I am captivated by how Hezekiah, a highly revered Old Testament king of Judah, was so much like us today. Apparently, He made a presumptuous decision that later brought him to a crisis point. You can only appreciate the resemblance by knowing his backstory.
Hezekiah’s father, king Ahaz, claimed to worship God but was a horrendous model of a follower of God. Hezekiah became a co-ruler then sole ruler at 25 years of age (2 Chronicles 29:1). Perhaps because of a godly mother, one of the first acts of his reign was to open the doors of the Temple of God and lead the people into a spiritual revival. The Bible reads Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 2 Kings 18:5 (NLT2) That would have included David and Solomon!
When things were going so well, he made a costly decision. His father had agreed to pay taxes to the Assyrian empire when it was at its zenith. However, that empire was fracturing by the time Sennacherib became its king. Hezekiah then decided to join in the rebellion of other nations (such as Egypt and Babylon) and stop paying the tribute his father had agreed to pay. When Sennacherib’s army began to crush scores of the rebellious cities, King Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria when he was laying siege to Lachish: “I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute money you demand if you will only withdraw.” 2 Kings 18:14a (NLT2) If he would have consulted God before deciding to rebel, do you think he would have felt the need to make such a humble confession? It is easy looking back in history to criticize Hezekiah for not trusting God to deliver him.
However, if God had told Hezekiah to rebel, Hezekiah most likely would have told Sennacherib he was coming against God, so prepare to be defeated. But he didn’t. Nor is there any hint that he had consulted God before making this humble confession. Could it be that Hezekiah realized he had neglected asking God before stepping out in rebellion? If so, this humble confession was a reflection of his righteous character, not lack of faith?
When God chooses to bless our humble love and worship, it is extremely easy to become so caught up in the moment we neglect to continue to be the same humble, God-fearing person that allowed God to bless us in the first place. Instead, we presumptuously make critical decisions without consulting Him that later humbles us. I’m sure I have done that and I’ve watched others pridefully fall into the very same trap. Some people begin to overspend money, abuse their power by lording it over others, or try to use man’s methods to improve on the talents they have assumed to be their own.
In Hezekiah’s case, God saw his freshly humbled heart and miraculously intervened. We remember this incredible intervention story, not the broken humility involved due to his presumptuous decision. Our broken and contrite heart is what arouses God to show Himself strong on our behalf. Are you being careful to not take God’s blessings for granted and remain totally dependent upon His mercy and grace? Or, has your pride been keeping you in the unwise decision mode which goes from bad to worse? Are you feeling grateful for living dependent on Him or feeling a ping in your inner person that, like Hezekiah, you also have become too presumptive and need to humbly repent to God and man and receive God’s forgiving grace?