There is one bible personality that I got to like recently, who isn't portrayed so much as a bible hero. The story of King Hezekiah barely fills up three chapters of 2 Kings in the old testament. Nevertheless, He is a great king who is said to have walked closely with God. His testimony is clear in verses 5 to 7 of chapter 18 which says, "...there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him," and "...the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him.
He faced two great death threats that he overcame with prayers to God. Judah, during that time was the only kingdom which did not bow down to the supremacy of the kingdom of Assyria. So, Sennacherib, their king was bent upon conquering the kingdom. At first Hezekiah tried to dissuade him from the possibilities of a war by paying money, even stripping the treasuries of the Lord's temple and the royal palace. But, the challenges did not stop there. The Assyrians continued mocking the Israelites, even taunting the God they worship. The commander representing the Assyrian army told the people not listen to Hezekiah as he was misleading them when he says, "the Lord will deliver us." They continued, 'has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria.'
Hezekiah put on sack cloths and went to the temple of the Lord. He spread out the enemy's letter before the Lord.He prayed to God stressing on the following points---
1. to listen to the insults of Sennacherib on the living God.
2. to deliver them from the hand of Sennacherib, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that the world would come to know the authenticity of the God the Israelites worship.
As Isaiah had prophesied, the Lord delivered them from the hands of the Assyrians. AN angel of the Lord put to death 185000 men in the Assyrian camp and Sennacherib was later on killed by his own sons.
The second famous prayer of Hezekiah was when he prayed for recovery over an illness. The Lord had already send words through the Prophet that he was going to die. I wonder how many of us can pray the confident prayers of Hezekiah. He cried out,'Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with a wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.' Then the Lord altered His plans for Hezekiah. The Lord healed him on the third day. He responded, 'I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;I will heal you.'He added fifteen years to his life.
It is an amazing testimony of faith and a purposeful life. His dependence on God and the way He honors God in front of his people is worth emulating.He walks with God and the Lord was on his side.
