Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Hezekiah got ill. And Isaiah came with a word from the Lord: you are going to die. Now, this isn’t the Lord BRINGING sickness on Hezekiah. This isn’t the Lord telling Hezekiah it is a BLESSING. This isn’t even the Lord WANTING Hezekiah to die. This is the Lord WARNING of what is coming in the hope that Hezekiah will seek the Lord for a change in circumstance. It was an offer of expectation that death did NOT need to be a result. The Lord ALWAYS wants us well. We can pray and change the outcome.

Scripture is not always written in chronological order, and when you look at the account in Chronicles as well as some of the material in Isaiah, and the ages of Hezekiah and his sons, then there is a fair bit of evidence that this incident of his health came just before or during the early years of the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib. Hezekiah would have known of the threat to his people and have more motivation than just his own feelings in seeking the Lord for mercy. And seek the Lord he did. He humbled himself before the Lord and entreated him for mercy. The answer to this prayer was so quick, Isaiah hadn’t even made it out of the palace complex. That says a lot toward both the character of God to desire healing and His obvious eagerness to see Hezekiah’s future changed. This shows us that words from the Lord CAN be opportunities to pray and change what is coming, not just circumstances to surrender to – not always though, so it is a GOOD thing we have Holy Spirit to guide us in our prayers (John 16:33). Accepting the things of God always takes a step of trust in the Lord (John 9:7).

The Lord declared he was adding fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life and that on the third day (from that day) he would be able to go up to the Temple under his own steam. The Lord wasn’t doing it for Hezekiah’s sake, but because of the Lord’s sake and David’s sake. He had wanted Hezekiah to cooperate so He could save Judah and Hezekiah’s humble prayer was the sign that Hezekiah wanted to cooperate. Hezekiah (who did NOT have Holy Spirit dwelling in him as we do) asked for a sign (we don’t need any signs or fleeces because we can ask Holy Spirit and receive a direct answer). He was given a choice. Time sped up (impossible) or time reversed (double impossible). Hezekiah asked for the double impossible because it was so far out of the normal pattern of nature that it could not be explained away. The shadows cast by the sun on the steps went backward ten degrees – and only the Lord Himself knows how He did it. But I can assure you that He DID do it. It must have been a sight to see. Even the Babylonians noticed.

Sometime after the sickness and the siege of Jerusalem was broken (perhaps when Sennacherib was murdered by his sons, since Babylonia was in subjugation to the Assyrians), the king of Babylonia sent gifts and well-wishers to Hezekiah to inquire after his health and also after “the sign that had happened in the land” (2 Chronicles 32:31). Hezekiah doesn’t seem to have shown them the Temple or its treasures. He DID show them his own personal storehouses and armoury. Everything in his house that was precious. Afterward, Isaiah went to him and asked who they were and what he did. Hezekiah told all. Isaiah wasn’t thrilled. The king had acted foolishly. And this seed of pride would grow a terrible harvest. Babylon would come and take Jerusalem. Some of his own sons would be Eunuchs in the court of the Babylonian king. Hezekiah submitted to the rebuke, but was fine with it – because it wasn’t going to happen in his lifetime. Seems a mite selfish to me. He did have peace and truth in his days. He died and was buried in Jerusalem.

His son Manasseh became king at twelve years old. He reigned for fifty-five years. He was an evil man given to evil things. He re-instituted the idolatry that his father had abolished. He even sacrificed his own son to an idol. He did all the things that Ahab had done and a few new things for good measure. He was the most ungodly king that Judah ever had. He even put altars to the stars of heaven INSIDE the Temple itself. He seduced his people and got them following after him in all his ways. God was not happy and promised such a judgment on this wilfully disobedient behaviour that people’s ears would tingle when they heard of it. Manasseh ignored the warning and the promise. He filled Jerusalem with the blood of innocents. He died and was buried NOT with the kings of Judah, but in his own garden. His son Amon reigned in his place.

Now Chronicles tells more of the story. It mentions that Manasseh spent some of his time as a captive in Babylon. That he repented and turned to the Lord in his later years. That the Lord restored him to his throne in Jerusalem. And that he ended as an example of the Lord’s mercy. His son, Amon, however, wasn’t in school that day.

Amon was twenty-two when he took the throne and he reigned two years. He was just as evil as Manasseh had been in the beginning. He did not take ANY lessons from Manasseh’s repentance. He walked in the ways of idols and wickedness. He worshipped them and FORSOOK the Lord – that means he rejected the Lord on purpose, knowing the truth. After two years, his servants killed him. They were in turn punished by death, but Amon was dead and buried with Manasseh in the garden. Josiah, Amon’s son, was put in his place as king.

“He did right in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in all of the way of David his ancestor and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2)

Josiah was eight when he became king and reigned for thirty-one years. He was a VERY godly king. He followed in David’s footsteps and worshipped the Lord. He didn’t turn to the right or left, but worshipped fully. It was in Josiah’s thirteenth year that Jeremiah began to prophesy (Jeremiah 1:2). In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he was twenty-six, he inquired as to the tithes accepted in the Temple over the last few years. He wanted it used to repair the Temple and restore it to what it had been. The money was to be given to the tradesmen and they were to use it to do the work.

While the work was progressing, a copy of the Law (probably not a full and complete copy of the five books of Moses) was found. It was given to the high priest, Hilkiah, and he read it. Immediately, he gave it to the chief scribe, who read it. The scribe brought it to the king and it was read to Josiah. Josiah tore his clothes. He had obviously been ignorant of what the Word said and could see how God would be very upset with how wicked the Judeans had been. Josiah sent them to inquire of the Lord through Huldah the prophetess who lived in the Second Quarter of Jerusalem. Jeremiah and Zephaniah were both prophets at this time, but they went to Huldah. Josiah wanted to know what the Lord said.

Huldah told them that because of the wickedness of the people, because of how they had turned away from Him, according to all the words in the Law, they were going to be judged (again, VERY thankful we have a better covenant to be a part of – Hebrews 8:6). But because Josiah humbled himself when he heard the words on behalf of his people and followed the Lord and was truly weeping because they had fallen so far away, the Lord would gather Josiah to his grave in peace. [Note: remember this for tomorrow. Josiah dying in peace was the will of God for him. This was a promise he could hold to.]

The Lord promised that Josiah himself would see none of the calamity that the Lord would bring upon Judah. The men thanked her and returned to the king with the Lord’s word.

Summary

Key Players: God, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Huldah

Key Verse(s): 2 Kings 20:1-6, 10-11, 15-19; 21:1-9, 19-24; 22:1-2, 11-13, 18-20