There are many examples of real faithfulness recorded in the Word of God concerning Hezekiah, and he stands out among the kings of Judah for his trust in the Lord. However, God also records some failures in his life as a warning to us. I would suggest that there are three areas in his life where his conduct was not altogether according to God and in keeping with the faith he exhibited at other times.
First of all, it is evident that at the time of the initial threat from Sennacherib, his faith failed him. Having already refused to serve the king of Assyria at the beginning of his reign, he now says to Sennacherib that he was wrong to have refused, and he offers to pay whatever tribute was laid upon him. The amount demanded (three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold) was evidently paid in full, although it was necessary to give not only all the silver from the house of the Lord, but also gold stripped from the doors and posts of the temple.
A Lapse of Faith
Like Peter’s lack of faith while he was walking on the water, this was not a true lack of belief in the heart, but rather a temporary lapse of his faith due to circumstances that seemed overwhelming. The might of the Assyrian empire was well-known, and their cruelty to anyone who resisted them was legendary. By this time the northern kingdom had already fallen, and apparently the destruction of Samaria had been accompanied by slaughter and torture, as well as by the taking of many into captivity. Also, Hezekiah’s serious illness probably occurred about this time and may have added to his fragility.
Whatever the circumstances, however, it was scarcely right before God to give in to the claims of the Assyrian king, and this is borne out by the fact that nothing was gained by it. Sennacherib reacted with treachery and even greater demands. The Lord used all this, including Sennacherib’s subsequent direct challenge to God Himself, to strengthen Hezekiah’s faith and give him courage to stand firm on God’s promises.
Faithfulness or Grace
Second, Hezekiah’s reaction was not entirely in submission to the Lord, when Isaiah was sent to tell him that he would not recover from his sickness, but was going to die. Of course, we must make allowance for the fact that in the Old Testament, the interval between death and resurrection was shrouded in mystery. It was not until the New Testament that “our Savior Jesus Christ ... annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings” (2 Tim. 1:10 JND). But Hezekiah pleads, not God’s grace, but rather his record of faithfulness, as a reason why he should not have to die. To remind the Lord that he had walked before Him “in truth and with a perfect heart” was somewhat presumptuous, even if there was truth in the statement. How much better the words of Paul, who could say, “Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). Likewise, when speaking of his own life, Paul would not speak of his faithfulness, but simply commented, “I judge not mine own self ... but he that judgeth me is the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:3-4).
We know that Hezekiah’s subsequent recovery and victory over the Assyrians is a type of Israel’s recovery and restoration to blessing in a coming day, and also the annihilation of the latter-day Assyrian—first the king of the North, and eventually the Russian confederacy. Also, Hezekiah is a type of the Lord Jesus, who actually did go into death and rose triumphant over the grave and all of Satan’s power. But every type falls short, and we are here only commenting on Hezekiah’s failure as a man.
The Place of Greatness
The third and, perhaps, the most significant of Hezekiah’s failures occurs after his recovery and the destruction of Sennacherib’s army. As another has commented, he was able to stand firm against the frown of the world, but later succumbed to the friendship of the world. As a result of the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, Hezekiah became a great man before the world. Who else had dared to resist Assyria and come out victorious? Suddenly Hezekiah was honored and sought after.
In addition to this, the “wonder that was done in the land” (2 Chron. 32:31) had come to the attention of other nations, for who had ever heard of the sundial going back ten degrees? The amount of time involved was forty minutes—enough that it was noticed by “the princes of Babylon,” who came to ask about this most significant event.
The Display of His Treasures
Finally, word had evidently gotten around that Hezekiah had been seriously ill, but had recovered. Thus we read that “Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered” (Isa. 39:1). But he was not the only one to send a present; we read also that “many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth” (2 Chron. 32:23).
Sad to say, it appears that all this went to his head, so to speak. God had “left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart” and “his heart was lifted up” (2 Chron. 32:31,25). Favorable circumstances manifested something in his heart that nothing else had revealed. Instead of giving the Lord the glory and using the visit of the king of Babylon as an opportunity of honoring the God of Israel, he displayed before him “all that was found in his treasures” and everything in “all his dominion.”
We can understand this pride, and especially when material blessing was a sign of the Lord’s favor in the Old Testament. But it was really pride in himself, rather than thankfulness for what God had done. How easily we too, as believers, can be proud of what we have and what we are spiritually, and like Job of old, attribute to ourselves what God’s grace has worked in us. As a result, we read that “there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chron. 32:25). More than this, the prophet Isaiah told him that the king of Babylon had sinister intentions; his successors would come back at a future day and carry into Babylon all the treasures that Hezekiah had displayed as well as his descendants.
A Good Ending
But the story has a happy ending for Hezekiah. As a result of the discipline of the Lord, it is recorded that he “humbled himself for the pride of his heart ... so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah” (2 Chron. 32:26). It is sad to see failure, either in others or in ourselves, but when we are under the hand of God as a consequence, how good it is to see true humbling before Him. In Hezekiah’s case, God did not revoke his purposed judgment, but as a result of his humility, He allowed Hezekiah to go to his grave in peace.
With ourselves, the “chastening of the Lord” can produce either despising or fainting, and both are wrong (Heb. 12:5). But those who are “exercised thereby” will find that the Lord is gracious and that His dealings with us will produce “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11). The lessons learned here in the wilderness may be hard, but they will pay eternal dividends.
W. J. Prost