Hezekiah: The King of Judah

Meaning of Name

The LORD has strengthen

Reference

II Kings 18:1 - 20:21
II Chronicles 29:1 - 32:33
Isaiah 38:1 - 39:8

Reign

29 years (715 -686 B.C.)

Lesson

God will use you greatly if you are obedient to His will and Word.

Key Verse

"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." (II Chronicles 31:21)

Application

For the Christian, seeking God's glory should always come first, even in our most distressing times. What blessing can be ours if, like Hezekiah, we would only seek the Lord in all we do and let Him do His will through us.

History

Hezekiah's track record is just as impressive as his fahter Ahaz's was ingominious. Hezekiah repaired the damage caused to the Temple by his father; inspired his people to seek and serve the Lord; celebrated the Passover, something that hadn't been done in generations; and brought peace (for a time) to his people. Yet, despite this, Israel was still attacked by the fierce Assyrian army which had just defeated the northern kingdom and carried it off into captivity. But unlike so many kings before him, Hezekiah did not panic when his country was under siege by making a treaty with a pagan nation. Instead, Hezekiah humbly sought the Lord first and soley: "Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his (Assyria's) hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only" (II Kings 19:19). Hezekiah's prayer is an amazing one. When most of us pray out of distress, we seek only deliverance. However, Hezekiah sought deliverance on the basis that God would be glorified. Even in the most dire circumstance of his life, Hezekiah still sought God's glory first. And God responded mightily, slaying 180,000 Assyrian troops that very night.

Just as Ahaz's sin nearly enslaved his people, so Hezekiah's righteousness redeemed his.