A Reminder to Try Our Hearts Always

Hezekiah reigned as King of Judah after his Father, King Ahaz. His Father did not do what was right in the eyes of God (2 Kings 16:1, 2 Kings 16:20). However, Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to David his father (forefather) had done (2 Kings 18:3). He removed all the places that were used to serve other gods. He broke the bronze serpent that Moses made, which the people were worshipping. He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, and there were none like him of all the kings. He held fast to the Lord, he did not depart from following Him and he kept the Lord’s commandments. The Lord was with him, and wherever he went, he prospered. He rebelled against Assyria and struck down the Philistines (2 Kings 18:1-8). God gave him victory.

The Bible describes an account of when the King of Assyria threatened to overtake the kingdom of Judah. But Hezekiah sought God and prayed. (2 Kings 18:13-37). God heard Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 19:20) and delivered them out of the hands of Assyria in such a miraculous way (2 Kings 19:35-37). The angel of the Lord came and wiped out the Assyrian army.

Hezekiah’s Prayer

And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19).

Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and Isaiah (the man of God) came to tell him that he should prepare himself for death. But Hezekiah prayed to God:

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:2-3)

And before Isaiah had left the compound, the word of the Lord came to him, and he turned back to tell Hezekiah that God heard his prayer and that he would live for 15 more years.

The King of Babylon came to Hezekiah as they had heard of his recovery. The Bible says that Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasures. There was nothing in his house that he did not show them. Later Isaiah told him the word of the Lord that the days will come when all that is stored in his house will be carried away to Babylon and his sons too will be taken away. Hezekiah had made a great mistake in showing off all his treasures.

His son Manasseh reigned after Hezekiah, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and undid many of the good his father had done. Even though Hezekiah was a good King who did what was right in the eye of God, he left behind a horrible legacy?

Try Our Hearts Always

Hezekiah did right in the sight of the Lord, and he followed God’s commandments. He trusted God and sought out the Lord when he was in need. But when God blessed him with an extended life, his pride got the better of him for a moment, and that alone brought cursing unto the house of Judah.

Maybe Hezekiah showed off God’s treasures and took credit for them. Maybe he was just not supposed to show off but to give the credit for his healing and blessings to God. Whatever the specifies of what he did, he made a grave mistake, and there were consequences.

We are to see the lesson in this. When we are blessed and all is well with us, do we take credit for what God has done or do we testify of His goodness and do not show off with pride. We are to check ourselves daily to ensure that we are walking according to his ways, to check our pride and humble ourselves to understand who we are and what God has done for us. We are to recognize that we need God. Hezekiah did all that was right except for this one account. So let us be aware of the intentions of our hearts when we choose to serve God.

All photos were taken by Kyle or Vani. These photos are from the many adventures we have been blessed to experience together. We are so grateful for every blessing from God. No filters were used nor were the photos edited except for an occasional crop. We hope you enjoy.