Hezekiah

Laying It Before God

READ 2 Kings 19

Hezekiah was one of Judah’s greatest kings. In fact, 2 Kings 18:5 says, “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.” So, what made Hezekiah so special? He had amazing faith and zeal for God.

Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, ranks among Judah’s most wicked kings. Ahaz sacrificed his own children in fire (2 Chronicles 28:3). Yet Hezekiah turned away from his father’s wicked ways and instead walked according to God’s will. His reign began with a grand renewal of proper worship. Hezekiah cleansed the temple, which his father had desecrated. He destroyed the high places and shrines his father had set up for pagan worship. Hezekiah reestablished worship of God in Judah. He invited all of Israel and Judah to celebrate the Passover festival like it had never been celebrated before (2 Chronicles 30).

Hezekiah’s greatest test came at the hand of Judah’s enemies, the Assyrians. After destroying the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Assyria set its sights on Judah. The Assyrian army began attacking and destroying Judah’s towns, eventually laying siege to the capital. From the outside, it appeared Judah was totally outmatched. They couldn’t hold a candle to Assyria’s military strength.

The Assyrian army commander spat threats and warnings at Hezekiah’s men, who relayed the messages to Hezekiah. But rather than panicking or surrendering, Hezekiah went straight to God’s temple to pray (2 Kings 19:1). He sent his attendants to talk to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah sent back a word from the Lord: “Do not be afraid!” (v.6).

Sennacherib, the mighty king of Assyria, then sent Hezekiah a threatening letter, promising to destroy Jerusalem. Still, Hezekiah did not waver. Hezekiah took Sennacherib’s letter to God’s temple and “spread it out before the LORD” (v. 14). Hezekiah asked God for help, and God answered in a dramatic way. That night, the angel of God destroyed 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, sending Sennacherib fleeing to Nineveh.

In a fascinating piece of archaeological discovery, scholars have identified and translated Sennacherib’s own account of his battles, written in cuneiform on a clay prism.^* These records agree with the biblical account: The great king of Assyria failed to conquer lowly Jerusalem. Of course, like any politician, Sennacherib tried to spin the story in a favorable way. After listing his victories, he said that, as for Hezekiah, he caged him up in his royal city of Jerusalem like a captive bird. Well, yes, Sennacherib did lay siege to the city—but he didn’t win. That’s because Hezekiah’s strength was in God.

When trials, struggles, or difficult seasons come our way, we can think of that vivid moment where Hezekiah spread Sennacherib’s letter before the Lord in the temple. What fear, threat, or uncertainty do you need to lay before God? It might be a big life transition, a difficult medical prognosis, or a tumultuous relationship. As humans, often our first instinct is to panic. Then we either try to solve our problems on our own or we give up and shut down. Neither of these approaches is productive, and they cause an unnecessary world of heartache. Instead, we should follow the model of faithful Hezekiah and lay it before the Lord.

It’s important to remember that Hezekiah didn’t only turn to God in his most desperate moment, like the proverbial foxhole conversion. Hezekiah had fostered a deep relationship with God throughout his reign, beginning with dismantling the false faith of his father. Hezekiah showed that breaking such sin cycles is indeed possible.

Just as Hezekiah cleansed the temple and rid his kingdom of evil early in his reign, examine your own life and consider where God might be inviting you to experience cleansing through his Word and Spirit. Take inventory of your life: What are the God-honoring patterns you want to continue? What are the sins or destructive tendencies you should be careful to avoid?

When you practice living faithfully in the ordinary, you’ll be prepared to remain faithful in the difficult days too. As Christ said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). So don’t wait till disaster comes. Spread out your life before God and ask for his transforming grace today. Seek God’s will even in the ordinary and everyday moments. Then, when troubles come, you won’t be shaken.