A Faithful King

A Faithful King

Q: What Bible king was given 15 extra years of life because of his faithfulness?

• a. Hezekiah
• b. Jeremiah
• c. Solomon

The king of Judah was sick in bed. The prophet Isaiah visited and told him, “This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”

The king cried out to the Lord, “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

That king was Hezekiah, the thirteenth king in the southern kingdom. Hezekiah was a good king who destroyed pagan altars, idols, and temples in Judah. He even destroyed the bronze snake Moses had made in order for the people to be cured from snakebites (see Numbers 21), because people had begun to worship it as an idol.

After telling Hezekiah he would die, Isaiah left the room. But before he’d gone far, God sent him back to tell Hezekiah that in three days Hezekiah would go to the Temple, and the Lord would add 15 years to his life.

Hezekiah wanted a sign that this was true. Isaiah asked Hezekiah if he wanted the shadow on a sundial to go forward or backward 10 steps.

“The shadow always moves forward,” Hezekiah replied, “so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.”

Everything happened as Isaiah said, and God gave Hezekiah 15 more years to rule in Judah.

For You

The Bible says of Hezekiah, “He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses” (2 Kings 18:6). What a great thing it would be to have God say that about you at the end of your life. Live each day with that goal in mind.

Answer: a

[The Lord said to Isaiah,] “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: . . . I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor.’”   2 Kings 20:5-6

(The Whole Story: 2 Kings 20:1-11)