Bible Study

Just for your thoughts:
The book of 2 Kings, Bible Lesson 26 .

The other side of King Hezekiah
King Hezekiah was a great reformer in the Old Testament period. He carried out many reforms in the Jewish religion and in the temple. Most importantly, he opened the temple doors and purified it (2 Chronicles 29:3). He removed the high places, the Asherah poles, and the idols. He even broke into pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, which the Israelites had been burning incense to ever since the time of Moses. This practice had continued for about 700 years among the people of Israel. In this way, he accomplished many reforms.
Of him it is written: “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.”
Yet, in his life too we see some dark sides. The Bible always records not only the great spiritual achievements of godly men, but also their weaknesses. It never portrays anyone in a one-sided, exaggerated way. No spiritual leader is praised beyond measure. Abraham’s failure of faith, Moses’ impatience, Joshua’s defeat, David’s weakness, Solomon’s backsliding, Paul and Barnabas’ sharp dispute, Peter’s denial—these and many others are clearly written in Scripture. The reason is that no human being must be glorified above measure.
In the same way, though Hezekiah was a great reformer and a man of great trust in God, the Bible also mentions his shortcomings.
During his reign, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah (2 Kings 18:13). At that time, Hezekiah did not trust in the Lord but sought compromise with the Assyrian king instead of fighting him.

As a result, Hezekiah gave him three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. He even gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. Worse still, Hezekiah stripped off the gold with which he himself had overlaid the doors and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

The very temple in which he had carried out reforms—its treasures he gave away to a pagan king as tribute. But even that did not satisfy the Assyrian king, and he increased his invasion. Only then, with no other way left, did Hezekiah turn back to the Lord.

Then the Lord performed a great miracle and saved the nation. In a single night, the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
Another dark side in his life is seen when the king of Babylon heard that Hezekiah had been sick and sent envoys to him with letters and a gift.

Hezekiah received them and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his armory, and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them (2 Kings 20:12–13).
In doing so, he exalted himself by displaying his wealth instead of glorifying the Lord. This act displeased God.
As a result, his son Manasseh was later taken captive by the Assyrian king because of his sin.
Pride is a very deceitful weapon that Satan uses against God’s people. Indeed, Satan himself fell through pride.
“Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from which all the other sins come.” – William Barclay

Thus, although Hezekiah brought about great reforms in the temple, he also failed in two major areas: first, in compromising with the king of Assyria by giving him the temple treasures, and second, in pridefully displaying his wealth before the Babylonian envoys.

When we read the Bible with thought, care, and attention, it teaches us valuable lessons. Through these accounts, we learn to avoid the dark sides that may also appear in our own lives.
Our true glory is only in the Word of God and in our Savior—not in any human leader or movement.