2 Kings 20:1-37 (Ref. Isa 38-39)
Key Verse 20:5
1.
[20:1-3; Cf. 2 Chr 32:24-26; Isa 38:1-8] When
did he become ill (1a; Ref. 6; 18:17-37)?
What was he told to do concerning his sickness (20:1b)? Discuss what
might be the will of God in ordaining his death. How did he plead with God for
his life (2-3)?
In this chapter, there are two events
recorded: Hezekiah’s sickness (vv. 1–11) and a visit from an embassy sent by
Merodach-baladan of Babylon (vv. 12–19). Though it is recorded after the regnal
events in ch 18-19, chronologically these two events happened on or during the
attack of Sennacherib (18:13-37) While ch 18-19 focused on what God did for the
sake of the nation Judah, these two events in this chapter are the descriptions
of what went on in the personal life of Hezekiah. The first one is about his
faith and the second is about his pride. The first one is connected to the
events in ch 18-19 and the second event is connected to the event that follows
in ch 21 and on.
The first was caused by God with His
purpose for the deliverance of Hezekiah and the nation Judah, and in the second
one, his faith was tested and was proven to be in short. We are to see about
God’s purpose in these two events; first, what is God’s purpose in giving
death-life experience to Hezekiah? second, why did he fail in the test despite such a great experience in God’s power? Third, what message does the author
wants to convey through these two?
Also, it is worthy to consider the place of King Hezekiah’s faith in view of God’s plan for the nation Israel.
Hezekiah story (Isa 38-39) ends the first part of Isaiah (ch 1-39) and ch 40
starts with a call to prepare the coming of the shepherd for Israel. Hezekiah
was the last king as far as God’s prophetic message was concerned. There is no
mention of the rest of the kings of Judah in God’s prophecy for the nation
Israel (some time-references of the last five kings are noted in Jeremiah, but
there is no prophetic message to any of these kings). This seems to speak of
two things: first God has determined to punish Judah for her sins. Second, with respect to God’s decision to send them to
exile, what Hezekiah did or failed to do counts as a great lesson.
In those days Hezekiah became ill and
was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said,
“This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to
die; you will not recover.” This is more detailed in 2 Chron
24 In those days
Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who
answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud
and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath
was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.(2 Chr 32:24-25)
i.
Example of warning on death: 1 Kings 17:17–24; death
of the son of widow Zarephath
2 Kings 4:22ff.; Shunammite’s Son
for his advice to put your house (family affairs) in order before death, cf. 2
Samuel 17:23. (Ahithophel put his house in order and hanged himself
The Hebrew siwwâ means to ‘give commands’ and here and in 1 Kings 2:1 some
interpret this as ‘give your last charge’(w)
When did this happen? V6 reads: I
will add fifteen years to your life. And I will
deliver you and this city from
the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for
the sake of my servant David.'":
Here through this passage, it is
clear that this was during the time of the Assyrian's attack on Jerusalem.
Why did he become sick? There are
many sicknesses that come and go. But this sickness was threatening his life.
When he prayed to the Lord for His mercy, the Lord told him to put his house in
order because he would die. As we noted in Ch 18, he made a sweeping reform for
the nation. It was one of the greatest acts of faith among all kings of Judah. But
when he faced the threat of the Assyrian attack, he offered a hefty sum of
treasures to pacify the king of Assyria. But the king was not happy and
Hezekiah’s plan failed. Here we noted that he did not seek the Lord for he was
thinking that he could do away with the threat by his own means and wisdom.
Most likely, this failure was serious to the Lord; the pride in his own work:
the reformation, and great prosperity associated with it. Religious reform must bring about faith
in the Lord. But instead, his pride seeped into his heart. If such a great
reform does not bring the faith that God wants to see, then what is the true
value of the reform? Political and/or religious successes invariably boost the
mind and spirit of the leaders even to the point whereby they fail to depend on
the Lord or they dare to go ahead of God’s authority. This happened in the life
of King David and his son Solomon. Strikingly such failure was starkly revealed
in the greatest reformer in the history of the Kingdom Judah. What did the Lord do?
5 “Go and tell
Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have
heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I
will defend this city. (Isa 38:6)
Hezekiah’s
pride that God was not happy with and wanted to take his life; His
pride put him in line with the kings of the world; esp. King Sennacherib. His
pride came along with the pride of the people of the nation Israel. Then, how
did he show his pride? Two things may support to be the causes of this pride;
first, his pride came from his success in reformation and unifying the nation,
which was followed by a series of great successes in all that he did (18:5-8).
Second, he did not seek the Lord when Sennacherib threatened the nation (18:13-16).
The second might be a more plausible and direct cause, though the first one might
be the foundation of the second.
As for
the time of this event, it was on or just before the attack of
Sennacherib—through whom God decided to punish Judah. His death would come
through King Sennacherib's attack. It seems to allude to the fate of the last
king Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:6-7; 2 Chron 36:12 He did evil in the eyes of
the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who
spoke the word of the LORD).
God’s
call of his sickness was not just about his personal sin but also the sin of
the nation. In other words, God’s call for his death included his
call for the destruction of Judah by the hand of King Sennacherib. If his pride in the eyes of the Lord was the
primary cause of God’s punishment for Hezekiah and his nation, God was laying down a principle that He would punish all
kings of pride, starting from those whom he had chosen.
Does God’s warning set the life for
good and not worthy to pray? For prayer and God’s answer are both part of his
plan (cf. 1 Kgs 21:29; Ezek. 33:13–16; Jas 5:15–16).
29 "Have you
noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself,
I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in
the days of his son." (1Ki 21:29 NIV)
Ezekiel 33:13 If I tell a righteous person that
they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil,
none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will
die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say
to a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but they then turn away
from their sin and do what is just and right-- 15 if they give back what they
took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees
that give life, and do no evil--that person will surely live; they will not
die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against
them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. (Eze 33:13
NIV)
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the
sick person well; the Lord will
raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess
your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (Jam 5:15 NIV)
What do all these speak for? It
points to the Law of Covenant whereby God anticipated the fall of Israel and
their suffering under God’s punishment and at which time He would leave the
door open for their return (Lev; Deut).
2 Hezekiah turned
his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 “Remember, LORD, how I have
walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what
is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Genuine repentance and plea; wept; Nevertheless,
there was a gross lack of repentance; his sin of pride, either about what he
did to pacify King Sennacherib or the heart that rested in his personal ability
in the success of reformation. He reminded the Lord of his obedience to Him
through the process of reformation of the nation. That was to site that as far
as the law was concerned, he did what was right and just. But was it really the
things that God wanted to see in him?
Regardless, his repentance was
genuine seeking God’s mercy in lieu of His threat to finish his life.
2.
[4-11] What was God’s answer (4-6)? Concerning
God’s promise, what question did he ask (7-8)? Why? What sign did God give him
(9-11)?
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah,
the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David,
says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. 6 I
will add fifteen years to your life. And I will
deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I
will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ”
Go
back and tell the ruler of my people: again this reminds us that
God’s concern was not just the person Hezekiah and his life in the eyes of the
Lord but Hezekiah as the ruler of His people; His will to punish Hezekiah to
death was tied to His will to use Hezekiah as the king of His people Israel.
God heard his prayer and seen his
tears; though his heart was not fully up to God’s expectation, God saw him
turning his heart toward the Lord and that was enough for now to give Hezekiah
His grace: this was accr4oding to the promise that God made to Israel through
the Law of Moses (Lev and Deut)
God gave him three promises:
The third day, he will go up to the temple—he
would be healed of his sores and became clean enough to enter the temple of the
Lord (Lev 13:3,6); he became eligible to seek God’s help further in His
sanctuary
God will add 15 years to Hezekiah’s life – he became king when he was 25 yrs old and at
this time (after 14 years of rule) he was 39. He will rule 15 years more till he
becomes 64. : what the significance of this is not clear: he became the 4th
longest-running king in Judah (Sol 40; Asa 41; Joash 39). In Israel Jehu’s rule was the longest (27
years). Significance?
He will deliver you and the city from the hand
of Assyria: at this time, the city Jerusalem was surrounded by the
Army of Assyria. 1) it is not the kingdom Judah but the city that God was more
focused 2) In his promise, he called the people of the city Daughter of
Zion(19:20) 3) God extended Hezekiah’s life not because he was worthy or
faithful but for the sake of ‘my servant’ David (6c). All these things seem to point toward one
thing—His strong will to protect and preserve the Covenant promise that was
promulgated in the city of the temple through David despite the
weakness/unworthiness of king Hezekiah.
God uses Hezekiah to extend the life of Judah further; in this sense,
Hezekiah’s death is the death of the nation and his survival was the survival
of the nation further; this is interesting that this happened during the siege.
2 Kings 20: 7 Then
Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the
boil, and he recovered. 8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign
that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on
the third day from now?”
9 Isaiah answered, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what
he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten
steps?” 10 “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said
Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.” 11 Then the prophet Isaiah
called on the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had
gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
Isiah 38: 7 “ ‘This is the LORD’s sign to you that the LORD will do what he
has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it
has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ ” So the sunlight went back the ten
steps it had gone down.
Ahaz’s rejected God’s offer of
a sign (Isa 7:12). But Hezekiah asked for a sign and Isaiah gladly offered
Hezekiah a choice of signs: “Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it
go back ten steps?” He chooses the far more difficult sign, shadow going back
ten steps (Cf. Josh 10:12-14). As we know, as the sun goes down, the shadow
goes farther. When a shadow goes backward ten steps, it signifies that the sun
moved backward and the show was shortened. We do not know why these signs were
offered. If anyone wanted to make sure that God’s hand is on this sign, he
would surely ask the shadow going backward. By offering these signs, there was
a God-intended meaning or significance. I cannot find an explicit explanation
for this. Yet, if we take this in common sense to understand, we can deduce two
things: first, it was to show undoubtedly God’s hand working, for only Lord can
move the sun backward. Second, as the sun moved back, the sun will stay longer
before it goes down to the horizon. That is to say that the hours of daylight will
be longer than it should have been. If this understanding is correct, then God
showed that He willed to extend the life of Hezekiah as well as the nation longer
than it supposed to last. If this is applied to the rest of the history of Judah, God
would and could take down any time from this point on and the tenure of the final
six kings of Judah was totally by God’s mercy.
It
is interesting that through Isaiah, God offered signs twice one to Ahaz and the
other to Hezekiah. It is
remarkable that there were striking differences in their setting and response between
Ahaz and Hezekiah.
|
|
Ahaz |
Hezekiah |
|
Situation |
Aram-Israel’s attack loomed; his reliance on Assyria’s help the threat was real but not
imminent |
His life in death bed, Jerusalem surrounded by Assyria A threat to his life and his
nation was at hand |
|
Prophecy |
Aram’s attack will not happen |
For the sake of David, God will extend 15 years more of his life |
|
A request of the sign |
He did not request; but God offered: he rejected God’s offer. |
requested to confirm God’s promise |
|
Sign |
The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son |
The shadow (sun) goes backward |
|
Isaiah’s setting |
Call for repentance (ch 7) and belief in the Lord |
|
instead, he rejected a sign
offered by the Lord, and even when it was given, he did not believe God’s
promise even after the sign given to support God’s promise.
Here Hezekiah, the last
‘faithful’ king of Israel/Judah requested a sign for his new life/survival from
the attack of Assyria—his willingness to trust the Lord’s promise, anchored on
the sign; not because he doubted whether God can do fulfill His promise but
because ‘his sin was too grievous’ to afford God’s blessing.
For Ahaz, the sign on the promise of ‘delivery from Assyria’ but for Hezekiah, it was for his life—from
death to life; as well as the delivery of the nation.
for Ahaz, the threat for the
nation was looming but was not at his foot, the threat was real but not
imminent; but for Hezekiah, the threat was at his foot, imminent: both he was
in his sickness threatening his life, and the city was besieged by Assyria.
In comparing these two, we
might think that Hezekiah had better faith than Ahaz; But if Hezekiah was not
pushed to his limit, would he have sought God’s help? Could he have behaved
like Ahaz? In other words, God’s delivery of the message of death was all for
His grace to save Hezekiah and the nation Israel from the hand of Assyria.
3.
Discuss how his faith progressed by comparing his
prayer 20:3, and his prayer in 19:19:1-4 and esp. 19:14-19 and find God’s
purpose in inflicting deadly sickness to him at this time.
a.
The prayer here is somewhat self-oriented in
contrast to ch 19:14-19.
|
At his death bed |
After receiving God’s promise of healing |
Later his faith was challenged |
|
|
20:3 "Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with
wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Isa 38:3 is the
same as this) |
Isa 38:9 ..after his illness and recovery:
10, "In the prime of my life must I go
through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?"
11 I said, "I will not again see the LORD himself in the land of the
living; ..12 Like a shepherd's tent my house
has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have
rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you
made an end of me. 13 I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke
all my bones; day and night you made an end of me. ..15 But what can I say?
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my
years ..You restored me to health and let me live. 17 Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such
anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins behind your back. 21 Isaiah had said,
"Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will
recover." |
19:3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah
says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children
come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It
may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander,
whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God,
and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard.
Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.” |
19:15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD,
the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all
the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, LORD,
and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has
sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian
kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown
their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only
wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, LORD our God, deliver us
from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone,
LORD, are God.” |
|
Though his life as well as the nation was
in danger, his primary focus was on his
life; and his good deeds |
|
He recognized
his weakness and sins and his helpless. Defamation of God’s name Asking for God’s mercy for the remnants—he
considered that he/his nation deserved God’s punishment and yet God may have
mercy on the remnant to survive through this punishment. –God is right and just in punishing him and the nation
but may have mercy on the nation, esp. the remnants!! |
Here he upheld the sovereignty of God in
His holiness as the God of heaven and earth. Out of his holiness, he prayed
that despite that he/his nation incurred God’s punishment through the hand of
Assyrians, for His name sake; for His glory, save Israel so that the world
may know that He alone is the true God. Here he
attached the salvation of the nation Israel, not with her righteousness but
with the name and glory as the Lord of all kingdoms. |
b.
This progress in his faith could only be
credited to his experience through the event whereby his life was in danger by
God inflicted disease.
c.
At first the primary concern was himself and he
did what was right in the eyes of the Lord; but in ch 19; the primary focus was
God’s honor and glory; a great transition has occurred in between the two.
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2 Kings 20:1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of
death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is
what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die;
you will not recover." 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3
"Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with
wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And
Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had left the middle
court, the word of the LORD
came to him: 5 "Go back and tell
Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God
of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go
up to the temple of the LORD. 6 I will add fifteen years to your
life. And I will deliver you and this city
from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for
my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'" 7 Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a
poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he
recovered. 8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the
LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the
third day from now?" 9 Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD
will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall
it go back ten steps?" 10 "It is a simple matter for the shadow to
go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps." 11 Then the
prophet Isaiah called on the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the
ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. (2Ki 20:1 NIV) |
Isa 38:1 In
those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet
Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says:
Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not
recover." 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, LORD, how I have
walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done
what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5 "Go and tell
Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and
seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the
king of Assyria. I will defend this
city. 7 "'This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will
do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the
ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight
went back the ten steps it had gone down. |
2 Chronicles 32:24
In those days Hezekiah became
ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered
him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he
did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on
him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah
repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem;
therefore the LORD's wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah. |
d.
