Heze-who? A Character Study of King Hezekiah

Hezekiah is not someone you normally think about when you try to list the great characters of the Bible. Sure we think of David, Moses, Paul, and Peter – but Hezekiah? Oh yes – Hezekiah! This is a name you have probably heard of because he is talked about in several Old Testament books like Isaiah, Kings, and Chronicles. However, maybe you haven’t studied his character. What an eye opener it has been for me personally!

In 2 Kings 18, we find Hezekiah at the beginning of his reign over Judah. He is the son of Ahaz who was not a great king. 2 Chronicles tells us that Ahaz did not do right in the sight of the LORD. Ahaz allowed Jerusalem to become over-run with idols and he defiled the temple. However, his son Hezekiah would set things straight. The fact that the Bible describes Hezekiah as one who did right in the sight of the LORD makes me stop and think about what could have changed his heart as he grew up with such an awful role model. Perhaps he knew of the faithfulness of his grandfather, Jotham. Jotham “became mighty because he ordered his way before the LORD his God” (2 Chron. 27:6). It seems like this trait skipped a generation in Hezekiah’s family tree. Whatever changed Hezekiah’s future speaks hope to everyone who was raised with a less than stellar home life.

I think of my own home life. I was not raised in church and my parents worked their fingers to the bone in clubs when I was young as they were doing their best to raise 7 children. Dad was a guitarist and Mom a bartender. So this bartender’s daughter now has a women’s ministry and loves to study God’s Word. What’s up with that? I tell you what’s up – God! At some point, we have to quit blaming our upbringing for who we are as adults. We have to let go of the past and let God take control of our future. I believe this is exactly what Hezekiah did and he became a great man of God.

I read of two incredible events in Hezekiah’s life where God answered his prayer in miraculous ways. It caused me to ask what is it about Hezekiah that made God so ready to answer his prayer. I read in the scriptures that anything we ask (that is not asked amiss and is in God’s will) will be granted to us. Prayer ought to be working out a whole lot better than it is for us based on what the scriptures say. So, I started studying Hezekiah’s daily walk with God. Here is what I found in 2 Kings 18…

• He did right in the sight of the LORD

• He removed the idols from Jerusalem

• He trusted in the LORD God

• He CLUNG to the LORD – this is my favorite description

• He did not depart from following God, but kept His commandments

• The LORD was with him

• Wherever he went, he prospered

Oh my stars – what a description of a Godly man. No wonder God was happy to answer his prayer when Hezekiah called upon him. The first order of business for this new king was to get rid of the idols that his father had allowed in Judah. I mean, come on – that was direct violation of the first commandment – “You shall have no other God’s before me.” It is the FIRST one! Hezekiah knew these idols had to be removed and broken down before God’s blessings would rest upon the nation.

I love that Hezekiah clung to the LORD. This word has the meaning of sticking together or following closely. This is the only way that this new king would make it through the future threats from Assyria and from personal illness. When we cling to the LORD God, He is just a whispered prayer away from us. So stay tuned for the next few weeks as we explore the character of Hezekiah. I wonder how much more effective our prayers would be if we had this kind of history with God. God is sensitive to our 911 prayers, but what if we were clinging to him the whole time as we approached the 911 situation? As we study Hezekiah’s life and see how miraculously his prayers were answered, lets remember this list of descriptors that establishes Hezekiah’s faithfulness BEFORE the emergencies happened.