Lessons from Hezekiah

In my reading this morning I have learned 4 lessons from Hezekiah.

In Chapter 36 of Isaiah we come to a situation where Sennacheib invades Judah. They king of Assyria sent Rabshaken to speak to the officials of King Hezekiah in front of all the people. He mocked the Lord God and told them to not trust when Hezekiah tells them that the Lord would deliver them out of the hands of the king of Assyria, "So not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, 'Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 'Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, "The Lord will deliver us," Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?" Isaiah 36:16-18

Now if I were in the crowd and heard this I would start to doubt what Hezekiah told me about God protecting us from such a great nation as Assyria. As it was, history had proven that Assyria was a powerful nation who had defeated many other nations. From outward appearances it would seem that the same thing would happen to our nation.

But Hezekiah didn't fall for what was seen. In Isaiah 37 we come to see the account of the officials bringing Rabahaken's message to Hezekiah, "And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord." (Isaiah 37:1).

Lesson 1 from Hezekiah: Do not listen to anyone but the Lord God even though it seems like they know what they're talking about and history backs them up.

He was fearful yet he wanted to seek the Lord to see what to do, "Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord." (Isaiah 37:14).

Lesson 2 from Hezekiah: Take your matter directly before the Lord God.

I love Hezekiah's prayer.

"O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is 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 listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries 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. so they have destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God." (Isaiah 37:15-20)

Lesson #3 from Hezekiah: Be specific in your prayer and ask God exactly what you need. Pour out your heart to Him. But do it to Him and Him alone and no one else. For He is the only one who can help you.

Throughout the rest of chapter 37 we see that God did indeed deliver Hezekiah from the hands of the king of Assyria. God heard his prayer.

"The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, 'He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, or throw up a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,' declares the Lord. 'For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake." (Isaiah 37:31-35)

The verse that stuck out at me was Isaiah 37:31, "The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward."

The ultimate lesson from Hezekiah is that we need to be Believers that take root downward and remain strong and stable. And by this we will be able to bear fruit upwards.

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against things there is no law." (Gal 5:22-23)

"so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Col. 1:10)

I pray that we will learn from Hezekiah and take our trials before the Lord and before Him alone. And ultimately that we may be fruit bearers for the Lord Jesus!!!!!

Krista Jones
8.5.08

Bible Reading Guide:

Beginning to End: Psalm 80-85
Old and New Testaments Together: Job 14-16 & Acts 9:22-43
Historical: Psalm 17-20
Chronological: I Kings 22; 2 Chron. 18
Blended: Deut. 7-9

The Bible reading guides will be taken from Back to the Bible