HEZEKIAH MAN OF THE HOUR

 

HEZEKIAH MAN OF THE HOUR  -  2 Chron. 31:20-21

 “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. [21] 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 he prospered.”

Hezekiah was a remarkable king, used by God to rescue Jerusalem from the Assyrians and bring reform and revival to Judah. He was known for his God-honouring prayer life, a remarkable miracle, and a tragic choice.

Seeking God’s heart – Whenever Hezekiah served the house of God – he seek God and did it with all his heart.

Hezekiah’s name means “God has strengthened.” He is mentioned in many biblical passages. His story unfolds in 2 Kings 16:20-20:21 and 2 Chronicles 28:27-32:33, and again in Isaiah 36:1-39:8. He is mentioned throughout the Old Testament in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; Jeremiah 26:18-19; Hosea 1:1; and Micah 1:1.

A) 1. HEZEKIAH DID WHAT WAS RIGHT

2 Kings 18:1-3 – “In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.”

So many kings was before him – they provoked the Lord to anger by serving idols when the Lord had said to them not to do.

Many kings before Hezekiah did not tear down the high places of worship that they burned incense as a nation.

Hezekiah’s godliness was in direct contrast to his father’s wickedness. King Ahaz was an evil, idolatrous king. During the reign of Ahaz, the people of Israel said they feared God, but simultaneously they practiced idolatry (2 Kings 17:33). Hezekiah was the 13th successor of David, reigning in Judah’s southern kingdom. He reigned for 29 years—approximately 715-686 BC—beginning at age 25  (2 Kings 18:2)

2. HEZEKIAH REMOVED THE HIGH PLACES OF FALSE WORSHIP - 2 Kings 18:4

“He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.”

In addition; Israel had neglected the House of God. Many of the Temple vessels used in worship had been given as gifts to the King of Syria. The Temple had been defiled and Ahaz had the doors nailed shut (28:24).

Following the death of Ahaz, Hezekiah became king. He was grieved at what he had witnessed, and he was determined to change things. He started to remove the high places broke the bronze snake Moses which was a symbolic act to look to God but it became an idol of worship to them. 

3. HEZEKIAH CLEANSED THE TEMPLE - 2 Chronicles 29:3-5

³ In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. ⁴ He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side ⁵ and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.

The next thing Hezekiah called the priests and the Levites together and cleansed the Temple. He opened the doors of the temple for the Lord and repaired them. He asked the Levites to consecrate themselves and remove all defilement from the temple.

Likewise our temple must be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and consecrate to Him.

4. HEZEKIAH TRUSTED IN THE LORD -  2 Kings 18:5

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.

Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. 6 He remained faithful to the LORD and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that the LORD had given Moses.… The bible says “Trust in the Lord and Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

5. HEZEKIAH KEPT THE COMMANDMENTS - 2 Kings 18:6

6 He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.

Hezekiah was one of a kind among the kings of Israel “for he held fast to the Lord.”  Among all of the kings, godly and ungodly, he is singled out for this lifestyle. Let’s look at what that means. Some synonyms for “hold fast” are: adhere to, carry out, embrace, and live by. “Holding fast” in the Bible literally means to hold your position, or fix your gaze and not lose sight of.

To hold fast means to be tightly secured or anchored to something. Are you anchored to the Lord? If so, the storms of life my toss you to and fro a bit, but you don’t wander from His side when they do.

 If you are tightly secured to Him, the world may get your attention but it cannot woo you from His hold. It means while you might be tempted, you hold fast and don’t give in.

The Rewards of Holding Fast to God

The Bible says that wherever Hezekiah went out, he prospered because God was with him. And then it notes that he would not serve the king of Assyria. This means he would worship God only, and not bow to an earthly authority that threatened him.

7. HEZEKIAH PROSPERED - 2 Kings 18:7

 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went.

Because of Hezekiah’s faithful trust in the LORD, God blessed him thoroughly. It fulfilled a long-standing promise to David and his descendants: if they obeyed God, their reign would always be secure (1 Kings 2:1-4).

For us, today, that means that we need to make sure we don’t have other idols that rule our affections. And it also means we get to enjoy the benefits of holding fast to God.

Whenever He sends us out and we follow Him, He will prosper us. That prosperity might not be earthly riches, but they will be heavenly

8. HEZEKIAH AGAINST THE KING OF ASSYRIA - 2 Kings 18:7b

And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him: At this time Assyria was mighty enough to completely conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Yet the kingdom of Judah stood strong, because God blessed the trusting and obedient king. Later he gave gold to make peace with the king of Assyria.

9. HEZEKIAH SUBDUED THE PHILISTINES - 2 Kings 18:8

⁸ He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

He subdued the Philistines: Hezekiah also found success in subjugating Judah’s aggressive neighbours. He worked for a strong, free, and independent Judah.

10. HEZEKIAH SPREAD HIS LETTER BEFORE THE LORD - 2 Kings 19:14

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”

In prayer or any letter of threat or accusation – lay before the Lord spread it before the Lord. And ask God to intervene your case.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart lead not to your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will lead your path and He will answer your prayers.

B) THE PRAYERS OF HEZEKIAH

1. Hezekiah spread his letter before the Lord – 2 Kings 19:14-19

2. Hezekiah was diagnosed with a terminal illness. God added the king’s life by 15 years.
3. Hezekiah’s prayer of Thanksgiving

 (Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery wrote a poetic song of praise & thanksgiving) – Isaiah 38:18-21)

Hezekiah’s Song of Thanksgiving - Isaiah 38:18-21 

C) HEZEKIAH HUMAN WEAKNESS

Ø   The Applications in life. We must start well and ends up well.

Ø   Hezekiah was proud and showed his riches to the King of Babylon.

Ø   2 Kings 20:14-19 – Hezekiah showed all his riches and treasures to the King of Babylon. Because of greed never showed everything you have to a foreigner.

HEZEKIAH HUMAN WEAKNESS - 2 Kings 18:16  

Ø  ¹⁶ At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

What Are Some Human Weaknesses?

The Ten Most Significant Human Weaknesses

1. Cowardice 

2. Selfishness

3. Pride 

4. Lack of concentration 

5. Distrust 

6. Impatience 

7. Suspicious 

8. Envy 

9. Resentment 

10. Stubbornness – one of the worst human weaknesses.  Stubbornness comes along with pride and arrogance.   

 OUR PRAYER

Heavenly Father, in every work and service of the house of God, we can do it with all our hearts.

We will walk right and do right with you and trust you in all things.

We will worship you and hold fast to your Word of Truth.

You will prosper us and subdue all our enemies in our faith. Help us to pray like Hezekiah with humility and in honour to Your Name.

Help us to overcome our human weakness and sin by the power of your Spirit. We thank you for your salvation and healing.

In Jesus Name! Amen.