Hezekiah                                              2 Kings 20:1-6

Today we’re looking in the Old Testament and examining one of the kings of ancient Israel, Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s name means “God has strengthened.” Hezekiah did many good things for his people, his nation, and his God. And all this stands in polar opposite of what his father, King Ahaz, did in his lifetime.

King Ahaz was a malicious king. He nailed the Temple doors shut, he established idols and pagan temples. Hezekiah walked with God, and after his father’s reign, he was committed to correcting what his father had done. Hezekiah opened the Temple doors and re-established Temple worship. He reinstated the Levitical priesthood. And he led the people away from pagan idols and back to the God of their ancestors, and back to his commands.

Through my studies I have heard and read many interviews with Christians and non-Christians. One thing that struck me were the non-Christians who said they couldn’t turn to Christ because of all the things done by their family in the past. One interview was from the son of a serial killer. He said his father’s crimes stained his family with innocent blood. He said God could never forget where he came from, that God is punishing and will continue to punish him for his father’s crimes. Hezekiah shows us how false that belief is. We see he was a man of God, a man blessed by God for his faith, and nothing Ahaz did could alter that; 2 Kings 18:5-7, “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord…he held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him…and the Lord was with him.”

To that son of a murderer, to all mankind, it doesn’t matter if your father believed in Christ. It doesn’t matter if your mother, or your brothers and sisters, or your aunts and uncles believed. It doesn’t matter what any of them have done. It only matters that you believe. Like Hezekiah, trust in God. Accept what Christ did at the cross, believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and God will bless your life with grace, mercy, and salvation.

During his reign, Hezekiah led Juda through several calamity’s. During his reign the Assyrian empire conquered other nations. Aware of the danger they possess, Hezekiah had Jerusalem’s walls fortified. He increased the size of the military. And he had a 1750-foot tunnel built to provide water to the city.

Hezekiah had forethought and he protected the city and its people. This is a historical fact. But we know there is a spiritual undercurrent to be seen also. Hezekiah and Israel had enemies and lived under fear of attack. Today we live for God and our lives have enemies because of it, and we live under the fear of attack. Some Christians live under the threat of physical attack, this is true, but I’m talking about spiritual attack, Satan trying to come between a believer and God.

Our world bombards us with temptations delivered by the internet, TV, movies, and even other people. We must have forethought and see our weaknesses and areas of attack and protect ourselves from them. Avoid certain websites, perhaps avoid some movies or even certain people.

Halloween is coming, I love Halloween, but I’ve heard Christians say we shouldn’t participate. Oh please, enjoy Halloween for the fun it is and stop looking for Satan behind every fake ghost in a tree or plastic skeleton in a yard. We can partake of the fun knowing the Holy Spirit is living in us. We are not worshiping the devil by decorating our houses.

But, as I said, we do need forethought. I was on a business trip several years ago and after class one evening some of the others wanted to go to a Gentleman’s Club, and they didn’t understand when I refused. Going would have put me in risk of adultery in my heart, at risk of overindulging in alcohol. I’m not saying we have to give up fun, but we need to be aware of our weaknesses, we must be aware of the places the temptations in our lives come from. And we must build barriers and protect ourselves from them. I was friends with a woman for over twenty years, then things started to change, comments became more personal and intimate. I was not going to betray Jen, but I had to pull away from this friend. I had to protect myself and my marriage from rumor and inuendo.

Now after all this, we come to our reading. Hezekiah is ill, in fact, God sent Isaiah to tell him he is dying and needed to get his house in order.

 Hezekiah has done many great things for God, why tell him to get his house in order? I believe it is for our benefit. Hezekiah was told by God when his death would be, more than likely we will not be told when we will die. God’s warning through Hezekiah is to get your house in order now. That is, come to Christ now. If you die before accepting him, it will be too late.

Hezekiah prays in verse 8, “Remember Lord, how I walked before you faithfully…” We may be able to pray at the end, we may not, but Hezekiah’s prayer is for all of us. God remembers for all eternity that we are believing Christians, that we are his faithful, that we have his grace.

Verse 5, “This is what the Lord says…I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.” God tells all of us, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your repentance, I have healed and saved you.” You believe in God, repent from sin, accept the cross and Jesus; God hears you, and he’s healed you. Never wonder if he really knows. Never wonder if he’s really healed you.

And as these events happened hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, God now lets the generations to follow know exactly how he will conduct your healing; Verse 5, “On the third day from now you will go up to the Temple of the Lord.”

On the third day. Hezekiah is deathly ill yet on the third day he will go before the glory of God in the Temple. Here at Hezekiah’s death bed, God tells us about Jesus’ death and resurrection as the means of our healing, How Jesus death and three days in the tomb followed by the glory of his resurrection is the means of our salvation.

Almost 3000 years ago, a king of ancient Israel lays dying. God uses the events of his life and death bed to teach us all these years later. We see from Hezekiah that God responds to us whether we come from a religious family or a family of non-believers. What others do or don’t do does not affect our relationship with God, only our faith or lack of it does that. God always responds to our desire to be part of his family.

 We see we must have forethought; we must protect ourselves from Satan’s influence. We must be aware of what and who are around us and avoid those things and people who will cause us temptation.

We may never know when our days on earth will be over, get your house in order now. Come to Christ now.

And even three thousand years ago, hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, God was telling mankind that grace and salvation come through the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Lord Christ Jesus.

Believe and be saved.

Amen