Hezekiah's Prayer
(Isaiah 38:1) In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him: Thus says the Lord: Make a testament for your house, for you will die and not recover.
After this, Hezekiah prayed to God, and God changed His mind. And he sent another message for the prophet Isaiah.
The question arises: can a person beg God for more days of life? Change His decision on this or that issue? To do this, you need to understand the literary and historical context of the book of the prophet Isaiah about King Hezekiah. This story is recorded from Isaiah 36 to 39. If you read them, you will notice that they are not arranged in chronological order. The author, the prophet Isaiah, had his own good reasons why he did this.
Service in the Temple [↑]
In the first month of his reign, Hezekiah resumed his ministry in the Temple. On the first day of the month, he gathered the Kohanim and Levites on the Temple Mount, telling them: “Now sanctify yourselves and dedicate the House of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and throw away the filthiness from the sanctuary. For our fathers betrayed Him and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and forsook Him, and turned their faces away from the abode of God, and turned their backs. They locked the doors of the porch, and extinguished the lamps, and did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. …Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that He may turn away the flames of His wrath from us.” By order of the king, the Levites removed all objects of idolatry from their Temple, and on the sixteenth day the Kohanim again began to offer sacrifices commanded by the Torah to the Most High ( II Divrei Ayamim 29:3-36, Malbim
).
King Hezekiah
(Isaiah 38:5-6) Go and tell Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, and behold, I will add fifteen years to your days, and I will save you from the hand of the king of Assyria. and I will defend this city.
The chapters are not in their time order. The prophet Isaiah, after he promises Hezekiah that another 15 years will be added to his life, says the following: “And from the hand of the king of Assyria I will save you and this city and will defend this city.”
A comment!
The siege of Jerusalem by the king of Assyria is described in chapters 36-37. Accordingly, Hezekiah's illness and healing occurred before the siege of Jerusalem. This happened at a time when the threat of an Assyrian invasion was already looming over Judea.
Another point that I would like to mention is that most likely, this was not one siege, but there were several attempts to capture Jerusalem. But Isaiah describes only one siege.
(2 Kings 18:13) In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, king Sennacherib of Assyria went against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, I am guilty; get away from me; whatever you put on me, I will bring in. And the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
The first time King Hezekiah paid off the King of Assyria by paying him tribute.
(Isaiah 39) Ambassadors from Babylon come to Hezekiah, and he shows them all the treasures that were in his royal house.
Most likely, these events must have occurred before the siege of Jerusalem. That is, until the moment when King Hezekiah gave all the treasures to the King of Assyria.
Hezekiah's prayer to the Lord helped him save his people from the Assyrian army
After some time, the Assyrian king sent people to Hezekiah to ask him in whom he trusted so much in everything? Why did he decide to remove the altar and all the idols in the area? After which the ambassadors began to offer Hezekiah the help of the Assyrian king if he would do everything he told him.
Hezekiah prayed to God for the salvation and protection of his people. The next morning, all the Assyrian troops were destroyed. Photo: pouke.org
Then Rabshakeh, the warrior of the Assyrian king, announced in a loud voice that no one would be saved if he followed Hezekiah:
“...And Rabshakeh stood up and cried with a loud voice in Jewish, and spoke and said: Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot save you from my hand; and do not let Hezekiah give you hope in the Lord, saying: “The Lord will save us, and this city will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.”
(2 Kings 18)
But the people only listened to him and were silent, because the king ordered them not to answer a word to anyone.
After which all the words were conveyed to King Hezekiah.
Hezekiah was furious that the Assyrian king dared to blaspheme God and insult him with words. He ordered his man to say a prayer for all the remaining people. Hezekiah himself began to pray to the Lord:
“...and He went to the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah unfolded it before the face of the Lord, and Hezekiah prayed before the face of the Lord and said: Lord God of Israel, who sits on the Cherubim! You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth, You created the heavens and the earth...”
(2 Kings 18:16)
After Hezekiah’s prayer, the Angel of the Lord struck all the troops of the Assyrian king. Photo: oneway2day.files.wordpress.com
After the prayer, something amazing happened:
“...And it happened that night: the Angel of the Lord went and smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. And they got up in the morning, and behold, all the bodies were dead..."
