2 Kings 19:15–19 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear… save us, please. (ESV)
Hezekiah was the son of the king and the prince of Jerusalem. So you might think he was lucky, and that he lived a simple, spoiled, cozy life. But you should know that while he was born into a royal family, he was also born into trouble.
Just like the prophets had predicted, armies were coming, and they were going to destroy Israel and Jerusalem and kill their kings and princes. The wars had already begun, and the end was in sight, and the prophets were just about ready to say, “I told you so.” And that is precisely when Hezekiah was born.
Hezekiah’s father saw the writing on the wall. It was over. He’d be captured and killed any day now. And so rather than building higher walls, or defensive structures, or raising an army, he tried another strategy. If he couldn’t beat the enemy, he’d join them instead. Rather than picking a fight, he’d make a friend.
And so he closed the temple and built new churches, and he sta…
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Faith Matters to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
