All through the Word of God, the Spirit of God is careful to record the faithfulness and the failures of the people of God. Nowhere is this more evident than in the life of Hezekiah, one of the godly kings of Judah. As with several other godly kings, he did not have a godly father, but both his grandfather (Jotham) and his great-grandfather (Uzziah, or Azariah) were among those of whom it is recorded that they “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” But Hezekiah stands out, so that it is recorded of him that “he trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him” (2 Kings 18:5). No doubt this comment includes only those kings who reigned in Judah after the kingdom was divided, and thus the clause “nor any that were before him” does not include David or Solomon. The Word of God notices four good things that Hezekiah did, each of which has a lesson for us in our day.
The House of the Lord
First of all, it is recorded in 2 Chronicles 29:3 that “he, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.” The account goes on to show how he cleansed the temple of all the filthiness that had accumulated there, reinstituted the sacrifices of Jehovah, and again set up the courses of the Levites, as David, Gad and Nathan had commanded. Here was a good start, for nothing can be right until the Lord has His portion. So it is in our lives: When we have gotten away from the Lord, we must recognize where we are and seek, first of all, to honor His Word and once again seek to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). What is due to the Lord must always come before what is due to man.
More than this, Hezekiah recognized that the Lord looked upon Israel as one—all twelve tribes. Man’s failure had brought in division, but God still looked upon Israel as being one people, even if the majority had departed from His center. (As a result, probably about the year 721 B.C., God allowed the Assyrians to carry the ten tribes away captive, leaving a mixture of people in the land.) About this time, Hezekiah kept a wonderful Passover, and he called not only the people of Judah but also sent messengers throughout Israel, inviting all to come and celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. It is a little unclear whether this Passover was kept before or after the captivity of the ten tribes, but we know that the northern kingdom had become subservient to Assyria some years before they were finally carried into captivity.
The Twelve Tribes
It was impossible again to unite Israel again into one kingdom, but it was possible to act on God’s thoughts about His people and to call them, as one nation, to meet in God’s center. So it is today. It is impossible to reunite Christendom, but we can act on the truth of the one body and invite believers to come together on that basis—the same basis on which they gathered at the beginning. Many mocked at Hezekiah’s invitation, but some responded to it by humbling themselves and coming up to Jerusalem. Scripture records that no such time of joy and blessing had occurred since the time of Solomon.
The blessed result of this obedience was threefold. First, more idols were destroyed, not only in Judah, but also in other parts of Israel. Second, further improvements were made in setting up the order of the priests and Levites as well as the daily sacrifices and other offerings of the Lord. Third, the people were encouraged to bring in their tithes, and a real overflow of goods was brought in for the support of the priests and Levites. In all these things, it is recorded that “in every work that he [Hezekiah] began ... he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (2 Chron. 31:21).
Refusal to Serve the Assyrians
The next thing we notice about Hezekiah was that he refused to serve the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:7). His father Ahaz had capitulated to Tiglath-pileser and paid him a large sum to help him against the Syrians. Hezekiah rightfully rejected such help and refused to ally himself with Assyria. He trusted only in the Lord. Again, this is a lesson for us today, for sometimes it is tempting to seek the world’s help when difficulties arise, instead of relying only on the Lord. For example, I have known a believer in financial trouble to go and ask for money from a wealthy unbeliever, instead of getting down and praying about it and asking for the Lord’s help. But the Lord wants our confidence and trust.
The Philistines
The third thing we notice about Hezekiah is that he smote the Philistines (2 Kings 18:8). The Philistines had been a constant thorn in the side of Israel, as far back as the days of the judges. They were never totally defeated or driven out of the land of Israel, and they are still a problem here in the days of Hezekiah. In the time of his father Ahaz, they had invaded and taken over a number of the cities of Judah (2 Chron. 28:18). Spiritually, they speak of man in the flesh, energized by Satan, intruding into the things of God. In type, they illustrate his power in harassing the Christian and spoiling both his enjoyment of Christ and his testimony. Hezekiah wisely smote them and was successful.
Trust in the Lord
Finally, we find Hezekiah doing that for which Scripture specially commends him—trusting the Lord in the face of what seemed an impossible threat. At the time of Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrians were the strongest empire in the world, and they had been so for more than 150 years. They had conquered many countries and were noted for their ruthlessness and brutality. Also, it seems that about this time Hezekiah’s serious illness took place, an event which would have further weakened him, and as he saw most of the cities of Judah fall into Sennacherib’s hands, his faith initially failed him, and he surrendered, much as his father Ahaz had done. He admitted his offence in rebelling against him and tried to buy off the Assyrians, even giving them silver and gold from the house of the Lord. But the Lord was not going to let this agreement stand, for it seems that Sennacherib wanted not merely silver and gold, but the same full control that he already had over the northern kingdom. Accordingly, Sennacherib launched a treacherous and arrogant siege against Jerusalem and called upon Hezekiah to surrender completely.
Here we find the Lord graciously restoring Hezekiah’s faith, for the emissaries of the king of Assyria mocked not only Hezekiah’s strength to resist, but also the power of the Lord Himself. As with Goliath, so here with Sennacherib: The enemy had challenged not merely the Lord’s people, but the Lord Himself. Here Hezekiah did several things that are a lesson to us. First of all, he took the blasphemous letter from Sennacherib and “spread it before the Lord” (2 Kings 19:14). Second, he sought advice and counsel from the prophet Isaiah (2 Kings 19:2; Isa. 37:2). Third, he himself prayed unto the Lord (Isa. 37:15-20; 2 Kings 19:15-19). Humility, coupled with dependence on the Lord, will never go unrewarded.
The Prophetic Promise
Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord answered with a wonderful promise that not only would Sennacherib not touch the city of Jerusalem, but that he would be compelled to retreat back to his own country and would “fall by the sword in his own land” (Isa. 37:7). Humanly speaking, the situation looked impossible, for no other nation had been able to stand against the Assyrians. Yet here was the firm word of the Lord, and Hezekiah was given faith to believe it and to resist all the threats made against him. And so it came to pass, for the angel of the Lord came and destroyed in one night 185,000 men of the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35; Isa. 37:36), compelling Sennacherib to retreat in disgrace and shame. Later he was assassinated by his own sons.
Faith for the Future
Once again, what a lesson for the believer today! God sometimes allows seemingly impossible situations in our lives, but only to encourage and strengthen our faith in Him and to embolden us to rely on Him alone. He may indeed in this way test our faith, but He will never disappoint our faith. He loves our complete confidence, and when we are in the path of His will, all His power is on our side. All the power of Satan cannot resist Him; God will give us the victory.
The result of all this was further blessing, for Scripture records that “Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor ... for God had given him substance very much” (2 Chron. 32:27,29). More than this, his example of faith and of keeping the Lord’s commandments no doubt influenced his great-grandson Josiah, another godly king who reigned almost a century later, and of whom it is written that “he turned to the Lord with all his heart ... according to the law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25).
W. J. Prost