(2 Kings 19:35)
The Assyrian king himself fled, but was later caught up and killed.
King Hezekiah fell mortally ill and was healed
After this, ambassadors from Babylon come to him. It should be noted that Babylon also depended on Syria. During Hezekiah's lifetime, Babylon twice rebelled against Assyrian rule. And at the time when ambassadors came to Hezekiah, Babylon was independent.
(Isaiah 39:1) At that time Merodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and gifts to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
Another important point to remember here is that Merodach Baladan is not simply sending envoys to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery, but most likely he is seeking an alliance with Judah against Assyria. And the fact that Hezekiah very cordially receives the ambassadors and shows all the treasures of the house suggests that Hezekiah agreed to this alliance. And that is why the Lord reprimands Hezekiah that he did wrong by showing all the treasures of his house.
A comment!
The next, not very good act that Hezekiah does after his recovery is that he gives all the treasures of his house and the treasures of the house of the Lord - tribute to the king of Assyria.
After this, King Hezekiah experiences a siege, but he shows faith in God. The Lord helps him survive this siege.
The Assyrian king more than once helped Hezekiah's father, King Ahaz
The Assyrian king decided to meet Ahaz halfway. He received the king and the inhabitants of the city in Cyrus, and killed the Syrian king.
When Ahaz was visiting the Assyrian king, he noticed a very unusual device - an altar. At the same time, he sent the priest an image and a drawing of this device.
The priest built such an altar as was indicated in the drawing.
When the king returned to his lands, the first thing he did was look at the altar and offer a sacrifice in it:
“...and the king came to the altar and offered sacrifice on it; and he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering, and poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of the peace offering on his altar.
And he moved the brass altar, which was before the Lord, from the front of the temple, from the place between the new altar and the house of the Lord, and placed it on the side of this altar to the north ... "
(2 Kings 16:10-18)
Ahaz built an altar, the structure of which he saw from the Assyrian king. Photo: yeshua.org
After this, King Azakh gave instructions that burnt offerings should be offered on the great altar in the morning and evening:
“...you shall burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, and the burnt offering of the king and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the earth, and their grain offering, and their drink offering, and sprinkle it with all the blood of the burnt offering and with all the blood of the sacrifices, and sprinkle it on the altar. copper will remain at my discretion..."
(2 Kings 16)
Birth of Manasseh
Subsequently, another event occurs in Hezekiah’s life that has a negative consequence. Hezekiah has a son named Manasseh.
(2 Kings 21:1-2) Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty years in Jerusalem; His mother's name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, imitating the abominations of the nations, whom the Lord drove out from before the children of Israel.
If Manasseh was 12 years old when Hezekiah died, then Manasseh was born approximately three years after Hezekiah's recovery. So, we see that in Hezekiah’s life after his recovery, several not very good events happened. Or rather, Hezekiah made several mistakes after his recovery. Therefore, we can draw an important conclusion that the Lord specifically wanted to take Hezekiah away in order to protect him from mistakes in the future.
A comment!
(Isaiah 57:1) The righteous die, and no one takes it to heart; and pious men delight from the earth, and no one will think that the righteous delight from evil.
Hezekiah died at the age of 56
Hezekiah lived the last years of his life calmly. He died at the age of 56. He was buried with great splendor over the tombs of the sons of David.
Hezekiah's reign is considered one of the most remarkable reigns in history. Hezekiah was very successful because he always relied on the Lord and his help and intercession.
He had wealth and fame, with the help of which he built cities, installed water pipes, and raised livestock. During his reign, everything was in a flourishing state. This is how he was able to exalt himself in the eyes of all nations:
“...And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead...”
(2 Kings 21)
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Why did the Lord answer Hezekiah's prayer?
Although He saw that it would be better for Hezekiah to die at that moment.
During the 14 years of his reign, King Hezekiah showed himself to be a very pious king who did a lot of good.
(2 Kings 18:5) He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; and there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, both after him and before him.
A comment!
This story about Hezekiah's prayer reveals to us how the Lord acts towards us. Our life is an open-ended story. This means that the Lord does not strictly control our lives, but allows us to make our own decisions and influence our own destiny. Although the Lord knows from the beginning what will happen in the end.
What if the Lord had not answered Hezekiah’s prayer? What would happen?
(2 Kings 20:2-3) And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord! Remember that I walked before You faithfully and with a heart devoted to You, and did what was right in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept greatly.
A comment!
King Hezekiah was not yet ready to accept God's will. And if he had died at that moment, he would have died with great disappointment and resentment towards God.
A comment!
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The Lord acts as the father did in the parable of the prodigal son. He did not restrain his son by force, but allowed him to go his own way. Because at that moment the son was sure that he was doing the right thing. And the son needed to see the result of his choice and understand that he was wrong.
Hezekiah - a king who passed the test of loyalty to God
Earl of Peysti
“...God left him to test him and reveal everything that was in his heart.” These words are written in chapter 32, at the end of verse 31, of the second book of Chronicles. These words are amazing when you consider who they are spoken about. If they were said about one of the enemies of God's people, then there would be nothing surprising in this. But they are said about one of the greatest and most God-fearing kings.
His story begins with these words: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, just as David his father had done.”
Hezekiah reigned at the age of 25, and he reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years, and his reign was accompanied by great success and the blessing of God. These 29 years of Hezekiah's reign were a particularly vibrant period in the history of God's people.
Ahaz reigned before him, and it is said about him that he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, he corrupted Judah, sinned gravely before the Lord and irritated the Lord God of his fathers. It was in such troubled times that Hezekiah appeared on the stage of the history of Judah.
And the first thing that is said about him is that at the very beginning of his reign, in the very first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and resumed his ministry.
At the same time, he abolished the heights, smashed the statues, that is, destroyed the idols and the places in which they were placed. Hezekiah was so fearless and courageous that he was not afraid to destroy even the copper serpent that Moses had once made.
Do you remember this story, how in the desert Moses raised up a copper serpent and how every Israelite bitten by a poisonous snake, looking at this copper serpent, was instantly healed.
The power of healing was not in the brass serpent, but in obedience to the Word of the Lord. The people were punished for their disobedience and disobedience to God. In order to receive forgiveness and healing, the stung person was ordered to turn his gaze to the erected copper serpent, that is, he had to act according to the word spoken by God. So by obedience to God they were healed and restored to fellowship with Him.
And it is interesting to note that our Lord Jesus Christ gave precisely this example from the history of the Israeli people in his conversation with Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but had eternal life."
Just as it seemed absurd to the Israelite that he could receive complete healing by just looking at the brass serpent, so it seems absurd to man today that for just faith in the crucified and risen Savior he receives forgiveness and eternal life.
The question is not what seems reasonable or unreasonable to a person, but what God tells him to do. Disobedience led to man's fall, and only his faith, expressed in obedience, will restore his fellowship with God.
And so, in order to restore His people, God used the brass serpent, which he ordered Moses to make. Not for them to worship him. No, but that they should show their repentance by obedience to the Word of the Lord spoken through Moses: “...He who is stung will look at him and live.”
It's amazing that this copper snake was preserved for so long. Between these two events in the wilderness and Hezekiah's destruction of it, at least 700 years passed. You can imagine how carefully they treated this copper thing. For them, it became a religious relic, reminding the people of the moment in their history when God performed such an obvious miracle for them.
True, at first this copper serpent was kept as an object of veneration, that is, as a memory of the past. But over time, the people began to turn to this piece of copper with reverence, then began to worship it and burn incense to it.
And so, when Hezekiah began to destroy all the idols, he first of all took this copper serpent and broke it into small pieces. This copper serpent, considered the most holy idol, a relic of distant antiquity, was crushed by Hezekiah into dust and ashes. And immediately after this the Bible says: “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; and there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, either after him or before him.”
And further it is said about him that he clung to the Lord “and did not depart from Him, and kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him: wherever he went, he walked wisely” (2 Kings 18:5-7).
Hezekiah carried out the greatest reform throughout the entire region of Judah, gathering all the people to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, which had not been done among the people for a long time. He also restored sacrifices to the Lord for the sins of the people. And the people again began to pray and sing to the glory of the Lord. And it is said that they did it with joy.
