshiped as they burned incense to it. In more recent history, man has worshiped such relics as wooden pieces supposedly of Christ’s cross, hallowed spots where miracles presumably occurred, icons, etc. God forbids that our eyes should stop with objects but rather that we go beyond and see Him Who is invisible. Some today see only a church building and do not see the God of the people of the church.

THE SECRET SUCCESS WITH GOD IS NO SECRET; IT IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS. The Assyrians had defeated the northern kingdom of Israel and threatened Judah, but Hezekiah rebelled and said, “No, we’re not going to serve you.” HEZEKIAH WOULD NOT YEILD TO THE THREATS AND DOMINATION BY A FOREIGN POWER; but in spite of his stand, the king of Assyria continued to attack Judah.

CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER—2 Chron. 30:1-27: For many years the Passover had not been observed. Because the nation had been so occupied with pagan pleasures and idolatrous ceremonies, they had all but forgotten their deliverance from Egypt. Hezekiah invited the faithful remnant who were left in Israel to join in the Passover at Jerusalem, for the Passover had not been legal in the northern kingdom since the kingdom had divided 200 years previously. Some of those left in Israel ridiculed the invitation, but others welcomed the opportunity and came to Jerusalem for the Feast. Though there were irregularities in the Passover observance—the Lord answered Hezekiah’s prayer, understanding the need for these unusual circumstances and accepting the people’s desire to obey and honor Him. Everyone participated with such enthusiasm that they continued the Feast for an additional seven days.

Hezekiah stopped paying tribute to his foreign oppressor, Assyria, which had been paid since his father Ahaz’s time. In 701 B.C. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, launched a military campaign to the west and south, crushing all resistance in his path. After taking 46 Judean cities, he and his army started for Jerusalem. At this point, Hezekiah paid him and enormous tribute which included gold from the doors of the Temple. Dissatisfied, Sennacherib sent three Assyrian officials and a large group of men to talk to Hezekiah. They talked publicly, Rab-shakeh shouting in the Hebrew language, from a high ground overlooking the city of Jerusalem. THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL TACTIC WAS POWERFUL.

Assyria was a world power determined to conquer the world, including Jerusalem, yet Hezekia stopped paying tribute to them. Sennachrerib knew that the Judean army was very small, he considered Hezekiah very foolish to trust the Lord when no other gods—not even Israel’s God—had stopped him so far. It would have been easy for Hezekiah to be influenced by these facts. If he would have responded in unbelief, Jerusalem would have fallen before the Assyrian army. But Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah saw the invisible One and believed His promise of heavenly reinforcements. RAB-SHAKEH REPRESENTED THE WICKED, UNBELIEVING, YET POWERFUL POINT OF VIEW. In every issue of life, there is a wicked and unbelieving point of view.

Hezekiah was suffering from a serious illness and Isaiah came to his side and told him to prepare to die. GOD DOES NOT OBJECT TO MEDICINE, BUT OUR ULTIMATE CONFIDENCE SHOULD BE IN HIM. Medicine is part of God’s creation created for man’s benefit, we should be thankful that God makes it possible for men to discover, formulate, and use medicines for our comfort and healing. Hezekiah asked for a sign that the Lord would heal him. The Lord gave a spectacular sign: GOD EVIDENTLY STOPPED THE EARTH ON ITS AXIS ROTATION AND TURNED IT BACKWARD TO SHOW 10 DEGREES ON THE SUNDIAL (approx. 40 minutes). Hezekiah reigned 14 years when Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem. His life was extended 15 more years as an answer to prayer.

OUR EARTHLY LIFE SPAN CAN BE SHORTENED OR LENGTHENED: Our life may be shortened through disobedience. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [die]” (1 Cor. 11:30). Our life span may be lengthened by direct answer t prayer as was the case of Hezekiah. Our life span can also be lengthened through obedience to our parents. “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exod. 20:12). “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. “Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3).

GOD HAS AN APPOINTED TIME FOR EACH PERSON TO DIE. During his 15 years of extended life, Hezekiah had a son born to him who would become the next king of Judah. This son, Manasseh, was a very wicked king, and as far as the nation of Judah was concerned, it would have seemed better if Manasseh had never been born. We learn from this that God always knows what is best, even the best time for each of us to die.

WORKS CITED

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *