Hezekiah Missed Opportunities, Part 1

In a 2015, Pew Research Center survey on parenting, while 51 percent of mothers rated themselves as good parents, only 39 percent of fathers did the same.

How would Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz of Judah, have rated himself? Second Kings 16 tells us that Ahaz was a wicked king who even murdered one of his sons in a ritual sacrifice (v. 3).

Hezekiah, however, was spared. He grew up as an eyewitness to his father’s idolatry, apostasy, and reckless sacrilege. And when he became king in his father’s stead, Hezekiah resolved that he would be nothing like him, enacting several major religious reforms: “Our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him” (2 Chronicles 29:6).

Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah loved God with all his heart; his most precious desire was to glorify Him (v. 10). As such, Hezekiah destroyed all of the pagan altars and idols (2 Kings 18:4) and raised up the abandoned temple of the living God (2 Chronicles 29:3–19). Neither did he do this alone but encouraged his people along the same path, gathering God’s priests, those in positions of authority, and the general public to participate in and contribute to this renewed worship of God.

It was a difficult period. Not all his subjects had the king’s same zeal; some even openly jeered at his attempts (30:10). But Hezekiah stayed his course, and the Lord blessed his faithfulness (2 Kings 18:7). The king also eventually succeeded in reinstating sanctuary services, even celebrating the Passover.

But it was not only an internal enemy; Hezekiah also stood against a foreign adversary. During his father’s reign, the ancient Assyrian Empire had subjugated the kingdom of Judah as one of its vassals. Against this did Hezekiah openly rebel, provoking a fierce onslaught from the Assyrians. At one point Hezekiah faltered, attempting to appease Sennacherib the king of Assyria with tribute (2 Kings 18:14–16). But Sennacherib was not satisfied; he wanted blood. Hezekiah’s defeat seemed inevitable.

Reflect: Are you locked into a certain role, job, or future because of your parents or culture? Remember that we are each made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Seek God’s design for your life! It will be much more adventurous and fulfilling.

Key Bible Texts

Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. (2 Chronicles 30:8 KJV)