And in the 12th verse of the 30th chapter of the 2nd book of Chronicles we read: “And the hand of God was upon Judah, giving them one heart to carry out the commandment of the king and the princes, according to the word of the Lord.”
And further in this chapter it is said: “And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had not been anything like this in Jerusalem.” God's people, under the leadership of King Hezekiah, experienced a major spiritual awakening!
But this blessed time was not without trials for Hezekiah.
After he had done so much good, “... in everything that he undertook to serve the house of God and to keep the law and commandments, thinking about his God, he acted with all his heart, and was successful,” we read such words: “After such deeds and fidelity, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judea and besieged the fortified cities...” The king of Assyria came with the intention of fighting against Jerusalem.
Just in the midst of the revival, when Hezekiah was having his greatest success, the enemy attacked him, the city of Jerusalem was besieged, and Hezekiah was unable to cope with such a powerful enemy. His situation was hopeless.
So the test for Hezekiah was very difficult. People were dying of hunger.
But it is said that King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet prayed and cried out to heaven! And God heard their prayer, and sent His angel and defeated the troops of the king of Assyria, and they retreated from Jerusalem. “Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria...”
And as a result of such a great miracle, it is said that Hezekiah became exalted in the eyes of all nations. They brought him precious gifts, and he was highly respected by all nations. None of them were able to defeat the Assyrians.
Therefore, the pagan peoples, thinking that Hezekiah had defeated the troops of the Assyrian king with his strength, came to him with their gifts to thank him for such a great victory over their common enemy...
But after this came another test for Hezekiah. In those days, Hezekiah fell deathly ill. Isaiah the prophet came to him with the word of the Lord and said to him: “Make a testament for your house, for you will die and not recover.”
Hezekiah was greatly distressed when he heard these words, and prayed to the Lord... And it is said that the Lord saw his tears and commanded the prophet Isaiah to return to the king and tell him: “... I heard your prayer, I saw your tears. Behold, I will heal you; on the third day you will go to the house of the Lord...” And the Lord promised to add 15 years to his life.
These words, apparently, seemed so incredible to Hezekiah that he asked for a sign. In other words, he also demanded proof that the words from the Lord were valid. Prove to me that these words are valid and that they will come true, give me a sign. And through the prayer of the prophet Isaiah Hezekiah, a sign was given. God brought the sun back ten steps!
Such a miracle that happened in the cosmic world could not go unnoticed. And rumors about him reached Babylon itself. This was the reason why special ambassadors came from the king of Babylon to learn in detail about this sign.
And in connection with this event, the words that we read at the beginning of the sermon were spoken: “...God left him (that is, Hezekiah) to test him and reveal everything that was in his heart...”
Why did God leave him? Was there anything objectionable about him? Wasn't he the most devoted ruler to God? After all, it is said about him that “there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, both after him and before him.”
Why did God leave him? In the 2nd book of Chronicles, in the 32nd chapter (vv. 30-31) it is said: “...And Hezekiah acted successfully in all his work. Only with the ambassadors of the kings of Babylon, who sent to him to ask about the sign that happened on earth (that is, about the shadow of the sun returning ten steps back), did God leave him in order to test him and reveal EVERYTHING that was in his heart.”
What will he do now that God has left God? Hezekiah, having such success and such incredible victories and blessings, began to think that he was a good person and that, unlike others, there was still something worthy of praise. This thought about his righteousness, which merited him special condescension from the Lord, is already noticed in his prayer when he was sick: “Oh, Lord! Remember that I walked before You faithfully and with a heart devoted to You, and did what was right in Your sight.”
Hezekiah asks for help on the basis of his faithfulness to God. And so, when the ambassadors of Babylon appeared, it is said that Hezekiah “showed them his storehouses, silver and gold, and spices, and costly ointments, and his entire armory, and everything that was in his treasuries; There was not a single thing left that Hezekiah did not show them in his house...” (2 Kings 20:13). Someone will say, well, what's special about this? Isn't it natural to do this? Why not show guests your house and its attractions, especially if you built it yourself? Why not boast at least a little? After all, this is normal for a person.
But you see, dear friends, for a person this is natural and normal, but a child of God is under a different law. “...Man looks at the face (that is, judges by appearance, by appearance), but the Lord looks at the heart.”