God’s will in the entirety of this event was to save
the kingdom of David (20:6b): to do so God did two things: Hezekiah’s sickness leading
to death and God’s saving grace on him to impart a knowledge that only in the
Lord there will be life for the king and for the nation (death and resurrection,
both personal and the nation). As a whole, though the fate of the nation Judah
was set to go exile, if they rely on the Lord who gives life to the king and at
the same time to the nation Israel (Judah), they will surely the day of
deliverance from the Lord.
4.
[12-21; Isa 39:1-8; 2 Chr 32:32-33] When the
king of Babylon came to offer his condolence to his illness, what did he show
to the king (12-13) Why? What message did Isaiah give to him (16-18)? How did
he accept the warning (19)? Discuss its significance.
12 At that time
Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift,
because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. 13 Hezekiah received the envoys and
showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices
and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures.
There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not
show them.
Isa 39:1 At that
time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a
gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the
envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses--the silver, the
gold, the spices, the fine olive oil--his entire armory and everything found
among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that
Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and
asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?"
"From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came to me from
Babylon." 4 The prophet asked, "What did they see in your
palace?" "They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said.
"There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them." 5
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6 The
time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your
predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.
Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your descendants, your own
flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will
become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 8 "The word of
the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought,
"There will be peace and security in my lifetime." (Isa 39:1 NIV)
As for
the time of this event:
This was the time he was recovering from the sickness (20:12; Isa 39:1). This
means that this event was soon after his sickness, before or at the early stage
of Assyrian’s threat. If the city was besieged, Babylonian emissaries could not
make a visit; Because of this, the time of this, and the event before this
(20:1-11) is placed sometime before 18:17 or 18:13 and after 18:8. This is
made clear in 2 Chronicles 32:24-27. This was before the payments to
Sennacherib in 701 BC (18:15–16).
After Hezekiah’s illness, he receives a
visit from the emissaries of Merodach-Baladan, who is fighting against Assyria to
maintain power in Babylon. By this time, he may already have been deposed (701
B.C) and now he seems to make an effort to regain his place of authority, by courting
Hezekiah’s favor. To him, Hezekiah
showed everything in his palace. Obviously, he had great pride in what he/the
nation had. Chronicles 32:31 indicates that the Lord uses this episode to
test Hezekiah’s commitment. This testing seems appropriate because of the
king’s earlier problems with pride (2 Chr 32:25–26). Apparently, he failed to
the test. Through Isaiah, God rebuked Hezekiah’s pride. This is significant
that Hezekiah, even after the experience of death and life by God’s mercy, was
still living in his pride. In this regard, what God said was well justified.
16 Then Isaiah said
to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: 17 The time will surely come when
everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until
this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.
18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to
you will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king
of Babylon.”
This word speaks of the inevitability
of human nature and along with it, the weakness of any human king who can
sustain the kingdom in God’s fold. This was further revealed in what Hezekiah
said in response:
19 “The word of the
LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there
not be peace and security in my lifetime?”
Though it is impossible to say with
absolute certainty, it seems that Hezekiah accepts the inevitability of
judgment yet is grateful that the events will be delayed until after his death
(NAC).
One of the legacies of Hezekiah’s
reign noted and considered significant:
20 As for the other
events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and
the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the
book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
Some of the credit for the ability to
withstand Assyria must go to his wisdom to prepare for the siege by bringing
water into the city (cf. 2 Chr 32:30). Nevertheless, in order to protect
Jerusalem and its temple, they needed more than water, which was provisioned by the hands of King Hezekiah. God enabled him to do so through the extension of 15 years
to life. Symbolically, we may take that his new life in faith, which God
imparted, might stand as the source of water for Jerusalemites.
5.
Discuss the significance of his works and his
reign in respect to his personal life and the life of the nation. (ref 18:3,5)
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