From the Chronicles of King Hezekiah and King Manasseh, I realized that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart… humble or proud.
King Hezekiah started well. It was said of him that: Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, was twenty-five years old when he began to reign. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him (2 Kings 18:1-7).
Hezekiah’s humility: When the Assyrian king insulted the Lord, threatened the people and tried to get Judah to surrender to him (2 Kings 18:13-37), Hezekiah was humble and depended on the Lord. What did he do? He mourned and prayed before the Lord. He asked the prophet Isaiah to intercede for his people. He was concerned that the Assyrian king mocked the living God. Isaiah assured Hezekiah: ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”
Hezekiah prayed: O Lord, the God of Israel, 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 Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
When Hezekiah got terminally sick, he prayed to the Lord. The Lord healed him. After which, the king became proud and showed all his treasures to the Babylonian king. (Read about it in 2 Kings 20.)
From the account of 2 Chronicles
32:24-26 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.
2 Chron. 33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
Hezekiah vs Manasseh:
Hezekiah started at 25 and reigned 29 years. Manasseh started at 12 and reigned 55 years. Hezekiah did right and Manasseh did evil. There are 4 long chapters written of the many accomplishments of Hezekiah in his 29 years of reign. There are only 20 short verses summarizing Manasseh’s 55 years as king. How did they end? The good king turned proud (32:25) and the bad king humbled himself. (33:12)
In both, God had a response. When Hezekiah had pride and did not acknowledge the kindness God shown him, God’s wrath was on him. When Manasseh humbled himself, God was ‘moved’ by his cries for help. God listened and answered. When Hezekiah repented of his pride, God’s wrath did not come on them during his days. (Implications: It came in the days after his reign. Pride has consequences.)
When all is well and we have so many accomplishments under our belt – even those of purifying the temple (ch.29), leading the people in worship in the Passover (ch.30), raising funds (ch.31), winning battles (ch.32), beware of pride. What a good capable person I am! I did it all – I am a good king, I did great things for my people and for God. So with us Christians, even the things that seemingly to be of the Lord, for the Lord, to the Lord – these doing, giving and being, successful things can become our idols. It makes us proud and forgetful. We forget that all good things come from the Lord. Even the heart for doing right and being right in the eyes of the Lord is all by His grace and mercy.
When all is not well, when we did badly, when we are hopelessly in the deep dark pit of evil and sin, there is hope. God listens to the humble heart – to the cries of even the most evil king – reigning badly for 55 years. God is moved (33:13a). He brings us back to him – He restores us to knowing that the Lord is God. v.13b
Beware of pride and prejudice. Repent and be restored. Let me not forget.
