“‘I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'”

2 Kings 20:6 (NIV)

When Hezekiah was sick, the prophet, Isaiah, spoke a word to him from the Lord, “Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover” (2 Kings 20:1 NIV). This was a warning, not a prophetic word from the Lord. If it were then Hezekiah would have died from the illness. God doesn’t change His mind (Numbers 23:19). When we look to Hezekiah, and the fifteen years that the Lord added to his life, what we ought to think isn’t, “what would we do with the extra years?” Instead, we ought to think, “What can I do with the life that I have right now?” When God gave Hezekiah those fifteen years He did so for many reasons. One, of which, is that we might learn something from Hezekiah.

In the fifteen years of Hezekiah’s life that God gave to him after healing him of this illness, we know that he had a son born to him named Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1). We also know that Hezekiah, when he received the envoys and gifts from the king of Babylon, after his illness, showed them everything in his kingdom and his palace out of his pride (2 Kings 20:13). Although Hezekiah repented, the damage was still done to Judah and to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:25-26). God delivered Judah from the Assyrians and spared Hezekiah’s life only to have Hezekiah show everything to the Babylonians who later sacked Jerusalem and carried the people off to Babylon.

Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh was one of the most evil kings in Judah’s history leading the people into doing more evil than the nations that the Lord had destroyed before them (2 Kings 21:6-9).

Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king and he was zealous for the Lord. “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah” (2 Kings 18:5). During the first part of his reign, Judah had been threatened by the Assyrians while Hezekiah watched the people of Israel be carried off to Assyrian lands because of the evil that they had done (2 Kings 18:12). It was in Hezekiah’s fourteenth year of his reign that the Assyrians attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them (2 Kings 18:13). This also happened to be the year that Hezekiah got sick and was warned that he was going to die. However, the Lord delivered Hezekiah from death while also delivering Judah from the Assyrians.

The first half of Hezekiah’s reign was dominated by trouble and turmoil. However, it was in the midst of all of this turmoil that Hezekiah was the most faithful to God. As we have seen from the other kings of Israel and Judah, the people follow the king. Therefore, we can say that the people of Judah were also faithful to the Lord during this time. In the second half of Hezekiah’s reign, during a time of peace and prosperity, his pride flourished leading to the eventual downfall of Judah.

When I look at the life of Hezekiah I see a parallel to that of Israel. The people of Israel were generally the least faithful to God when times were good. When the times were bad they turned back to the Lord. This is a pattern we see throughout the Old Testament. While Hezekiah didn’t turn away from the Lord when times were good, he did have the time to expand the cities and take care of the land. However, he also had the time to become prideful.

Do you see anything like Hezekiah in your life? When the times are tough, do you hunker down and pray to the Lord with all of your might, professing to follow Him better if He delivers you today? Do you find yourself, in times of prosperity, looking to all that is available to you, thinking that maybe, you deserve it?

No one has the same walk with the Lord. Sometimes we rise, when others fall, and vice-versa. Whether or not you’re rising when I’m falling, there’s one thing I think we can take away from Hezekiah. He should have quit when he was ahead.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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