2 Kings 20:1-21

The life of Hezekiah is a clear illustration that godliness does no always lead to health, wealth and peace.  God described Hezekiah as having been the best king of Judah and yet his reign was filled with war and then he became deathly ill.  We must constantly remind ourselves that the rewards of obedience to the Lord are securely stored for us in heaven but often will not be experienced on this earth.  We live on a planet cursed by sin so we must remember that there is every possibility that we will suffer for doing good as opposed to prospering for it.

HEZEKIAH DEFIES DEATH: When Hezekiah becomes sick the prophet Isaiah comes and lets him know that he will not recover from the illness but that God had decided that he will die.  At this point he had only reigned for ten years.  Hezekiah did not want to die so young so be prayed to the Lord and asked God to spare his life.  God answered the prayer and Isaiah returned with the news that God had granted him fifteen more years.  Hezekiah asks for a sign and God makes the sun go backwards in the sky so that the shadows returned up the steps.  Death is never really good news for anyone and we would have all likely prayed just as Hezekiah had done.  However, Hezekiah’s legacy would have been much greater had he simply accepted what the Lord had revealed to him.


HEZEKIAH PRACTICES PRIDE: When the king of Babylon sent an envoy to Hezekiah, he decided to show off all that he had in the form of bronze, silver and gold.  This is a demonstration of pride and an attempt to impress a foreign nation.  Isaiah comes to Hezekiah and promises that all that had been shown to this group would be carried away by their people.  God did decide to spare Hezekiah of this disgrace but promises that it will happen to his sons.  At this point we see Hezekiah at his worst.  Instead of repenting and asking for God’s forgiveness like he had done with his own health, he simply accepts that his children will be harmed and is thankful that it will not be with him.  This selfishness and pride put a black mark on what was a very faithful life of service to the Lord.  It is a very difficult thing to finish well, and Hezekiah is yet another illustration of this reality.

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