Hezekiah is one of my favorite Older Testament characters. He was also one of God’s favorites:
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. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. (2 Kings 18:5-7 ESV)
As I read and pondered these chapters there were several things about him that stuck out to me…
He was a man of action – 18:3-4 detail some of the actions he took to make things right with God. Many of the kings before him had failed to do anything to stop the idol worship that was taking place. Hezekiah was not idle when it came to dealing with idols.
The question that we have to ask ourselves is this: What are the idols in our lives and what are we doing to eradicate them?
He was a man of courage – 18:7 says “He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.” The Assyrians had recently taken the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity and now they were knocking on the door of Judah, the southern kingdom. Hezekiah was not willing to capitulate to the demands of the Assyrians even though they were a more powerful army. He knew that he had a secret weapon – God was on his side.
Question: How are we demonstrating courage against the our enemies and against the evil in this world?
He was a man of prayer – 19:14-19 and 20:3 mentions two prayers that Hez prayed. The first when he cried out to God to deliver Judah from the Assyrians. God’s response: 19:35 says, “That night the angel of the Lord put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp.” The second when he was very ill and at the point of death. God’s response: 20:6 says, “I will add 15 years to your life…”
Question: Is prayer our first response to difficulties we face and to what extent do we cry out to God or merely say perfunctory prayers?