The Book of Hezekiah

There’s a kind of running joke among Bible students when you remember something you think is Scripture but can’t remember where it is. You say it’s in Second Hezekiah. The joke, as any serious Bible student knows, is that there is no Second Hezekiah; there’s no First Hezekiah either. But really, Hezekiah should have his own book. He was one of the best kings Judah ever had, right up there with David and Solomon – actually, better than Solomon. (Read 2 Kings 18-20)

This might seem like a strange post for Easter week, but bear with me for a moment. When Hezekiah took the throne in Jerusalem, the ten northern tribes, known then as Israel, were being devoured by Assyria. In 722 B.C., Samaria was taken, and the people were deported into several foreign countries. As was the common practice, people from those other countries who had previously been conquered by Assyria were brought in to take over the land. They brought with them their “home” gods. Assyria was happy to let them do that because if they their loyalties remained fractured, the would be easier to subjugate. This also explains why the Jews in Jesus’ day considered the Samaritans unclean.

The Assyrian’s arrogance was clearly displayed when their army besieged Jerusalem, and they boasted about their victories over all the other gods. Hezekiah prayed for God’s deliverance, and the Lord showed His superiority by driving off the Assyrians and slaughtering most of them. Those who made it home murdered the arrogant king, probably because of his disastrous campaign at Jerusalem. That pretty well ended the Assyrian empire because Babylon was on the rise.

Back in Jerusalem, Hezekiah contracted a terminal illness. Again, he prayed, and through Isaiah, God provided miraculous healing and granted him fifteen more years of life. However, when Babylon sent emissaries to Hezekiah, he misread their intentions and showed them all the treasures of Jerusalem. This was clearly a set-up by God as He intended to use the Babylonians to punish Judah in their near future. Isaiah chastised Hezekiah for his foolishness, and he prophesied the coming captivity by Babylon.

That is the end of the “book of Hezekiah.” It shows that Hezekiah was a man who knew what it meant to serve God with his whole heart. Sadly, his son and grandson were two of the worst kings Judah ever had. They desecrated the temple and led the nation into idolatrous practices that God said were worse than the Amorites He had driven out of the land before them. There was a brief respite under “Good King Josiah” (another of Hezekiah’s sons) whom God favored because of his goodness, but it was all downhill after him. Eventually, God did what Isaiah warned and allowed Babylon to defeat Judah and carry all but a few of her people into captivity.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the captivity, but he is also the writer of some of the most graphic Messianic prophecies. Isaiah 53 is well-known for its Suffering Servant prediction. We are finally at the Easter message. As I wrote in my previous post, the Jews completely missed the Suffering Servant messiah because they wanted a conquering warrior messiah. What they didn’t realize (because God kept them blind) was that it was through the messiah’s suffering that the conqueror would arise – literally. If we don’t take great care to understand this situation, we might make a mistake opposite the one the Jews made. We might be led to see only the conqueror and forget the sufferer.

The celebration at Easter reminds us of the price Christ paid for our sin. Without the cross, there is no forgiveness of sin. Without the cross and its subsequent grave, there is no resurrection. Without the resurrection, there is no power in the Messiah. The path to power was through suffering and death. Adam’s sin which was passed on to all humans had to be paid for. The Old Testament sacrificial system reminded the Jews daily that sin required an atoning payment. Without the shedding of blood, they were told, there is no remission of sin. Jesus made that blood payment on the cross.

Prior to carrying His cross to Golgotha, Jesus instructed to His followers to take up their cross. This is a bit of a mystery since He knew that His cross would pay for all sin; so, what is our cross for? It says in Second Hezekiah (gotcha!) that we won’t get resurrection power unless we pay for it with our death. Okay, that verse doesn’t exist. What the Bible does say is that those who are in Christ have in them the same power that raised Jesus from the grave. How does one get in Christ? Paul says we are buried with Christ in baptism – we die – to be raised from the water a new creature.

That new creature has new responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to fill up the afflictions of Christ. What? No! Yes, despite what the prosperity preachers try to sell, the New Testament teaches by prediction and fulfillment that believers in Christ will suffer. But that’s okay. Because we have already died to sin and have risen with Christ, we have eternal life within us, and we know that in the end, we win. Jesus’ resurrection power takes us through the waters and the fire toward our ultimate destiny: being seated with Christ in the Heavenly Jerusalem.

So, take a page from the book of Hezekiah this Easter season. Learn what God wants from you; then, take up your cross. If it leads to suffering as crosses often do, don’t worry. The same God who worked miracles for Hezekiah, the same God who raised Jesus from the grave, that same God lives in you if you are in Christ. Even though death is inevitable, that’s covered too. When we shuffle off this mortal coil, we put on our new bodies and enter Jesus’ presence. And then we get to meet Hezekiah!

Related Posts: A Week to Remember; Meet at the Tree; Why Did God do That?; What’s the Deal with Ninevah; True Lies