• Learning From Their Life: Hezekiah

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available for free on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    We are continuing on in our Learning From Their Life series where we examine the life of a person in the Bible and attempt to learn from their life, both the highs and the lows. This week we are looking into the life of Hezekiah, a King who ruled over the nation of Judah. I don’t know if there is one person's story who has taught me more about prayer, but we will get to that next week as there is a lot to learn from Hezekiah’s life so we are going to take two weeks to examine it.

    So who was Hezekiah? Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz, who was one of the truly wicked kings who ruled over Judah after it had been split away from the nation of Israel. Ahaz did what was wrong and the only example he left his son Hezekiah was an example of what not to do. When Hezekiah began his reign as king at the age of 25 (see 2 Kings 18), we see that Hezekiah was a different kind of king and that his heart belonged to the Lord. This is what the Bible has to say about Hezekiah over in 2 Chronicles:

    "In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God's laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful." 2 Chronicles 31:20-21


    And the in the book of 2 Kings this is said of him:

    "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did." 2 Kings 18:5-7


    HEZEKIAH PUT HIS FAITH INTO ACTION


    Hezekiah didn’t let his faith stop with intentions, he put his faith into action and sought to undo the evil acts of generations of leaders before him, including his own father. Hezekiah saw to it that pagan altars, temples and idols were destroyed. He destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert because the people had made it into an idol (2 Kings 18:4). Where his father had nailed shut the doors to the temple in Jerusalem, Hezekiah opened the doors and cleaned up the temple so it was once again ready for people to come and worship God in (2 Chronicles 29:3). Hezekiah saw to it that the Levitical priesthood was reinstated (2 Chronicles 29:5) and the Passover was once again observed as a national holiday (2 Chronicles 30:1). Hezekiah used his position of leadership and influence to bring revival to the nation of Judah and as we read through the story of his life as told in 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings, we can clearly see the change that occurred with him on the throne. Showing us all that living a life of integrity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Whether our title is king or mom or coach or neighbour or friend or teacher or cashier or mechanic, when we act with integrity, people take notice and our character can help to influence other people to put their trust in God and worship Him alone. It reminds me of Jesus’ call to us to live differently in Matthew 5 when he said:

    "You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:14-16


    HEZEKIAH SHOWS US THAT HOW WE LIVE MATTERS


    How we live does have an impact, therefore how we live matters. If we want to look back on our lives and see the kind of kingdom building legacy similar to Hezekiah’s, then we need to live differently today and every day. A life filled with sin and selfishness and greed will not produce what a life of love and integrity and selflessness does. It’s that simple. As followers of Jesus, you and I are called to live differently from those around us. It's not enough to say we believe, we need to live out our faith consistently on a daily basis. Christians who follow Christ in everything are going to stand out. If your life looks no different from those around you, your life is on the wrong track when it comes to living out your faith and you are wasting opportunities to be a witness. Or even more tragically, your witness is a negative one that is leading people away from Jesus, not pointing people to Him.

    HEZEKIAH CHOSE THE NARROW ROAD


    Hezekiah could have followed in his fathers footsteps, but he chose the narrow road, the harder path because we are told that he sought God wholeheartedly and was committed to doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. You and I have the opportunity to live the same way. Is it the easy road? Absolutely not. Choosing to love instead of hate, forgive instead of harbouring resentment, give instead of take and choose integrity over sin isn’t easy. But it is the only road we are called to walk if we want to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We can’t claim to follow God but then go on to live whoever we want. Following God means following the way He has commanded us to live, even when it is hard, even when it hurts and even if it means going it alone.

    Closing off with some instructions on how we are to live from Colossians chapter 3:

    "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

    So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us." Colossians 3:1-11


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