II Chronicles: Hezekiah - Part 2

King Hezekiah's heart for God was revealed spectacularly in his early years, as he made the spiritual restoration of Judah his first priority. His personal passion for God influenced and encouraged godliness throughout his realm. One manifestation of Hezekiah's godly heart was his habitual dependence on prayer.

Hezekiah prayed during the revival. He knew that the great sins of his nation had aroused God's anger. He also knew God's graciousness and compassion were great. Realizing that past unfaithfulness was prohibiting the pure celebration of the Passover, he prayed for God's grace on his people: "May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, . . . though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary" (II Chronicles 30:18-19). God heard Hezekiah's prayer and "healed the people" in spite of the unavoidable irregularities of their heart-felt worship (30:20).

Hezekiah also prayed when his greatest challenge confronted him. The king of Assyria came against Judah, setting siege around the cities and threatening military takeover. Hezekiah took practical steps to protect his country (32:2-6), but he culminated his preparations by encouraging his military and citizens to trust in God: "Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles" (32:7-8).

The king of Assyria neither shared nor understood Hezekiah's faith in God. Sennacherib was confident that the gods who had helped him conquer every other nation would also help him conquer Judah. Sennacherib believed Hezekiah was giving his people false hope and further saw himself and his army as unstoppable. Of all nations, Sennacherib asserted that Judah would be least successful in defeating him, since Hezekiah had actually destroyed all the gods who potentially could have helped him. He did not realize that Hezekiah had destroyed powerless false gods, gaining support from the one omnipotent and true God.

As Sennacherib mounted his verbal onslaught of propaganda on the citizens of Judah, Hezekiah summoned Isaiah the prophet; these two godly men "prayed about this and cried out to heaven" (32:20). God answered their prayer in a miraculous way, sending "an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria" (32:21). God gave a dramatic victory, with Hezekiah not even needing to fight. Sennacherib himself "returned in shame to his own land" where "some of his own children killed him" (32:21).

The third significant prayer of Hezekiah came at a time of serious personal illness. "Hezekiah became mortally ill; and he prayed to the LORD" (32:24). Isaiah had actually told Hezekiah that he would die from his illness. Hezekiah prayed, "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight" (II Kings 20:3). God immediately responded to Hezekiah's prayer; Isaiah re-entered the room with God's new message: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. . . . I will add fifteen years to your life" (II Kings 20:5-6).

In the final recorded incident of Hezekiah's life, Babylonian envoys arrived to inquire about "the wonder" occurring in Judah (32:31) and also about Hezekiah's illness (II Kings 20:12). The Chronicles passage states merely that God used the incident "to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart" (32:31), but doesn't reveal whether he passed or failed the test. The Kings passage alleges that Hezekiah was at best naive and at worst foolish by showing all his riches to these envoys. God predicted that Babylon would later capture those tempting riches.

The end of the story of this great follower of God is sad. In the additional years that God graciously gave after Hezekiah's illness, "Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud" (32:25). This is a familiar pattern that had been seen frequently in the lives of godly kings that had gone before Hezekiah. A number of kings started out very well, but their pride in later years was their undoing. Hezekiah was so blessed, so victorious, and so prosperous, and he had seen such great victories and interventions from God that eventually he became proud.

The turning point for Hezekiah was the illness from which he nearly died. He did the right thing by calling out to God for help, but after God healed him, something changed. Perhaps Hezekiah thought he deserved God's favor, that he was invincible, or that his devotion should guarantee a tranquil life. Whatever the specific manifestation, his pride was so displeasing to God that He declared judgment. "Wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem" (32:25).

Even in this failure, Hezekiah showed some spiritual sensitivity beyond that of his predecessors. When he became aware of God's wrath and his personal pride that had awakened such wrath, "Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart" (32:26). His heart was sensitive enough to respond appropriately when he had failed. Because of Hezekiah's humble response, God delayed His wrath, maintaining peace for the remainder of Hezekiah's reign.

While Hezekiah apparently still followed God in his later years, it seems that there was something missing, something that was not the same as before. God was pleased with Hezekiah's response of humility, and He did delay His judgment, but His summation of those years is that "Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit" of the added years (32:25). He did not redeem those years as he should have and did not use them as profitably as he had his earlier years. Though imperfect, Hezekiah regardless had an amazing testimony and displayed a heart sensitive to God even in his failure.