Hezekiah: The King who Trusted God (2 Kings 18:1-8)
Hezekiah: The King Who Trusted God
2 Kings 18:1-8
This morning we come back to our study of the book of Kings,
And after many weeks, we also return to our study
Of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Most recently we have seen the fall of the Northern kingdom.
We first saw that Israel was conquered by Assyria because of:
Idolatry
Worldliness
Disobedience
2 Kings 17:7-8 “Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.”
And then a couple of weeks ago we saw a picture of those who moved in to the vacated land of Israel.
Israel was filled with refugees from other destroyed countries and this became the beginning of those who became known as Samaritans.
And from them we saw what the worship of the world looks like.
It is superstitious
It is filled with fear
It is pluralistic
2 Kings 17:41 “So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.”
And so we have seen that things did not end up so well
For the Northern kingdom of Israel.
And now, all that is left of God’s Chosen people is the tribe of Judah.
And this morning we return to study one of their kings.
This king’s name is Hezekiah.
(1-2) “Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.”
We just left the reign of one of the most wicked Kings Judah ever had.
Ahaz rejected the warnings of God, made a covenant with Assyria,
And did everything he could to destroy the worship of God in Judah.
• He locked up the temple
• He destroyed the utensils of the temple
• He replaced God’s altar
• He promoted a pagan religion over the true worship of God.
This man was wicked, and now we get his son.
And what a turn of events.
This morning we study, “Hezekiah: The King who Trusted God”
And so as far as kings are concerned, Judah is doing a 180.
Furthermore Hezekiah is a focal point of the book of 2 Kings.
The only King who received more attention was Solomon.
I hope you remember the recent history to the kings of Judah.
You will remember that for a brief time a wicked queen (Ahab’s daughter) Athaliah had seized the throne and tried to completely annihilate the Davidic line.
But Jehoiada the priest intervened by saving a young boy named Jehoash.
But Jehoash had a problem.
2 Kings 12:2-3 “Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
And then he died and his son Amaziah became king, he also had a problem.
2 Kings 14:3-4 “He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
And then he died and his son Azariah / Uzziah became king.
We called him the king who accomplished nothing.
Remember Chronicles wrote all about all the good he did as a leader for Israel.
He extended the borders and secured the borders and stabilized the economy and beefed up the military. He did a lot of good for the nation of Judah.
Yet the writer of kings didn’t write hardly anything good about him.
2 Kings 15:3-4 “He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
And then he died and his son Jotham became king, but still a problem remained.
2 Kings 15:34-35 “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.”
Of course he then died and his son Ahaz became king who really went off the deep end.
2 Kings 16:2-4 “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel. He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.”
And we quickly observed that the writer of kings had tunnel vision
He didn’t care how politically successful the kings were.
• He was not concerned with their military victories…
• He was not concerned with their economic packages…
• He was not concerned with their border security…
• He was not concerned with anything regarding their kingly abilities.
All he cared about was whether or not they addressed
The blatant idolatry that was being practiced on the hills of Judah.
The writer of kings examined each man with one question in mind.
WHAT DID HE DO WITH THE HIGH PLACES?
And if the king did nothing,
This writer didn’t spend much time on them.
But that is certainly not the case for Hezekiah.
This king steals the attention of the writer
Because he finally did what had long since been needed.
And so we will be studying King Hezekiah for quite some time.
And as we study this king there is one theme
That continually emerges from his life and that is that he trusted God.
Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”
In fact this is specifically stated in verse 5
“He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.”
“trusted” translates BATACH
One Lexicon defined it as: “to attach oneself, to trust, confide in, feel safe, be confident, secure; to be careless…The basic idea is associated with firmness or solidity. The word expresses the sense of well-being which results from knowing that the “rug won’t be pulled out from under you.”
And so we get the idea of extreme trust,
Even to the point of no longer worrying about it yourself.
In fact, sometimes this word is actually translated as complacency.
Isaiah 32:9-11 “Rise up, you women who are at ease, And hear my voice; Give ear to my word, You complacent daughters. Within a year and a few days You will be troubled, O complacent daughters; For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come. Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent daughters; Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,”
Of course there it is the attitude of people
Who should have been concerned and weren’t.
ALTHOUGH THEY HAD A FALSE HOPE, THEY FULLY TRUSTED IT.
Hezekiah had a similar mindset but in a different regard.
He was at ease because He knew that God was in control.
He trusted God.
When the Septuagint was written (The Greek Old Testament) the writers used the Greek word ELPIZO, which is commonly translated “Hope”.
Hezekiah had hope, Hezekiah had no worry, Hezekiah trusted God.
And this would be apparent to those around him as well.
Later on, the King of Assyria will attack and will quickly recognize
This extreme trust that Hezekiah exhibits.
2 Kings 18:19-20 “Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have? “You say (but they are only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely (BATACH),that you have rebelled against me?”
Even Hezekiah’s enemies recognized that Hezekiah
Was not worried like other men, or stressed like other men
But that he had an unnatural confidence.
They didn’t understand it, but we know what it was.
He trusted God.
One of the key incidents in his life
Is found when the messenger of the king of Assyria
Sent a letter to Hezekiah promising that God would not be able
To deliver him from the King of Assyria.
Here is how Hezekiah would respond:
2 Kings 19:14-19 “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. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are 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 the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated 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. So they have destroyed them. “Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
And so I hope you understand who this man was.
He trusted God.
And I don’t know about you, but the more I studied his life,
The more I found myself kneeling before the Father
Confessing that I wanted to trust like he did.
If you desire to trust God, you can learn by following his example.
As we study this king who trusted God,
There are three things I want you to see.
#1 HIS PASSION
2 Kings 18:3-4
And to that we all breathe a sigh of relief and say, “FINALLY!”
