July 22

The enormity of God’s grace can certainly be seen in the life of King Hezekiah. When King Sennacherib of Assyria threatened Judah, God heard Hezekiah’s prayers and miraculously rescued Judah. Hezekiah had been a picture of courage and leadership in the face of great odds against him, because he trusted in God. “Be strong and courageous!”, he encouraged his people. ‘Don’t be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are just men. We have the Lord our God to help us and fight our battles for us” (II Chronicles 32:7&8).
When Hezekiah became deathly ill, the prophet Isaiah went to visit him and Isaiah told Hezekiah that he was going to die (II Kings 20:1; Isaiah 38:1). But, Hezekiah was a mighty prayer warrior. He had turned to God by faith in the past. God had heard Hezekiah’s prayer then and demonstrated in His answer to Hezekiah’s prayer that He can do all things. Once again, God heard Hezekiah’s prayers and God pledged to heal Hezekiah and give him fifteen more years of life (II Kings 20:2-7; Isaiah 38:2-6). The Bible then tells us, “But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem” (II Chron.32: 25&26). When the King of Babylon sent an envoy to visit Hezekiah and ask about his miraculous healing, Hezekiah showed the envoy everything he had accumulated. Hezekiah was so proud of his treasures and his wealth, there was nothing he didn’t show these foreign visitors. Neither was there any recognition on his part that what he had, came from God. As punishment, Isaiah was sent from God to inform Hezekiah that all these treasures he had bragged about, would be carried off to the palace of Babylon (II Kings 20:16-18; Isaiah 39:5-7). In one of the most selfish statements in all of scripture, Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good. At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime” II Kings 20:19; Isaiah 39:8) Hezekiah cared only about himself. Hezekiah didn’t care what happened to his people after he died. Hezekiah didn’t care what happened to his treasures after he died. All he cared about was his own personal health and wealth. What a sad life. What a sad legacy. As you think about your life and what is important, what is it that you really care about?