2 Kings 18:1-37

Just when it appears that all hope for the children of Israel is gone, God demonstrates that He is able to provide a godly leader that truly walks in the ways of the Lord.  Hezekiah’s father was a wicked king and the king of Israel was also wicked and was taken into captivity during the beginning of his reign.  However, Hezekiah seems to have learned from the mistakes of his father and the king of Israel.  In a sea of evil and mediocre kings that rebelled against God or only served Him halfheartedly, Hezekiah stands out like a beacon of hope.  Apparently he saw the consequences of disobedience and tolerance of sin and by God’s grace he decided that the price was too high to pay so he walked in obedience to the Lord and His Word.  God continues to look for leaders today who will follow His Word and be courageous enough to defy the tide of sinfulness in the culture around them.

HEZEKIAH PRACTICED COMPLETE OBEDIENCE: We are so used to king after king that is described as doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord BUT they did not remove the high places.  Hezekiah stands in stark contrast to this line of kings because there is no “but” in God’s description of his reign.  He did remove the high places and even destroyed the snake that Moses had made because it had become an idol in Israel.  Hezekiah was not tolerant of sin and called the people to live in complete obedience to the Lord as he was striving to do.  This is the sign of a great leader.  He is courageous enough to do what he knows to be right and he does not capitulate to the culture that surrounds him.  God describes him as having been the greatest king of Israel of all time past, present and future.  True greatness is always marked by radical and complete obedience no matter what the circumstances or culture may be.  All of us should crave the approval of God that Hezekiah achieved but we must realize that in order to do so we must rise above the mediocrity that surrounds us fight the current of our culture to practice complete obedience.


HEZEKIAH FACED COMPLETE OBLITERATION: Hezekiah’s obedience was rewarded by military victory initially.  However, the king of Assyria that had just taken Israel into captivity came out against Judah.  Hezekiah tried to appease Assyria by stripping the gold and silver from the temple and sending it to the king of Assyria.  God does not appear to condemn or approve of this action, but we do see that it did not work because the Assyrian army still comes and surrounds the city of Jerusalem and threatens its complete destruction and annihilation.  The Assyrians try to discourage the people by openly defying Hezekiah and God.  This type of circumstance does not jive with the theology of many in today’s culture.  Many wrongly believe that the path of obedience is a path of ease and constant blessing from God.  The truth is that we live on a sin-cursed planet and in the midst of sinful men.  When we dare to defy the statuesque we will inevitably face staunch opposition.  We should expect this type of treatment and be prepared to stand firmly against it.  When his city and nation face complete obliteration, Hezekiah stands quietly by and tells his people to wait upon the Lord in silence.  We must constantly realize that God uses suffering in the lives of His children to conform them to His image and make them stronger.

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