Mims Chapel Church 

LESSON 10 • Second Week

Hezekiah's Life

Background Reading                            Devotional Reading
Isaiah 36:1-10; 37:1-7; 38:15;                  11 Kings 18:1-10
2 Kings 18:13; 19:1-5;
2 Chronicles 32:20

Central Verse
"And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house
of the Lord."          Isaiah 37:1, KJV

"When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord."              

Isaiah 37:1, NLT

Key Terms
Appease—To give in to even when it is wrong to do so.
Predecessor—One that precedes: especially a person who has held a po­sition or office before another.
Successors—One that follows: especially a person who succeeds to a throne, title, estate, or office.

Introduction

King Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah. He was a young man, barely twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. He was the grandson of Zechariah, the father of his mother Abi. The Bible said that he did what was right in the eyes of the lord, although his father was a wicked king. His reign was marked by his significant religious reforms and his revolt against the Assyrian Empire. He witnessed the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians under Sargon 11 in 722 BC and later faced the siege of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib in 701 BC. King Hezekiah spent much time consolidating worship around God and excluding worship of other gods, especially the golden calf that Aaron set up for the people. He removed the high places (places for pagan worship) and broke the sacred pillars. He cut down the wooden image and broke the bronze serpent that Moses had made into pieces. He kept the commands that God gave to Moses, and because God was with him, he prospered wherever he went. He is one of the most prominent kings of Judah and is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Discussion

It's important that young people understand that they must be accountable for their own actions. For every man must give account for his own deeds. Hezekiah chose to govern righteously as king of Judah. He did not allow the fact that his Father was wicked and evil to direct his life. He was godly, trusted in the Lord, and served Him.

During the early days of Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib, the King of As­syria, invaded Judah with the intention of capturing Jerusalem. The field commander of Sennacherib's army attempted to undermine the people's confidence in the Lord through intimidation, lies, and arguments that the God of Judah was not strong enough to deliver them. The Assyrian leader Rabshakeh tried to get the men of Judah to join in with them. They listened and obeyed Hezekiah and refused to answer Rabshakeh.

When Hezekiah heard what the enemy was saying, he took sackcloth and ashes and went into the house of the Lord. There should not be anything that comes upon believers that they should not be able to pray about. 2Chronicles twenty and nine tells the believers that "If when evil comes upon them as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, they stand in the house of the lord, call Him and He will hear them and help them". So, the Servants of Hezekiah went to the man of God, Isaiah, and he told them not to be afraid of the enemy's words. He let them know that God was going to handle their enemies and He would cause them to be destroyed by their own sword. The Lord had Jeremiah tell His people in Jeremiah 1:19 to understand that they shall fight against them, but "they would not prevail against them". God let the believers know that He was with them to deliver them.

Sometimes it becomes difficult to remember that the battle belongs to God. In times of trouble, the best thing that a believer can do is seek the Lord and find out what His will is concerning the matter. Hezekiah's reign was noted by Prophetic activity, with prophets such as Isaiah and Micah delivering their messages during his time.

Hezekiah tried to appease the Assyrians by sending tributes to Sennacherib, but it failed to stop the Assyrians from attacking Jerusalem. That's when God had to intervene for Judah and give them victory.

The days came when Hezekiah got sick unto death. Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz came unto him and gave him a message from the Lord. The Lord told him to tell Hezekiah to get his house in order, for he would die and not live. Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord. Hezekiah reminded God of how faithful he had been to him, walked before Him in truth, and had done that which was right before Him. He wept and let God know that he didn't want to die. The Lord lets the believers know that they could make their request known unto Him. The Lord spoke to Isaiah to go and give Hezekiah a word from Him. The Lord told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that the God of David thy father had heard his prayer and had seen his tears: and behold He would add fifteen years to his life. God assured Hezekiah that He would deliver him and the city out of the hand of the king of Assyria and that He would defend the city.

Conclusion

Our God is a loving God and He loved and cared for Hezekiah during this very painful time, God showed His love and compassion to Hezekiah. After Hezekiah received a word from the Lord, he decided that he needed to sing a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord. Praise is a normal response for the be­lievers and God takes pleasure in the praises from His believers.

Because of all the wonderful works that he did to build the kingdom of God and help the people turn wholly to God and His worship. 2 Kings 18:5 says, "No king of Judah, among either his predecessors or his successors could be compared to him."

Questions

Who was Hezekiah?
How did his life affect the lives of Judah?
What did he do to change the destiny of Israel?
What happened when he got sick?

Essential Thought-  "When believers obey the will of God, they can freely make their request unto God."

Copyright © Mims Chapel COGIC. All rights reserved.