And so, in order to test Hezekiah and reveal everything that was in his heart, God retreated from him for a while.
A person who has not plunged into some gross and obvious sin may think that the reason for his moral life is that by nature he is still better than others. Tell such a person that he is no better than another, that his whole nature is spoiled by sin and that he is capable of the most vile acts, then he will answer you, as the king of Syria answered the prophet Hazael, who was told how much evil and atrocities he would commit: “ What is your servant, the dog, that he could do such a great thing?”
But let the Lord just leave a person for a moment, and he will immediately show what he is.
What was found in Hezekiah's heart when God left him? In human eyes, his sin did not seem so serious or even noticeable. What special thing did he do by showing all his possessions to the kings of Babylon? But in the eyes of God this is a great crime...
By showing off his wealth, Hezekiah took all the credit for himself. He wanted to show this important foreign delegation what a great and important man he was. He secretly expressed his desire for these authorities to take him into account...
From a political point of view, he believed that he did the right thing. He is a king, after all, and these are his potential opponents. Yes, that’s what his heart told him.
Oh, how deceitful is the heart of man! It is extremely damaged.
The Lord had just healed him, added 15 years to his life, given him an incredible sign, and instead of giving the glory to God, he took it for himself. He praised himself, but kept silent about God.
Look what a wonderful opportunity he was given to glorify God... He could have told these ambassadors from pagan Babylon what God had done for the people, for their country! How God answered his prayers, how he struck the Assyrians. It was such an obvious miracle! How the angel of God destroyed the troops of the king of Assyria! It was not the troops of King Hezekiah who defeated the Assyrians. They were all under siege, imprisoned in Jerusalem. What a wonderful opportunity he missed to testify to these pagans about the true living God and what He had done!
Or he could tell them about his healing. How, already on his deathbed, God healed him and added 15 years to his life. Wouldn't this be a living, actual testimony that he himself had just experienced?
But he did not say a word about what God had done for him and for his people and his country.
And he could have told these pagan ambassadors another stunning testimony for the glory of God, about the incredible miracle that happened to the sun. How God answered his prayer when he asked for a sign, and God gave it! After all, these ambassadors were specially sent to King Hezekiah to ask about this sign with the sun. But he neglected this opportunity. He was too busy with himself, his glory, his greatness.
These pagan ambassadors showed Hezekiah politeness, great honor, brought him expensive gifts, and he should have done the same - pointing them to the God who accomplished all this and who is ready to become their God!
And instead of conveying to them the most precious gift - the news of God's love and His readiness to save them too - he turned all their attention to himself.
The Word says: “...Hezekiah did not repay the benefits shown to him; for his heart was lifted up” (2 Chron. 32:25).
Oh, how deeply rooted in the heart of man is the sin of pride! Instead of giving thanks and glory to the Lord for the mercy shown to him, he takes the glory to himself. Yes, God left him so that he could see what a big sinner he really was. This humbled him and led him to repentance.
My friend, do not say, as Peter once said when Christ told His disciples that they would all deny Him: “Even if all are offended, yet not I.” That same evening, Peter learned how corrupt his heart was!
Yes, the Lord must sometimes retreat from us, leave us in order to test us, and reveal everything that is in our hearts.
And the depravity of Hezekiah’s heart is also revealed in that he rejoiced at those sent to him. He was happy when they came to visit him. His joy, as we know from the subsequent story, was not that he would have the opportunity to talk about the greatness of God, what God had done in his life. No, he was glad that he was so important that such a high-ranking delegation came to see him.
Dear friends, it is a bad sign when we find some kind of consolation and consolation in the company of the wicked.
The only thing that should please us in such a society is the opportunity to show through word and example that our God is wonderful and powerful to save them and help them in their needs.
Hezekiah's sin was most evident in his silence. Notice he didn't say anything against God. Unlike Peter, he did not openly and publicly renounce his faith in God. No, he was simply silent! But he loudly boasted of his successes and his achievements. If he said little about God, he said a lot about himself.
Oh, how many such opportunities we miss! Yes, we consider it appropriate to talk about this and that, even more about trifles, but we consider it either inconvenient, or impolite, or somehow out of place to say a word about Christ.
