Hezekiah means ‘God has strengthened’. As we saw yesterday Hezekiah turned to the Lord and received strength in various trials.
When he faced overwhelming odds from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, he went in and sat before the Lord. He commanded the people ‘not to answer’ the taunts of the enemy, he went to the Lord and his prophet, Isaiah. We can learn this way of handling our own problems. Sometimes it’s wisdom NOT TO TALK TO OTHERS, EVEN CHRISTIANS because they can discourage us. WE NEED TO STAY IN FAITH BEFORE THE LORD, keep our eyes on Him and trust for the answer.
As king and leader of the people of Judah, Hezekiah couldn’t share with just anyone and cause fear in the city. WE CAN EMPOWER THINGS BY TALKING ABOUT THEM TO OTHERS! Hezekiah went into the Temple, apparently alone, laid out the situation before the Lord. His problem was so serious that only God could deliver the city and people(Assyria had already deported most of the population of Israel from their land). 2 Kings 18:10,11
Later in the reign of Hezekiah we see that he faced personal illness and the Lord once again sent Isaiah the prophet to tell him to put his house in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah ‘turned his face to the wall’(turned to the Lord) and reminded God that he’d been faithful to Him. Isaiah received another word which may have seemed strange, that God was going to add another 15 years to Hezekiah’s life. God turned the shadow back on the steps to confirm that He’d do what He said for His servant. Hezekiah ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years.
The king of Babylon sent envoys to Hezekiah with letters and a gift to congratulate him on his recovery. He in turn showed them everything he had in his palace, all his wealth. Isaiah told him that all he had would one day be taken by Babylon, including some of his own descendants, who would serve as eunuchs there. This was the one time Hezekiah blew it, he talked and showed too much to strangers. Truly we need to be wise in guarding what God has given and spoken to us and not to share it with just anyone who comes to us. Learn the lessons of the good king Hezekiah and be careful what we say and with whom we share.
God bless and keep you this day.