I really admire Hezekiah, but I don’t ever want to do what he did here…
When I was in the military I heard a Chaplain introduce Hezekiah as “the Engineer King” and it always stuck with me. I wasn’t an engineer, but as Infantrymen we appreciated what those guys could do. Hezekiah was a genius when it came to building things. His tunnel and water system reflect both tactical and engineering prowess. But this particular incident doesn’t show him at his best.
I have often said that I don’t want to ever make Hezekiah’s mistake, which I have always considered to be asking God for more time than He has allotted. Had Hezekiah “gone home” when he was supposed to, he could have avoided several political errors that cost the country dearly in future years.
But today I observe that the country was doomed because of their apostasy, we can’t lay the whole thing on Hezekiah. His major contribution to the demise is his son Manasseh, who rivals Ahab for the title of “worst king ever”. We’re not talking about a few unwise political decisions here, this guy built and erected a false god inside the temple designed and built for the Creator of the Universe. This seems like total depravity to me.
I wonder if Hezekiah’s real error might have been in his thought process. When confronted with his own mortality, he reminds God of how faithful he has been and cries out for mercy and deliverance. But when warned about the future demise of the entire nation, and his own children, he shrugs it off. That doesn’t seem right to me. What might have happened if Hezekiah had been as concerned about the nation as he was for himself? Would God have relented, and provided someone beside Manasseh to lead? Perhaps God would have altered events and allowed the nation to survive. He certainly had done that before.
Another thing that grips me here is how bad Hezekiah’s son turned out. I wonder if he was an engaged father (based on his seeming unconcern about the future of his kids). Maybe he was a little self absorbed, that doesn’t translate well into being a good father figure or role model. I know that children choose their own path, and sometimes they elect a course of action that is the polar opposite of what their parents believe and value. Each person is responsible for their own soul, I guess. But I want my kids to know that I pray for their salvation regularly. What happens to them spiritually is enormously important to me. It would break my heart to know that my kids denied our faith. I find myself wondering if Hezekiah felt the same.
Perhaps his biggest error was failure to intercede when he could have.
I guess we won’t know until we get to heaven and ask him.
Faithfully,
PR