2 Kings 18-21
If we ask, “Could there ever be another king like David, a man after God’s own heart?” the answer is, “Yes!” And the name is…
Hezekiah!
The author of 2 Kings puts it this way: And [Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done (2 Kings 18:3). Not only did he forbid the worship of false gods, he ended all inappropriate worship directed to the Lord. His zeal for the Lord translated into battle success against the dreaded Philistines.
When the mighty Sennacherib came from Assyria and demanded all Israel’s gold, Hezekiah gave it to him. But when he began to insult Hezekiah’s faith in the Lord and undermine the people’s faith in Hezekiah, he knew what to do!
- He humbled himself.
- He prayed.
- He sent to Isaiah for a word from the Lord.
When Hezekiah received a threatening letter from the Assyrians, he went into the temple, spread the letter out before the Lord, and prayed some more.
Messengers returned with Isaiah’s prophetic word, and it came to pass! An angel of the Lord descended to the Assyrian camp and struck down 185,000 soldiers; Sennacherib went home and was soon assassinated! (2 Kings 19:35-37)
Once, when Hezekiah so sick that he was about to die, he wept and prayed before the Lord, and the Lord added 15 years to his life (and proved it by backing up the sun’s shadow 10 steps!).
Hezekiah, like David, wasn’t perfect. Once, he showed off the treasures of the temple to some emissaries from far-away Babylon; they would be back one day! And, like David, he failed miserably as a father. His son, Manasseh, was as evil as Hezekiah was righteous. And so was his grandson!
When will the next “David” appear? We shall see on Monday,
Your fellow Bible trekker,
Pastor Gary
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