But we certainly want to say directly or indirectly how important and kind we are.
Thank God that Hezekiah's story ends with repentance. The Lord forgave him and gave him peace and prosperity for the rest of his days. And this was only by the grace of God. God took the initiative to restore it. He sent a prophet with the word of the Lord, convicting the king of his sin.
And we see his repentance in the way he accepted the Word of the Lord, spoken to him through the prophet: “Good is the word of the Lord that you have spoken,” he answers the prophet.
My friend, there is only one ground on which God can meet you and deal with you - this is the ground of humility. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
If you do not know God, have not made peace with Him, then before you can receive forgiveness, you must bow at the foot of the cross of Calvary. Only the Calvary sacrifice of Jesus Christ can save you. The death of His Son, His shed blood, is the only means of your redemption. At the cross of Calvary a person has nothing to be proud of. In humility and faith, the sinner must accept what God has done for him, accomplished through His Son.
“Where is something to boast about? destroyed. What law? the law of affairs? No, but by the law of faith” (Rom. 3:27).
There is no need for God to leave us to show us the depravity of our hearts if the cross of Christ is always before us. Nothing tells us more about the depravity of our hearts and the sinfulness of our nature than the death of Jesus Christ. Man's heart is so corrupted by sin that only the death of the Son of God could redeem it.
Oh, how dear our salvation was to God! Let us remember that there is nothing good in us, that good is only in God, only in His Son, Jesus Christ. Let our prayer to God be: “Do not forsake me, O God; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit... Lord! Open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.”
The Word of God says: “Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God!” (Ps. 50:19)
https://horoshoe.info/system/files/Yarl_Peysti_-_Ezekiya.doc
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Passover [↑]
Following this, Hezekiah called for the holiday of Passover
to Jerusalem not only all the inhabitants of Judah, but also the Jews from the ten northern tribes. Messengers were sent throughout the country with messages that said on behalf of the king: “Children of Israel! Return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and He will return to those who survived the hand of the king of Assyria. ... Indeed, God our Almighty is good and merciful, and He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
But in the land of the ten tribes they only ridiculed the king’s messengers and mocked them. In addition to the tribe of Judah, only part of the Jews from the tribes of Asher, Ephraim, Menashe, Zebulun and Issachar responded to Hezekiah’s call. And yet, a great holiday took place in Jerusalem, the likes of which had not happened since the time of King Shlomo ( ibid. 30:1-27
).
After the holiday, by order of the king, idols were destroyed and idol trees were cut down throughout Judah, as well as in the land of Ephraim and Menashe ( ibid. 31:1
).
In addition, Hezekiah ordered the destruction of the copper serpent made by Moshe, since the Jews began to venerate this image as a deity and burn incense before it ( II Melachim 18:4, Radak
) - and the sages also approved of this act of the king (
Berachot 10b; Pesachim 56a, Rashi
).
Torah Study [↑]
In the subsequent period, Hezekiah managed to return the entire people of Yehuda not only to fulfilling the commandments of the Creator, but also to the serious study of the Torah. At the same time, understanding the depth of the spiritual decline of many Jews, the king acted, among other things, through coercion, forcing them to study the Torah under pain of death. He announced throughout Yehuda: “Whoever does not engage in Torah will be pierced by the sword.” At the same time, Hezekiah allocated funds from the royal treasury to illuminate the houses of learning, so that the Jews could study in the evenings and at night. After some time, a check was carried out: from the north of the country to Beersheba there was not a single ignorant person - from one end to the other of the country there was not a single man, woman or child who did not understand even the most complex laws related to ritual impurity ( Sanhedrin 94b
).
The Tanakh says about Hezekiah that “there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either after him or before him” - after all, even David committed a serious sin, and Hezekiah “did not depart from the Creator in anything” ( II Melachim 18 :5-6, Ralbag
).
And “in all the affairs that he began to serve in the House of G-d, to keep the Torah and the commandments, ... he acted with all his heart and prospered” ( II Divrei Hayamim 31:21
).
Initially, he was also accompanied by military success: Hezekiah defeated the army of the Philistines and pursued them to Gaza ( II Melachim 18:8
).
