Hezekiah's Prayer

June 28

2 Kings 19-20

Psalm 76:1-6

Proverbs 16:26-27

Acts 23

Hezekiah’s Prayer

“And Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh and said, ‘O Yahweh, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.  You have made heaven and earth.  Incline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; open Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.  Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their land and have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone.  So they have destroyed them.  But now, O Yahweh our God, I pray, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Yahweh, are God.”  2 Kings 19:14-19 LSB

1 and 2 Kings are filled with accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah after Solomon.  There were 20 kings of Judah and 20 in Israel.  In Israel, Jehu was the only king that was considered to be good.  In Judah there were a few good kings interspersed with the bad and evil kings.  It is  amazing to me when I read about them that there were several kings who were very bad followed by sons who turned back to God and tore down the high places to the pagan gods. They must have had someone else in their lives who told them about God and taught them His ways.  Perhaps a mom, grandmother, servants, or others in the palace who were faithful to God in spite of the evil their fathers did in God’s sight.  There has always been a faithful remnant of Jewish believers throughout history who have preserved their religious practices and their faith in God so that it could be passed down from generation to generation.  Hezekiah was one of the good kings of Judah.  He reigned from 729-687 BC.  During his reign in Judah, the kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and they were taken into captivity.  Sennacherib, the Assyria king, then set his sights on the people of Judah.  He sent a letter to Hezekiah threatening him and trying to scare him into surrendering to Assyria or be overtaken. 

Hezekiah didn’t surrender or cower in fear and despair.  Hezekiah trusted God and he turned to Him for help.  The prayer in our passage today is an excellent example of what we should do when we are facing difficult and even dire circumstances.  Hezekiah began his prayer acknowledging who God is.  He recognized that God was the one and only true God, that He was the maker of heaven and earth, and that He is seated on His throne in heaven ruling over the kingdoms of the earth.  His words were given in praise and adoration but they may also have been a reminder to himself of who God is and that He is in control.  He then laid out his dire situation before God and asked Him to intervene on behalf of His people.  He also appealed to God to defeat Sennacherib so that everyone would know that He alone is God and the gods of the Assyrians were worthless idols made of wood and stone.  God answered His prayer and defeated the Assyrian army  and Sennacherib was assassinated by his own sons.  Hezekiah knew where to turn when He was in trouble.  He didn’t try to take care of it on his own power and strength.  Where do you turn first when you are facing difficulty?