Don't End Like Hezekiah
King
Hezekiah is heralded as one of the greatest kings of Judah.
This
is what 2 Kings 18 says about Hezekiah:
“And
he [Hezekiah] did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all
that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke the sacred
pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that
Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to
it, and called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that
after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before
him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but
kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. The LORD was with
him”
Hezekiah
consulted the prophet Isaiah when he was in trouble. He acted in integrity and with trust in the Lord. But Hezekiah’s story does not end there.
From
2 Kings 20:
“Then
Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: ‘Behold, the days are
coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated
until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the
LORD. ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you,
whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of
Babylon.’ ” So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have
spoken is good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my
days?”
Did
you catch that? Hezekiah had fought all his life to restore Judah to the Lord.
Now at the end of his life when he gets a prophecy of destruction his attitude
is “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?” Let us not be like Hezekiah at the end of our days.
Instead let us be like Nehemiah:
“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome,
and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your
houses.”
Let
us fight to the end for the next generation.
Let
us pursue truth.
Let
us pursue the Lord unwaveringly.
Let
us pray for our children and their children.
The
Lord delights in mercy.
It
is possible He will relent from the destruction in store.
