Today’s question is: Who was Hezekiah in the Bible? In this
video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards,
as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.
Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God’s
acts in the past and His involvement in the events of every day. The Bible
describes Hezekiah as a king who had a close relationship with God,
one who did “What was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.” (2 Chronicles 31:20)
Hezekiah’s story is told in 2 Kings 16—20; 2 Chronicles 28—32; and Isaiah 36—39. He is
also mentioned in Proverbs 25; Isaiah 1; Jeremiah 15 and 26; Hosea 1; and Micah 1.
Hezekiah, a son of the wicked King Ahaz, reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine
years, from around 715 to 686 BC. He began his reign at age 25. He was more zealous for the Lord
than any of his predecessors. During his reign, the prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah.
After Ahaz’s wicked reign, there was much work to do, and Hezekiah boldly cleaned
house. Pagan altars, idols, and temples were destroyed. The bronze serpent that Moses had
made in the desert was also destroyed, because the people had made it an idol.
The temple in Jerusalem, whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father,
was cleaned out and reopened. The Levitical priesthood was reinstated, and the Passover
was reinstituted as a national holiday. Under Hezekiah’s reforms, revival came to Judah.
Because King Hezekiah put God first in everything he did, God prospered him. Hezekiah “Held fast to
the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.
And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.” (2 Kings 18:6–7)
In 701 BC, Hezekiah and all of Judah faced a crisis. The Assyrians, the dominant world
power at the time, invaded Judah and marched against Jerusalem. The Assyrians had already
conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and many other nations, and now they threatened Judah. In
their threats against the city of Jerusalem, the Assyrians openly defied the God of Judah,
likening Him to the powerless gods of the nations they had conquered.
Faced with the Assyrian threat, Hezekiah sent word to the prophet Isaiah. The Lord, through Isaiah,
reassured the king that Assyria would never enter Jerusalem. Rather, the invaders would
be sent home, and the city of Jerusalem would be spared. In the temple, Hezekiah prays a beautiful
prayer for help, asking God to vindicate Himself: “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand,
so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.” (2 Kings 19:19)
God, faithful as always, kept His promise to protect Jerusalem. “That night the angel of
the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When
the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” (2 Kings 19:35). The remaining
Assyrians quickly broke camp and withdrew in abject defeat. “So the Lord saved Hezekiah and
the people of Jerusalem. . . . He took care of them on every side.” (2 Chronicles 32:22).
Later, Hezekiah became very sick. Isaiah told him to set things in order and
prepare to die. But Hezekiah prayed, beseeching God to be merciful and to
remember all the good he had done. Before Isaiah had even left the king’s house,
God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that his prayer had been heard and that his
life would be extended fifteen years. Isaiah applied a poultice, and Hezekiah was healed.
However, soon after his healing, Hezekiah made a serious mistake. The Babylonians
sent a gift to Hezekiah, for they had heard Hezekiah had been sick. In foolish pride,
Hezekiah showed the Babylonians all of his treasures, all the silver and gold,
and everything in his arsenal. There was nothing Hezekiah did not parade in front
of them. Isaiah rebuked Hezekiah for this act and prophesied that all the king had
shown the Babylonians would one day be taken to Babylon—along with Hezekiah’s own descendants.
During the years following his illness, Hezekiah fathered the heir to Judah’s throne, Manasseh,
who would turn out to be the evilest king ever to reign in Judah. Tradition
has it that Manasseh is the one who murdered Hezekiah’s friend, Isaiah.
Hezekiah’s life is, for the most part, a model of faithfulness and trust in the Lord. His faith
was more than superficial, as his bold reforms show. Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord was rewarded
with answered prayer, successful endeavors, and miraculous victory over his enemies. When
faced with an impossible situation, surrounded by the dreadful and determined Assyrian army,
Hezekiah did exactly the right thing—he prayed. And God answered.
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