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Hezekiah

the king who trusted in God

Who was Hezekiah?

Also called
Hezekiah, son of Ahaz 2 Kings 18:1
Occupation
King of Judah 2 Kings 18:1
Hezekiah, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

2 Kings 18:1, 3

1In the third year of Osee the son of Ela king of Israel, reigned Ezechias the son of Achaz king of Juda. 3And he did that which was good before the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

2 Kings 19:1-2, 14-19

1And when king Ezechias heard these words, he rent his garments, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2And he sent Eliacim, who was over the house, and Sobna the scribe, and the ancients of the priests covered with sackcloths, to Isaias the prophet the son of Amos, 14And when Ezechias had received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and had read it, he went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord, 15And he prayed in his sight, saying: O Lord God of Israel, who sitteth upon the cherubims, thou alone art the God of all the kings of the earth: thou madest heaven and earth: 16Incline thy ear, and hear: open, O Lord, thy eyes, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to upbraid unto us the living God. 17Of a truth, O Lord, the kings of the Assyrians have destroyed nations, and the lands of them all. 18And they have cast their gods into the fire: for they were not Rods, but the works of men’s hands of wood and stone, and they destroyed them. 19Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou art the Lord the only God.

Matthew 1:9-10

9And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. 10And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manesses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Hezekiah

  1. Before Jesus. He became king at twenty-five and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi. 2 Kings 18:2
  2. Before Jesus. He opened and repaired the doors of the Temple. He smashed Moses’ bronze serpent, because people were burning incense to it. 2 Chronicles 29:3; 2 Kings 18:4
  3. Before Jesus. He invited all Israel and Judah to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:1
  4. Before Jesus. In Hezekiah’s sixth year, the Assyrians took Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. They carried the Israelites off to Assyria. 2 Kings 18:9-11
  5. With Jesus. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, took the cities of Judah. Hezekiah paid him a great deal of silver and gold. 2 Kings 18:13-14
  6. With Jesus. When the Assyrian army reached Jerusalem, Hezekiah went to the Temple and sent word to Isaiah asking him to pray. 2 Kings 18:17; 2 Kings 19:1-4
  7. With Jesus. An Assyrian commander shouted to the people by the wall not to trust in the Lord. The people kept silent, because Hezekiah had ordered them not to answer. 2 Kings 18:28-30, 36
  8. With Jesus. He spread the Assyrian king’s letter out before the Lord and prayed. Isaiah answered him that the Lord had heard him. 2 Kings 19:14-15, 20
  9. With Jesus. That night the angel of the Lord struck the Assyrian army, and Sennacherib went back to Nineveh. 2 Kings 19:35-36
  10. Afterward. He fell mortally ill, prayed in tears, and the Lord gave him fifteen more years of life. 2 Kings 20:1-6
  11. Afterward. When he recovered, Hezekiah wrote a song. It is in the Book of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 38:9

Words of Hezekiah

“O Lord God of Israel, who sitteth upon the cherubims, thou alone art the God of all the kings of the earth: thou madest heaven and earth.” 2 Kings 19:15

In the Temple, with the Assyrian king’s letter spread out.

“Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou art the Lord the only God.” 2 Kings 19:19

At the end of that prayer.

“I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is pleasing before thee.” 2 Kings 20:3

When he was sick, turned toward the wall.

“The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make thy truth known to the children.” Isaiah 38:19

In his song, after he was healed.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

What people ask

Why did he destroy Moses’ bronze serpent?

Because in his time people burned incense to it, as if it were a god. 2 Kings 18:4

What was the sign of his healing?

Isaiah called on the Lord, and the shadow went back ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:8-11

What did Hezekiah do wrong?

He showed all his treasures to the envoys from Babylon. Isaiah told him that all of it would be carried off to Babylon. 2 Kings 20:13-17

Did he build a tunnel in Jerusalem?

The Bible says he made a pool and a channel to bring water into the city from Gihon. The NAB note calls it “Hezekiah’s tunnel.” 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30; NAB note on 2 Re 20, 20

Who was Hezekiah’s father?

Ahaz, king of Judah. Hezekiah became king in the third year of Hoshea, king of Israel. 2 Kings 18:1

Who reigned after Hezekiah?

His son Manasseh, when Hezekiah died. 2 Kings 20:21

His pride He showed all his treasures to the envoys from Babylon. 2 Kings 20:13 Chronicles says he became proud, but later humbled himself. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26 Little known His…

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Who Hezekiah is connected to

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