Finally there arose a king willing to tear down the high places.
He saw them for what they were.
His own brothers had been passed through the fire by his father
On those high places and Hezekiah realized that these were not honored sites.
Hezekiah did what was right.
Now that wasn’t all he did.
The writer of Kings is consumed with the high places so that is what he writes about, but there was much more to Hezekiah than just that.
TURN TO: 2 CHRONICLES 29
Let me take you on a quick stroll through the life of Hezekiah.
VERSES 1-3
In the very first month of his reign he reopened the temple. Remember hid daddy had closed it down, and the first thing Hezekiah did was open it back up.
Then Hezekiah would put the priesthood back in order and order the sacrifices to sanctify everything.
VERSES 35-36
And once the temple was in order Hezekiah had another agenda.
VERSES 30:1
And so Hezekiah desired to have the Passover again, and not just in Judah, but also to all the remaining refugees of the Northern Kingdom.
And the Passover was a huge success
VERSES 30:23-27
This was a King who restored worship to Jerusalem and Judah.
And look at the result that this Passover had on the lives of the people.
VERSES 31:1
This is what led to the removal of idolatry in Judah.
Hezekiah led these people back to God and God took over.
VERSES 31:20-21
And what we see is that he was a magnificent king.
He brought Judah back to God.
And when God got into the hearts of the people
Their idols didn’t stand a chance.
(4) “He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.”
And so Hezekiah swept idolatry out of Judah.
Including the bronze snake of Moses.
Apparently the people had grown to worship the image
And therefore it had to be removed.
Hezekiah broke it up.
(Now it takes gall to break up an 800 year old artifact
Made by Moses)
But he did and as he broke it, he named it “Nehushtan”
(Piece of Bronze)
He let the people know that this serpent was not a god,
It was nothing but a hunk of metal,
And only the true and living God was to be worshiped.
And so can you see his passion?
He trusted God and God alone.
There was no pluralism to his theology.
In fact, do you remember in his prayer we read a moment ago?
2 Kings 19:15 “Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”
He trusted God and God alone.
He answered the call of Elijah:
1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”
Hezekiah would have answered.
He trusted God, he was passionate about it.
His Passion
#2 HIS PERSEVERANCE
2 Kings 18:5-6
What a great statement about a life.
Can you imagine having anything better said about you than this?
“He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel”
He didn’t trust in Baal or the Assyrian gods his father had brought back.
He trusted in the LORD. Him and Him alone.
And that is not all.
(6) “For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.”
DID YOU CATCH THOSE TWO KEY INGREDIENTS?
“He clung to the LORD” – perseverance
“kept His commandments” – obedience
We have often pointed out that
There is a difference between faith and saving faith.
Every human has a certain element of faith.
A certain degree of faith is necessary to function in life.
But only a few have true saving faith.
James spoke of the difference.
James 2:14-26 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
Don’t misread James.
He is not saying that works are needed in addition to faith for salvation.
That is heresy.
He’s saying if faith doesn’t have works then it isn’t saving faith.
Faith alone is required for salvation,
But the faith that is required is not cheap, or weak,
Or watered down.
Saving faith has two irreducible requirements.
Obedience and Perseverance
If both attributes are not present then your faith is not genuine.
Jesus said:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”
There is a false disciple
Who makes an empty momentary profession.
They don’t produce fruit, they don’t remain in the vine,
Therefore they reveal that the faith they had was not true saving faith.
Which is of course why Jesus would also say:
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Perseverance doesn’t save you,
But if you don’t have perseverance then you are not saved.
Hezekiah had it.
“he clung to the LORD”
His faith was real, His faith endured.
He had the mindset of Peter:
John 6:67-69 “So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
If you want to be one who trusts God
You must also have passion and perseverance.
This was Hezekiah.
His Passion His Perseverance
#3 HIS PROSPERITY
2 Kings 18:7-8
You all know by now that I absolutely do not like what is today called “The Prosperity Gospel”.
The idea that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and happy.
And so when I say that Hezekiah was prosperous
Please don’t assume that is where this is going.
However, Scripture says very clearly, “And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered.”
The prosperity of the gospel is a spiritual prosperity,
Not a physical prosperity.
And this spiritual prosperity
Is very much an attribute of those who trust God.
Psalms 1:1-4 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
When you trust God, God will not let you down.
When you depend solely on him, He will not fail.
There is a peace, there is a confidence, there is a deliverance,
There is a spiritual prosperity when you trust God.
Hezekiah had it.
• He trusted that God would not leave him and God didn’t.
• He trusted that God would not fail him and God didn’t.
• He trusted that God would not forsake him and God didn’t.
And this extreme trust even led him to stand against great enemies.
“And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”
Ahaz served him, but Hezekiah trusted God
More than he feared Assyria.
(8) “He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.”
The Philistines were conquered servants of Assyria,
But Hezekiah did not fear them either.
He trusted God and God delivered him.
This morning I would just encourage you to know
That it is always right to trust God.
Not only does He desire it, but He is also worthy of it.
You CAN trust God, for He is faithful.
I don’t know where you are in this life, but odds are good
Everyone in this place faces a dilemma of one kind or another.
I wouldn’t even begin to counsel you on how to make those decisions,
Except to tell you that it is never wrong to trust God.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
God is not out to get you, God is out to deliver you.
TRUST HIM
For some in this place that means salvation.
For others it is the daily grind of trusting him with the daily issues of life.
If you can trust Him with your soul, don’t you think you can trust Him with your money?
If you can trust Him with your soul, don’t you think you can trust Him with your family?
If you can trust Him with your soul, don’t you think you can trust Him with your marriage?
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
